Mother missing with lover and newborn was Tatler 'It' girl

Aristocrat daughter of Queen’s page who is missing with lover and newborn was Tatler ‘It’ girl and ‘very talented’ actress before becoming estranged from family – as neighbours say ‘mysterious’ couple never left house and were evicted from string of homes

• Constance Marten, Mark Gordon and their baby have been missing for 10 days 
• Police are trying to trace the whereabouts of the couple and their newborn child
• They were first reported missing after their car broke down on the M61, Bolton 
• Old acting classmates of Ms Marten have said she was a ‘very talented’ actress  

The aristocrat daughter of a former page to the Queen was a ‘very talented’ actress who ‘could have gone very far’, before becoming estranged from her wealthy family, a former classmate has said.

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon, along with their newborn baby have been missing for ten days after they were seen abandoning their burning broken down car on foot, leaving the M61 near Bolton on January 5.

Both the Met and Essex Police forces have joined Greater Manchester Police on their efforts after the couple were spotted in Harwich Port, Essex and later at East Ham Tube station in Newham, East London.

Officers are becoming increasingly concerned about the welfare of both the mother and baby, who have not been seen by medical staff since the birth.

Missing mother Constance Marten (pictured) was a ‘very talented’ actress who ‘could have gone very far’, before becoming estranged from her wealthy family, a former classmate has said

Ms Marten and her partner Mark Gordon have been missing since January 5 after their car broke down and caught fire on the M61. The pair were seen leaving the motorway on foot with their newborn 

Ms Marten is from a family of wealthy landowners, with links to the Royal Family.

She is the granddaughter of Mary Anna Marten, whose godmother was the late Queen Mother, while her father Napier Marten was a page to Queen Elizabeth.

Before she became estranged from her family, who once owned the Crichel estate in Dorset, Ms Marten was deemed an ‘It’ girl, appearing on fashion magazine Tatler’s Babe of the Month page, while she was a student in 2008.

In the interview the now missing mother described her love of the Swiss Alps and her trips volunteering in Nepal.

Ms Marten (pictured) and her partner have now been missing for ten days, however, there have been several sightings including in Essex and East London 

Police released this picture of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon outside East Ham station at around 11.45am on Saturday January 7

After attending the University of Leeds, she dabbled in journalism and won awards for her photography, before moving to London and enrolling at East 15 drama school in Essex, The Sunday Times reports.

Speaking to the paper, an old friend and classmate of the missing woman said: ‘She was just beautiful, full of life, full of kindness and she was very, very talented.

‘She could have gone very far. She had a lot of talent.’

The source said she had been using a trust fund, reportedly from a multimillion-pound trust stored at C. Hoare & Co – the UK’s oldest private bank, to pay for the course. 

Former classmates from Ms Marten’s drama school East 15 in Essex said she was a ‘very good actress’ who ‘could have gone very far’

Ms Marten is believed to have been spotted wrapped in red blanket in Harwich Port, Essex on Saturday at 9am

Who is Constance Marten’s family? 

Constance Marten and her partner Mark Gordon have been missing since January 5.

Police have concerns over her welfare and the welfare of her newborn baby, who have not been seen by medical experts.

Ms Marten is the granddaughter of Mary Anna Marten, whose godmother was the late Queen Mother. 

The family used to own the Crichel estate in Dorset. 

Miss Marten’s great-grandfather was Captain Napier Sturt, the third and final Baron Alington. 

Her father, Napier Marten, was a page to Queen Elizabeth, and gave up the £115 million family fortune, saying a voice in his head told him ‘to shave my head and go to Australia’. 

Napier Marten’s parents were Toby Marten, a Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Navy, and Mary Anna, daughter and heir to the third Baron Alington.

Mary Anna had close links to the Royal Family, attending the Brownies pack at Buckingham Palace alongside Princess Margaret, The Independent reported last night. 

After an archaeology career which saw her travel the world, Mrs Marten was awarded an OBE in 1980 and made a trustee of the British Museum. She died in 2010.

From her father – who died in 1940 on active service in North Africa – she had inherited the sprawling Crichel House estate. 

After Napier Marten renounced his inheritance and set off travelling the world, the 5,000-acre estate was expected to pass to his eldest son Max – younger brother of Constance.

However, in 2013 the house was bought by American billionaire Richard Chilton. 

But the ‘very good actress’ dropped out of the drama school in 2016, following a tiff with her course tutor, The Sunday Times reported – the same year she reportedly started living with Mark Gordon in Ilford, East London.

While Birmingham-born Mr Gordon grew up in Florida, he returned to the UK in 2010.

It is believed Ms Marten became estranged from her family because of her relationship with Gordon, however, is thought to still have access to her family’s funds.

The couple’s neighbours in Ilford said the pair were ‘mysterious’ and rarely used the garden or were seen speaking to people.

The source believed Marten had a few odd jobs, but Gordon did not work.

The couple were later evicted from their Ilford home, moving to the Coldharbour Estate in southeast London.

In August last year, however, following a court hearing the couple were evicted for the second time, after not paying rent and leaving thousands of pounds worth of damage to the property.

It is unclear where they were living in the months between August and January of this year.

Marten and Gordon were last seen on January 7, leaving East Ham station in East London at 11.45am.

Earlier that day, Marten had been seen at Harwich Port and in Colchester.

It is thought the pair first paid cash to travel to Liverpool and then to Essex, potentially using a taxi, according to the Manchester Evening News.

Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford, who is leading the investigation, said: ‘It has now been more than a week since Constance and Mark’s car broke down on the M61, and we are growing increasingly concerned not only for their welfare, but for the welfare of their newborn child.

‘Being on the move for a week must be exhausting for new parents and a newborn baby.

‘Constance and Mark, I appeal directly to you, please think of your baby’s health and wellbeing and get in touch with us so we can ensure your child is medically well and has no underlying issues.

‘Please do this for your child. You wouldn’t be able to forgive yourself if they became poorly. All we want to do is help you and your baby.’

The Met Police have now taken over the investigation.

Detective Chief Inspector Rob Huddleston said last week: ‘We know some elements of the public may see police involvement as unwelcome and I would seek to assure you that we do not wish to impose ourselves for any reason other than to make sure the newborn baby is alive and well.’

A police source told The Sunday Times that there were concerns that access to a large sum of money, from her family ties, could mean they could evade the police for a significant amount of time.

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