Winston Churchill may belong to the ages, but to his granddaughter, Celia Sandys (pronounced Sands), Churchill remains a very active presence in her life. Sandys, the daughter of Churchill’s oldest child, Diana, and the prominent Tory politician in the 50’s and 60’s, Duncan Sandys, has spent the last 10 years capturing her grandfather’s work and experiences through books and tours that relive Churchill’s remarkable life.

She has written five books about her grandfather, including Chasing Churchill, The Travels of Winston Churchill, which was made into a three-part television documentary which Celia presented and which aired in the U.S. and U.K. Following the publication of Chasing Churchill, and the airing of the PBS documentary of the same title, Celia has been leading tours to her grandfather’s favorite places. In 2011 she will be chasing Churchill in Cuba, Morocco, and on a sea bourn cruise in the Mediterranean.

Sitting down over tea with Sandys, she opened up about her life with her famous grandfather and the fun and excitement she shared with him and her grandmother, Clementine. “ I believe that the only people who took my grandfather for granted after WWII were his grandchildren, but spending time with him, I came to realize he was special simply by the way people around him treated him.” His fame aside, Sandys notes, “he was a doting grandfather who loved being around his grandchildren.” Because Sandys was 21 when Churchill died, she has wonderful stories to share about him and the times they spent together. In telling them, there is still an animation and excitement in her voice even though Churchill has been gone for over 40 years.

She points with particular amusement to a cruise she took with her grandfather in the 50’s on Aristotle Onassis’s yacht, Christina, as the guests of Onassis and his then wife, Tina. Other guests included Maria Callas and her husband. As a 16-year-old, Celia found Onassis, “very attractive, charismatic,” — so did Maria Callas. “Before you knew it a great romance was taking place right before my eyes.” This was just one of many trips Celia took with her grandfather because while Winston and Clementine Churchill had a long and by all accounts good marriage, they weren’t constantly in one another’s company. When I ask Celia the key to the success of her grandparents’ marriage, she unhesitatingly responds, “My grandparents had a deep respect and love for one another but they didn’t have to be together all the time.”

Celia was also with her grandfather the day President Kennedy was assassinated. The elderly, frail Churchill witnessed the death of the young and dashing American President. “Tears streamed down his face as he watched the news reports on the television in the dining room.” Although Churchill was no longer active in political life when President Kennedy had been elected to the Presidency, Celia opined on his relationship with two other American presidents: Franklin Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower.

“My grandfather had a political relationship with Roosevelt.” Read into this: It was not a close personal one. As Churchill wrote when describing his efforts to get Roosevelt to join England in the fight against Germany, “I wooed Roosevelt as hard as anyone could woo a difficult mistress.” And, Celia points out that “Eleanor Roosevelt was deeply disapproving of my grandfather as he was not an easy guest at the White House.” She describes Churchill’s relationship with Eisenhower differently. “Eisenhower spent a lot of time in England during the war and developed a close relationship with my grandfather.” Next May, Sandys plans to spend time with David Eisenhower on a travel tour in the British Isles sponsored by Emory University, where they’ll lecture about the experiences of their respective grandfathers during World War II.

As for present day politics and politicians Sandys observes: “British political parties are much more fluid than political parties here in the States. Much has been made of the current coalition government in the U.K. of David Cameron and Nick Clegg (Cameron is a Conservative; Clegg a Liberal Democrat), but my grandfather moved easily in and out of political parties and in 1940 formed a coalition government with Clement Atlee.”

Students of history will recall that right after the war, Churchill went down in defeat. Celia says, “It didn’t occur to him that he was not going to win.” At the time his family tried to console him pointing out that after the long war years, his loss was actually a “blessing in disguise,” giving him time to relax and rejuvenate. On hearing this, Churchill replied, “Well, if it is a blessing, it is certainly well-disguised.” For relaxation, Churchill liked to paint in oils and was quite a talented painter. Celia notes that unlike presidents and prime ministers today, her grandfather had a single bodyguard, whose “primary responsibility was to get his painting equipment together when he was going on a trip.”

So what is it that made Churchill a remarkable person and certainly one of the seminal figures of the 20th century? To this, Celia, with great conviction, responds, “My grandfather believed at a young age that he was put on this earth for a purpose. He had the courage to follow his convictions, popular opinion aside.” Modern day politicians still find inspiration from Churchill. Recently in London, Sandys gave the president of Chile, Sebastian Pinera, a tour of the Churchill Museum. Since the rescue of the Chilean miners, Pinera has been feted around the world, but on a visit to London, he insisted on paying homage to Winston Churchill.

And, she credits Churchill’s American genes for much of his can-do attitude. Churchill’s mother, Jennie Jerome, was born in New York and was the ultimate networker for her son, Winston. “She knew everyone—prime ministers, foreign secretaries, artists—and she was a great beauty.” This American connection provided other distinctions as well. Celia notes that “Although my grandfather didn’t speak with an American accent, unlike most members of his class, he didn’t speak with an upper class accent either. This distinction made my grandfather more accessible.” And speaking of distinctions, Sandys, along with her brother and sister, inherited both grandfathers’ and their parents’ red hair. Sandys laughs and says, when I was expecting my children I always said, “No red hair, please.” Sandys got her wish—none of her parents’ ten grandchildren, her four children or her two grandchildren has red hair.

Sandys, who lives in London, visits New York often. Her sister, Edwina Sandys, a talented artist like her grandfather, lives here. When asked to compare New York to London, she replies, “New York is more exciting, but London is an easier place to live.”

On this trip to New York, she also attended the opening of a new documentary on her grandfather, Walking with Destiny. To us, Churchill was a great statesman, but for Celia Sandys he was much more: a grandfather who brought her—and continues to bring her—“great joy.”

Celia Sandys website: www.celiasandys.com

Learn more about Winston Churchill in the following books. Click on the red title to purchase.

By Celia Sandys:
Chasing Churchill, The Travels of Winston Churchill

By William Manchester:
The Last Lion: William Spencer Churchill, Visions of Glory, 1874-1932
The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Alone, 1932-1940
The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Defender of the Realm, 1940-1965 (to be published in 2011)

Woman Around Town’s Questions
Favorite Restaurant: The Red Cat, 227 Tenth Avenue
Favorite Place to Shop: Off Broadway
Favorite New York Sight: Walking in Central Park
What You Love About New York: The can-do attitude
What You Hate About New York: The noise