Mata Hari’s daughter, Margaretha Geertruida Zelle MacLeod, better known as “Non”, was placed in the care of her father after Mata Hari’s execution. She later was adopted by her father’s relatives and had a life away from the public eye.
Mata Hari, the infamous exotic dancer and alleged spy, was executed by firing squad in France in 1917 after being convicted of espionage during World War I. Her daughter, whose full name was Margaretha Geertruida Zelle MacLeod, was born in 1902 to Mata Hari and her then-husband, Rudolf MacLeod, a Dutch military officer.
Following the scandalous trial and execution of her mother, Non faced a challenging life. Her father, who had custody of her since the divorce from Mata Hari in 1906, died in 1928, leaving her an orphan at the age of 26. Before his death, Non had been sent to live with relatives of her father, as Rudolf MacLeod was reportedly abusive and negligent.
The details of Non’s life after her mother’s death are not widely known, as she lived a relatively private life, likely due to the notoriety surrounding her mother’s legacy. It is believed that she struggled with the stigma attached to her mother’s name and the traumatic events of her early life. Non passed away in 1944, largely unrecognized and distanced from the infamy of her mother’s espionage case. Her life after Mata Hari’s execution was marked by a desire to avoid the public eye and live quietly, which she managed to do until her death.