View source for Simon Isaacs, 4th Marquess of Reading

'''Simon Rufus Isaacs, 4th Marquess of Reading''' (born 18 May 1942),<ref name=Birth>{{cite web|title=Birthday's today|url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/archive/2011-5-18.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110519203254/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/archive/2011-5-18.html |url-status= dead |archive-date= 19 May 2011 |publisher=The Telegraph|accessdate=16 May 2014|date=18 May 2011|quote=the Marquess of Reading 69 }}</ref> is a British peer, banker, philanthropist and Zionist.

== Biography ==

=== Early life ===
Simon Rufus Isaacs was born on 18 May 1942.<ref name="debretts">[https://archive.today/20130928105817/http://www.debretts.com/people/biographies/browse/r/2905/Simon+Charles.aspx DeBrett's]</ref>

His father was [[Michael Isaacs, 3rd Marquess of Reading]], and his mother was [[Margot Rufus Isaacs, Marchioness of Reading|Margot Irene (née Duke)]].<ref name="nationalportraitgallery">[http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp91614/simon-charles-henry-rufus-isaacs-4th-marquess-of-reading National Portrait Gallery]</ref> His paternal grandfather was [[Gerald Isaacs, 2nd Marquess of Reading]]. His paternal great-grandfather was [[Rufus Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading]]. He became the fourth [[Marquess of Reading]] after his father's death in 1980. His maternal great-grandparents were [[Alfred Moritz Mond, 1st Baron Melchett]], and [[Violet Mond, Baroness Melchett]]. Violet Mond's grandfather was [[Ludwig Mond]], chemist and industrialist, who created the [[Mond process]] to extract and purify nickel.

===Career===
He was a lieutenant in [[1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards]] from 1961 to 1964.<ref name="debretts"/>

He worked as a stockbroker from 1964 to 1974, and he was a member of the [[London Stock Exchange]] from 1970 to 1974.<ref name="debretts"/> From 1975 to 1980, he was marketing director of Brahmco International.<ref name="debretts"/> He worked for [[Ralph Lauren Cosmetics]] from 1979 to 1983.<ref name="debretts"/> He then worked for [[Abbey National|Abbey Lubbock]] and Abbey Sports and Events from 1984 to 1992.<ref name="debretts"/>

He was a business partner of [[Prince Michael of Kent]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/may/09/prince-michael-of-kent-accused-of-selling-access-to-kremlin|title = Prince Michael of Kent's army role questioned after claims he sold access to Kremlin| website=[[TheGuardian.com]] |date = 9 May 2021}}</ref>

===Philanthropy===
Reading was Chairman of the [[Land's End to John o' Groats|Land's End John o' Groats Club]] from 1992 to 1996.<ref name="debretts"/> He served as director of the [[Global Flying Hospitals]] from 1996 to 2000.<ref name="debretts"/> From 1990 to 2000, he was president of the [[Dean Close School]] in [[Cheltenham, Gloucestershire]].<ref name="debretts"/> He has served on the Board of Directors of [[CURE International]] since 2004, and of the Mertens House in [[Saint Petersburg]], [[Russia]] since 2008.<ref name="debretts"/> He served as a member of the Council of the [[Garden Tomb]] in [[Jerusalem]] from 2002 to 2008.<ref name="debretts"/>

He is a patron of the [[Nelson Recovery Trust]] and, since 1998, of the [[Barnabas Fund]].<ref name="debretts"/>

In 2003, he criticized the decision made by the vice-chancellor of the [[University of Sussex]], [[Alasdair Smith]], to sell [[Swanborough Manor]] in Iford, East Sussex, which was donated by his step-great-grandmother, [[Stella Isaacs, Marchioness of Reading]] (1894–1971), in the hope that it would serve as the main residence of the vice-chancellor until 2021.<ref name="telegraph">James Trollope, [https://web.archive.org/web/20140814012132/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/3311970/The-manor-of-its-going.html The manor of its going], ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', 15 March 2003</ref>

In May 2022 Lord Reading was one of the Patrons of [[The Royal Versailles Ball]], a charitable event which took place at the [[Palace of Versailles]]. Earlier that year, he was awarded the [[Order of Menelik II]] (Grand Cross) by the [[Crown Council of Ethiopia]] for his charitable work.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Royal Versailles Ball |url=https://www.royalversaillesball.com/ |access-date=26 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220220194641/https://www.royalversaillesball.com/ |archive-date=Feb 20, 2022 |language=en |url-access=registration |quote=To request access please contact the committee.}}</ref>
==Affiliations==
*[[JNF UK]] - Patron
===Personal life===
Lord Reading married [[Melinda Dewar]] on 12 May 1979. They have three children:
*Lady [[Sybilla Alice Rufus Isaacs]] (3 November 1980) she married [[Charles B. B. Hart]] on 9 July 2005. They have four children:
*Lady [[Natasha Rufus Isaacs]] (24 April 1983) she married [[Rupert Finch]] on 8 June 2013. They have three daughters.
*[[Julian Rufus Isaacs]], Viscount Erleigh (26 May 1986)

In May 2021 he announced his intention to seek [[Israeli citizenship]].<ref name="Frazer">{{Cite news |last=Frazer |first=Jenni |date=28 May 2021 |title=Marquess of Reading set to take Israeli citizenship |work=[[The Jewish Chronicle]] |url=https://www.thejc.com/news/uk/marquess-of-reading-set-to-take-israeli-citizenship-1.517267 |access-date=30 May 2021}}</ref>

==External links==
*[http://www.geni.com/people/Margot-Irene-Marchioness-of-Reading/6000000003086915046?through=6000000003086681796 Margot Irene, Marchioness of Reading]

==Notes==
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