| The Right Honourable The Lord Charteris of Amisfield GCB GCVO QSO OBE PC | |
|---|---|
| Private Secretary to the Sovereign | |
In office 1972–1977 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Preceded by | Lt. Col. The Rt. Hon. Sir Michael Adeane |
| Succeeded by | The Rt. Hon. Sir Philip Moore |
| Personal details | |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Royal Military College, Sandhurst |
Martin Michael Charles Charteris, Baron Charteris of Amisfield GCB GCVO QSO OBE PC (7 September 1913 – 23 December 1999) was a courtier of Queen Elizabeth II.[1]
Charteris was the son of Hugo Charteris, Lord Elcho and a brother of the 12th Earl of Wemyss. He was educated at Eton and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst and was commissioned in the King's Royal Rifle Corps. He fought in the Middle East during World War II, rising to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. On his return, he married Hon. Mary Margesson (a daughter of the 1st Viscount Margesson) on 16 December 1944 and they had three children. He retired from the Army in 1951.
In 1950, he was appointed Private Secretary to Princess Elizabeth, who was then Duchess of Edinburgh and heiress presumptive to the British throne. From her accession in 1952 until 1972, he served as her Assistant Private Secretary under Sir Michael Adeane. On Adeane's retirement in 1972, he was promoted to Private Secretary. He held this post until his retirement in 1977 and returned to Eton as its Provost. He was granted the honour of being a Permanent Lord in Waiting.[2] In 1966, Charteris received the Grand Decoration of Honour in Silver for Services to the Republic of Austria[3] and in 1978 he was created a life peer as Baron Charteris of Amisfield, of Amisfield in East Lothian.
Charteris was probably most notable through an interview he gave to The Spectator in 1995, in which he described the Duchess of York as "vulgar", the Prince of Wales as "whiney" and the Queen Mother as "a bit of an ostrich."[4]
References[]
- ↑ Daily Telegraph "Her Majesty's A-team"
- ↑ Tomlinson, Richard (20 Dec, 1992). "They also serve, who only ush". http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/they-also-serve-who-only-ush-why-is-the-queen-followed-by-people-in-antique-clothes-richard-tomlinson-on-the-lords-ladies-women-masters-silver-sticks-and-white-staves-at-court-1564751.html.
- ↑ "Reply to a parliamentary question" (in German) (pdf). p. 214. http://www.parlament.gv.at/PAKT/VHG/XXIV/AB/AB_10542/imfname_251156.pdf. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
- ↑ Obituary (24 December 1999). "Queen's confidant dies". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/577644.stm.
External links[]
- Grice, Elizabeth. "Perfect 10: The Men and Women Who Have Shaped the Queen," The Daily Telegraph online, telegraph.co.uk, 1 June 2012, accessed 1 June 2012.
The original article can be found at Martin Charteris, Baron Charteris of Amisfield and the edit history here.