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3w ago

Hilary Weston, Retail Mogul and Former Ontario Lieutenant Governor, Dies at 83

Her family announced plans for a state funeral in Toronto with a U.K. memorial, noting that since 2021 her foundation has pledged almost $150 million to charities.

Ontario Lt.-Gov. Hilary Weston delivers the throne speech at Queen's Park in Toronto Thursday October 21, 1999.
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November 12, 2012 - TORONTO, ON: Hilary Weston at the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust for Nonfiction Gala held at the TELUS Centre for Performing and Learning, Koerner Hall, in Toronto. Photo by Della Rollins for the Globe and Mail
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Overview

  • Weston died in England at age 83, her family said.
  • Born in Dublin in 1942, she began her career as a fashion model before marrying Galen Weston Sr. in 1966 and joining his retail ventures.
  • She played a key role in developing Penneys/Primark’s in-house production and later held leadership posts at Brown Thomas, Holt Renfrew and the Selfridges Group.
  • As Ontario’s lieutenant governor from 1997 to 2002, she championed volunteerism, youth and women’s issues and was invested into the Order of Canada in 2003.
  • She founded the Ireland Fund of Canada in 1979 and after 2021 co-launched the Hilary and Galen Weston Foundation, shaping the family’s philanthropic impact.