He inherited the estate of his grandmother, Anne Adele Hope (widow of Henry Thomas Hope) in 1884, upon condition that he assume the name and arms of Hope upon reaching his majority; he did so in 1887 and became known as Lord Francis Hope. This bequest included the well-known Hope Diamond. Lord Francis held a commission as Lieutenant of the Nottinghamshire (Sherwood Rangers) Yeomanry until he resigned in April 1894.[2] He was Sheriff of Monaghan for 1897 and 1917.
He married American actress May Yohé in November 1894. She had gained fame on the London stage in 1893 and 1894, especially in the burlesqueLittle Christopher Columbus. He led an extravagant lifestyle, which the two continued together, and was discharged in bankruptcy in 1896. One journal wrote: "Pecuniary troubles, however, embarrassed the two but slightly. A future Duke and Duchess can always beg or borrow, and they did. In 1900 they made a tour of the world, and on their way home fell in with Captain [Putnam] Bradlee Strong,[3] at that time one of the handsomest and most popular men in the United States Army, and a special favourite with President McKinley. The actress fell head over ears in love with him. She refused to return to England with Lord Francis".[4] During the marriage, Yohé continued to perform on stage in London.[5]
Hope divorced Yohé in 1902; at this time, he obtained court permission to sell off the Hope Diamond to pay some of his debts. After lengthy litigation in the Court of Chancery, he was able to break the entail on most of his grandmother's trusts, and sold 'Deepdene', Dorking, Surrey and CastleblayneyinCounty Monaghan, Ireland.
Lord Francis married Olive Muriel Owen, née Thompson, in 1904. They had 3 children:
