Born in 1987, Constance Dorothea enjoyed a privileged childhood as the eldest daughter of the aristocratic Constance family, with close ties to the late Queen Elizabeth II. She grew up in a sprawling 25-room mansion nestled within a 2,000-hectare park and attended the same boarding school as British princesses.

Constance grew up at Crichel House in Dorset, a 25-room mansion on a 2,000-hectare estate. Photo: Telegraph

Constance grew up at Crichel House in Dorset, a 25-room mansion on a 2,000-hectare estate. Photo: Telegraph

Her idyllic life took a turn at the age of 9 when her parents divorced. Her mother remarried a wealthy Belgian banker.

Despite excelling in high school, Constance chose travel over university. In 2006, her mother intervened after Constance spent three months in a Nigerian camp, enduring harsh conditions and abuse.

This experience deeply impacted Constance's mental health, dramatically altering her personality. Financially secure, she continued to attend social events and lavish parties, dabbled in modeling, and traveled extensively to Uganda, India, South America, and Nepal.

In 2008, she enrolled at the University of Leeds to study Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies, finding the student life more appealing than her aristocratic upbringing. She spent her third year in Cairo, Egypt, won a photography award, and graduated with honors. She then secured a senior research position at the London branch of Al Jazeera, aspiring to become a journalist.

Though talented, her erratic behavior and disregard for deadlines hindered her career. Despite this, she was well-liked, described as "not like other aristocrats."

Constance explored various paths but never settled into a stable career. Supported by her wealthy family, she never faced financial hardship.

Constance lived comfortably on her family's support, still searching for her purpose in life in her 30s. Photo: Telegraph

Constance lived comfortably on her family's support, still searching for her purpose in life in her 30s. Photo: Telegraph

As she entered her 30s, while her friends were establishing their lives, Constance was still searching for meaning. She enrolled in a drama course, but two months before graduation, she dropped out. Mark Gordon had entered her life.

Mark, 13 years her senior, was her opposite. He grew up in a troubled inner-city Birmingham neighborhood, the youngest of six children, never knowing or receiving support from his father.

At 12, Mark moved to the US with his mother. Initially, life was stable. Mark excelled in school, dreaming of becoming a doctor. However, subsequent moves disrupted his life, leading to truancy and bad habits.

In 4/1989, two months after arriving in Miami, 14-year-old Mark committed a horrific crime: he broke into a neighbor's house, armed with garden shears and a knife, and raped the homeowner. Three weeks later, he invaded another home, this time carrying a shovel and a knife. The husband fought back, resulting in a violent struggle. Three days later, when the police arrived, Mark simply said, "It was me."

He was charged with armed sexual battery, armed burglary, and aggravated battery. Due to the severity of the crimes, despite being 14, he was tried as an adult.

Mark’s upbringing was in stark contrast to Constance’s privileged life.

Constance and Mark after their arrest. Photo: Met

In 3/1990, he was convicted on four counts of sexual battery. During sentencing, his mother pleaded for leniency, citing a difficult upbringing and the absence of a father figure. "I don't understand where Mark went wrong," she said.

Mark received a life sentence, later reduced to 40 years with the possibility of parole after 20 years. He served time in 18 prisons across Florida, including notorious facilities like Dade and Santa Rosa.

Released in 2010 at 35, Mark was deported to the UK and placed on the sex offenders registry. He found work in construction. In 2016, a chance encounter in a London shop brought him and Constance together. "We went for coffee and it started from there... He's my soulmate," she said.

Friends observed a newfound purpose in Constance. She saw their relationship as a fairytale.

A bitter fairytale indeed. The couple moved in together, living off Constance's family's money. She introduced Mark to her parents, who were unimpressed, causing a rift.

In 2017, they participated in a symbolic wedding ceremony in Peru, though not legally recognized in the UK. Constance informed her family she was severing ties.

Her estrangement was evident in 2021 when she missed her brother's wedding, a lavish affair featured in Vogue, to her childhood best friend.

In 2017, Constance's family requested Mark's court records from the US government. They discovered his criminal history just as Constance became pregnant with their first child. The couple, living in a camper van, avoided prenatal care, prompting a national health alert.

They accumulated £6,000 in traffic and parking fines, pursued by bailiffs. Constance's father hired private investigators and resolved these issues, but she remained with Mark.

In 11/2017, Constance arrived at a Welsh hospital in early labor, using a false name and claiming to be a runaway from a travelling family. Social workers identified her, leading to a confrontation and Mark's arrest for assaulting two police officers. He received a 20-week sentence and a £415 fine.

Police found the baby's body in an abandoned shed filled with rubbish. Photo: Telegraph

Constance and Mark after their arrest. Photo: Met

Social services discovered Constance had been living in squalid conditions in a tent during winter, lacking basic necessities, let alone baby supplies. The area was filled with rubbish and urine. Neither Constance nor Mark seemed equipped to care for a newborn. Social workers obtained a supervision order.

In the spring of 2019, Constance secretly gave birth to their second child, again without medical assistance or birth registration.

A few weeks later, pregnant again, Constance fell from a first-floor window, rupturing her spleen. She claimed it was an accident, not a result of Mark pushing her. However, the family court deemed her a victim of domestic violence.

Informed by a relative, Constance's father and brother applied for temporary custody of Constance and her children, offering a house and nannies. Constance fled to Ireland. Mark, his passport confiscated, couldn't follow. Constance returned to the UK, giving birth to their third child in 5/2020, and their fourth 11 months later.

Social services intervened. In early 2022, a judge placed all four children in foster care and up for adoption.

Pregnant again, Constance was determined to keep her fifth child. They lived itinerantly, sleeping in cars, tents, and cheap motels. She gave birth in a remote Northumberland cottage on Christmas Eve 2022. Weeks later, the baby died.

The baby's decomposing body was found wrapped in a plastic bag, hidden under rubbish in an abandoned shed. A tragic end to a short life.

Police found the baby's body in an abandoned shed filled with rubbish. Photo: Telegraph

After 54 days on the run, the couple were arrested and appeared in court in 1/2024. Constance's mother attended daily, taking notes, but Constance rarely made eye contact.

Constance blamed her parents and their influence for the loss of her children, claiming they deserved an apology.

On 14/7, the couple were found guilty of gross negligence manslaughter, perverting the course of justice, concealing a birth, child cruelty, and causing or allowing the death of a child. They face lengthy sentences. The sentencing date is pending.

Regardless of Constance's future, her family remains supportive. A source close to her father said he wants her to receive psychiatric care in a secure facility. "Her parents will always be there if she wants them. Their door is always open," the source said.

Hai Thu (According to Telegraph)