The only daughter of chemicals heiress and philanthropist Peggy Zinsser (died 1992) and politician Lewis W. Douglas (died 1974) -- Arizona congressman, FDR's budget director, and U. S. ambassador to the Court of St. James's from 1947 until 1950 -- Sharman Douglas was born in 1929 and died in 1996.

At various times in her life, "Charmin' Sharman," as she was known during her father's tenure as ambassador, worked as a talent agent, a movie publicist, and a public-relations agent.

Reportedly linked romantically to the marquess of Blandford and the marquess of Milford Haven in the 1950s, she also reportedly had a two-year relationship with England's Princess Margaret, according to "Margaret: The Secret Princess," an ITV program broadcast in Britain in February 2003.

Sharman Douglas married Andrew MacKenzie Hay, a food importer, in 1968. They divorced in 1977.