Daphne Milne was the mother of Christopher Robin Milne who was an English author and bookseller and the only child of author A. A. Milne. In his father’s Winnie-the-Pooh stories and two poetry books, he became as the inspiration for the young Christopher Robin.
Her father-in-law was John Vine Milne, who was born in Jamaica and mother-in-law was , Sarah Marie Milne. Her husband, A. A. Milne grew up at Henley House School, 6/7 Mortimer Road (now Crescent), Kilburn, a small independent school run by his father.
Daphne Milne Biography
Daphne Milne (née de Sélincourt) was born as Dorothy “Daphne” de Sélincourt (1890–1971). She married with A. A. Milne, in 1913. Their son Christopher Robin Milne was born in 1920. In 1925, Milne bought a country home, Cotchford Farm, in Hartfield, East Sussex. Milne was to become a contributor and later an assistant editor.
She sold the farm and moved back to London after disposing of her husband’s personal possessions. Her son, Christopher Robin Milne, who did not want any part of his father’s royalties, decided to write a book about his childhood. As Milne describes it, that book, The Enchanted Places,
“combined to lift me from under the shadow of my father and of Christopher Robin, and to my surprise and pleasure I found myself standing beside them in the sunshine able to look them both in the eye”.
Following her husband’s death, Daphne Milne had little further contact with her son, did not see him during the last 15 years of her life and refused to see him on her deathbed.
A few months after her husband’s death in 1956, Christopher Milne’s daughter Clare was born and diagnosed with severe cerebral palsy.
According to Marjorie Taylor’s book Imaginary Companions and the Children Who Create Them, Milne gave the original stuffed animals that inspired the Pooh characters to the books’ editor who donated them to the New York Public Library.
Many were disappointed, but Milne explained that he preferred to focus on his current interests. Commercialising Winnie-the-Pooh bothered him.
Who Was Daphne Milne Married With?
Daphne Milne and A. A. Milne shared a great bond. He was born on January 18, 1882, in Kilburn, London, England. He was a novelist, playwright, and poet. He attended Westminster School and later studied at Trinity College, Cambridge. Milne’s career spanned from 1906 to 1956, during the interwar period in Britain.
He was best known for his notable works in children’s literature, particularly Winnie-the-Pooh. He was also related to Aubrey de Sélincourt who was his brother-in-law. Milne passed away on January 31, 1956, at the age of 74 in Hartfield, Sussex, England.
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Daphne Milne was a grandmom
Daphne Milne’s son, Christopher Robin Milne on 11 April 1948 became engaged to Lesley de Sélincourt, a first cousin on his mother’s side and daughter of the translator Aubrey de Sélincourt, and they married on 24 July 1948.
He and his wife moved to Dartmouth, and opened The Harbour Bookshop on 25 August, 1951. Christopher Robin Milne had one child, a daughter named Clare, who had cerebral palsy.
Lesser Known Facts About Daphne Milne
- Daphne de Selincourt was born in 1890 in Battersea, London, United Kingdom.
- She passed away in 1971 at the age of 81.
- She was married to A. A. Milne from 1913 until his death in 1956.
- They had one child together named Christopher Robin Milne, who later became the inspiration for the famous character Christopher Robin in Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh stories.
- Daphne de Selincourt and A.A. Milne also had a grandchild named Clare Milne.
- Her parents were Martin de Selincourt and Mabel Speed.
