Charmian Powell’s name is forever attached to one of the great criminal cases that have been part of British lore. Born on May 17, 1939, in Brackley, Northamptonshire, Britain was the daughter of a primary school headmaster who raised her in an uptight but also conventional setting. Years before television would catapult her name into national notoriety, Charmian Powell led the quite uneventful post-war life of someone living through Great Britain’s post-war recovery era and its societal changes.
Charmian Powell would encounter the man who would alter the course of her existence one spring afternoon on a commuter train. At seventeen years of age, on the train encounter of 1957, she would cross paths with an unknown individual who by 1963 would forever cause her name to be associated with the criminal mastermind behind the Great Train Robbery.
Early Life and Family Background
Born and raised in the countryside in Northamptonshire, Charmian Powell’s younger days described her as being exceptionally bright, independently minded, yet somewhat introverted and tough. Charmian Powell’s father was a school master and as such the household adhered to the strong values of education, discipline and responsibility. Details about Charmian Powell’s own education and first jobs are scarce although those who subsequently reminisced on Charmian Powell would frequently reflect how she derived an inner fortitude from this childhood environment enabling her to bear up to the bizarre future she faced.
Undeterred by her father’s pronounced reservations concerning Ronnie Biggs family, Charmian Powell had been determined to build a future with Biggs. In 1960, in opposition to her parents’ vehement wishes, Charmian Powell would marry the criminal. The life that would follow, which subsequently grabbed worldwide attention, was determined that very day of the wedding.
Marriage to Ronnie Biggs
In 1960 Charmian Powell married Ronnie Biggs. They were a happily married couple and soon had three sons: Nicholas, Christopher and their eventual child Farley. Charmian Powell, of course, was blissfully unaware of all the future controversy and the drama that would one day envelop her and the other participants when for a short while she led a completely ordinary life as a young wife in England.
However, all of this dramatically changed in August 1963 when Ronnie Biggs played a part in the theft of money (millions, actually) from a mail train and became part of one of the most infamous criminal undertakings of British history; this was the Great Train Robbery and the shocked reaction of Charmian Powell when Ronnie was found to have brought back from this endeavour his ‘cut’, with which the police would find him, became just part of the history of Charmian Powell. She believed him when he had promised he would be leaving the criminal life behind her and so the shock to her life was profound.
Life as a Fugitive’s Wife
1965 marked the start of even more uncertainty for Charmian Powell, as Biggs managed to escape from Wandsworth Prison, and the family found themselves fleeing their home once again, first to France and in 1966 they were residing in Australia, adopting different identities. They were able to survive thanks to night work for Charmian Powell, making biscuits and carpentry for Ronnie Biggs, their lives in the quiet suburbs of Melbourne were concealed and hidden away from view. Once interpolated (once Interpol had found them) in 1969, Ronnie Biggs fled to Brazil alone and left Charmian Powell to once more begin life on her own, raising three children on her own.
Rebuilding a Life After Biggs
Instead, rather than continue to be overshadowed by her marriage to the nation’s most notorious criminal, Charmian Powell chose to carve out an independent life for herself Down Under. She eventually became known as Charmian Brent after a deed poll, taking her surname back from the moniker that had come to be associated with him and, through his infamy, with her too. The career Charmian Powell has enjoyed was spent as a publisher, an editor, and a journalist – a career choice which surely illustrates how determined she was to be seen as separate from the infamous fugitive she had married.
From this point onwards for several decades Charmian Powell deliberately sought to steer clear of media attention, much prefering instead to take an independent, quieter life.
Many historians and journalists studying Charmian Powell ‘s life would call her decision to do this and not engage with public attention as one of her many quietly brilliant characteristics.
Mrs Biggs and Renewed Public Interest
Charmian Powell‘s story was highlighted once again in 2012, through the British television drama series Mrs Biggs. The television drama told the story of Charmian Powell in the eyes of naive young girl in love turned resourceful wife and mother, making her own life while on the run with her convict husband, in a series starring Sheridan Smith. Sheridan Smith earned much critical recognition, including the BAFTA Television Award for Best Actress for her role as Charmian Powell.
The story reached an even wider, more modern audience in Mrs Biggs, highlighting Charmian Powell’s life separately from the story of Ronnie Biggs.
Charmian Powell was a consultant on Mrs Biggs and played an integral part in developing the story from her own accounts, even meeting actress Sheridan Smith. She shared personal correspondence and old scrapbooks with the cast to guide the story of her life.
Later Years and Legacy
Charmian Powell died on 11 December 2014 in Box Hill, Melbourne, Australia. Beyond her association with the Mrs Biggs character her story also continues as a testament to female resilience and reinventive potential. Although her story is often told through the lens of her union with one of Britain’s most notorious criminals, an examination of her life post-sentence provides a deeper perspective on the realities of a woman redefining herself with privacy on her own terms.
Today, an interest continues to surround Charmian Powell by those intrigued by British crime history and the intimate details of major incidents.
Her tale highlights that much public discussion elides the character and the courage of the real people operating in the shadows.
Frequently Asked Questions About Charmian Powell
Who is Charmian Powell?
Born in England and once married to a Great Train Robber, Charmian Powell was the Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs’ first wife. After their marriage would end, she became known as Charmian Brent.
What are Charmian Powell’s date and place of birth?
Charmian Powell was born 17 May 1939 in Brackley (Northamptonshire, England).
When did Charmian Powell meet Ronnie Biggs?
April 7th 1957 – Charmian met Ronnie Ronnie at age 17 when travelling on the local railway when her parents objected to their association.
Did Charmian Powell take part in the Great Train Robbery?
There’s no indication whether Charmian Powell was part of the 1963 Great Train Robbery, but apparently it’s thought Powell commented she was ignorant of what her hubby had been up to, along with having shocked after listening to the man reveal his cut associated with cash he attained.
What is Mrs Biggs on TV connected to Charmian Powell?
In 2012, Charmian Powell became the subject of Sheridan Smith’s award-winning ITV drama, Mrs Biggs, but on top of acting as the protagonist, she helped ensure the drama remained faithful and accurate on set.
