Jordan and Eales are surprise new owners at Debrett's

Former Formula 1 racing team owner Eddie Jordan and LDC private-equity boss Darryl Eales have become the surprising new owners of Debrett's, the venerable guide to etiquette and genealogy, it emerged yesterday.

Mr Jordan and Mr Eales, the majority owners, are thought to have bought Debrett's around the start of the year in a private deal, but it only became apparent with yesterday's appointment of Joanne Milner as chief executive.

Ms Milner, who joins from LDC, the private-equity arm of Lloyds Banking Group, plans to build on the "cachet" of the Debrett's brand by launching new "services and products", particularly overseas in areas such as China where she used to work.

Debrett's, founded in 1769, is best known for print and online publications, but recently moved into financial services with its Prestige Insurance brand covering everything from bloodstock to fine art.

In her role at LDC, Ms Milner has sat on the boards of several companies, including the MaRussia Virgin Racing Formula 1 team and Learndirect, the online education firm.

Debrett's Peerage & Baronetage claims it is "Britain's most prestigious genealogical reference work and has mapped the ancestries of the British aristocracy for over two centuries".