A mother who vanished with her partner and newborn baby is a member of an aristocratic family with close ties to the royal family. Constance Marten, 35, is the granddaughter of Mary Anna Marten, a British Museum trustee whose godmother was the late Queen Mother, and who owned the Crichel estate in Dorset.
Ms Marten, her partner Mark Gordon, 48, and their baby were last seen on Thursday evening after their car broke down on the M61 motorway near Bolton. They left the road safely and walked towards Anchor Lane bridge. Police believe Ms Marten later travelled to Harwich Port in Essex, where she was captured on CCTV at 9am on Sunday wearing a large red scarf, and then to Colchester about an hour later.
Police are urgently searching for the family, fearing Ms Marten gave birth recently and has not been assessed by medical professionals. Chief Superintendent Michaela Kerr made a direct appeal to Ms Marten, urging her to seek medical help for herself and her baby.
Ms Marten is descended from the 3rd and last Baron Allington. Her grandparents, Toby Marten and Mary Anna, lived at Crichel House, which was used in period dramas including 'Emma'. The estate was at the centre of the Crichel Down affair, a political scandal after World War II when the government requisitioned land for bombing practice. The Martens successfully challenged the government, leading to the agriculture minister's resignation.
Ms Marten's uncle, Napier Marten, was a Page to Queen Elizabeth II. The family's 5,000-acre estate was later sold to an American billionaire. Online records show Mr Marten had a daughter named Constance, born in 1987.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Greater Manchester Police.
