David Ogilvy, 13th Earl of Airlie

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Lord Chamberlain of the Household
In office
1984–1997
MonarchElizabeth II
Preceded byThe Lord Maclean
Succeeded byThe Lord Camoys
Lord Lieutenant of Angus
In office
1989–2001
MonarchElizabeth II
Preceded byThe Earl of Dalhousie
Succeeded byGeorgiana Osborne
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
In office
28 December 1968 – 11 November 1999
as a hereditary peer
Preceded byThe 12th Earl of Airlie
Succeeded bySeat abolished
Personal details
Born
David George Coke Patrick Ogilvy

(1926-05-17)17 May 1926
Westminster, London, England
Died26 June 2023(2023-06-26) (aged 97)
London, England
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1952)​
Children6
Parent(s)David Ogilvy, 12th Earl of Airlie
Lady Alexandra Coke
Military career
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
Years of service1945–1950
RankCaptain
Service number339585
UnitScots Guards
Battles/warsWorld War II

David George Coke Patrick Ogilvy, 13th Earl of Airlie,

JP
(17 May 1926 – 26 June 2023) was a Scottish landowner, soldier, banker and peer.

Airlie served as Lord Chamberlain of the Household from 1984 until 1997, as well as in a number of honorary positions such as Chancellor of the Order of the Thistle and Lord Lieutenant of Angus. He was the brother-in-law of Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy.[1]

Early life and ancestry

Airlie was born David George Coke Patrick Ogilvy in

coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in Westminster Abbey on 12 May 1937. After the death of Queen Elizabeth II, his childhood friend, on 8 September 2022, he was the last surviving participant in that coronation.[3]

Airlie, then styled Lord Ogilvy by courtesy, was educated at Eton College. He served with the

Royal Agricultural College to learn more about estate management. He maintained two homes on the family's 69,000 acres (280 km2) estate in Angus: Cortachy Castle and Airlie Castle. He also had a home at Sloane Court West in Chelsea, London, where at the time of his death he lived full-time.[5]

Career

Merchant banking

In 1953, then Lord Ogilvy took up merchant banking, joining J. Henry Schroder & Co.[1] He was appointed a director of the company in 1961, chairman of Henry Schroder Wagg & Co. in 1973, and then of Schroders plc in 1977.[6][3]

He succeeded to the earldom of Airlie upon the death of his father in 1968.[6] In 1972, Lord Airlie was named to the International Best Dressed Hall of Fame List.[4]

Royal Household

In 1984, Lord Airlie resigned from Schroder to take up the position of Lord Chamberlain of the Household, the most senior office in the Royal Household.[7] He was sworn into the Privy Council and appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order.[8] In his capacity as Lord Chamberlain, he was chancellor of the Royal Victorian Order. He was following in the footsteps of his late father, who had served as Lord Chamberlain of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's household.

Under Lord Airlie, the Lord Chamberlain’s ceremonial and non-executive role was altered to that of chief executive.[3] Airlie initiated changes in the early 1990s under the auspices of "The Way Ahead Group".[1] Under these plans the Queen agreed to pay tax, greater transparency for the public subsidy of the monarchy began and a greater emphasis on public relations started.[9] In 1986, he produced a 1,393-page report recommending 188 changes for smoother operations of the Royal Household.[4]

On 29 November 1985, Airlie was made a Knight of the Order of the Thistle, Scotland's highest order of chivalry.[10][6] He became Chairman of General Accident Fire and Life Assurance plc in 1987. In 1989, he was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Angus, having been a deputy lieutenant since 1964.[11][12]

Airlie's tenure as Lord Chamberlain saw times of turbulence for the monarchy, including Queen Elizabeth II's annus horribilis, with the 1992 Windsor Castle fire and the separations and subsequent divorces of the Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of York, and the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in August 1997. He remained in the post until 1997; upon his retirement, he was awarded the Royal Victorian Chain and appointed a permanent lord-in-waiting.[13]

Later life

Lord Airlie's ancestral home in Tayside was Cortachy Castle near the ancient burgh of

Kirriemuir, Angus. The castle has served as the family home for more than 500 years. However, in 2014, Lord and Lady Airlie moved out of Cortachy Castle, and their eldest son, who now manages the property, is considering the future of the residence.[14] On 13 November 2007, Airlie was appointed Chancellor of the Order of the Thistle following the death of the 9th Duke of Buccleuch.[15]
He remained in this position until his death.

When the

Gold Stick for Scotland.[4]

In September 2022, Lord Airlie attended the

coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. Hugo Vickers has pointed out that Lord Airlie was the last surviving man to attend three coronations – 1937, 1953, and 2023.[3]

Lord Airlie died at home in London, on 26 June 2023, at the age of 97.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla.[17]

Personal life

On 23 October 1952, he married Virginia Fortune Ryan at St Margaret's Church, Westminster, in the presence of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and Princess Margaret.[18]

They had six children:

His wife, the Countess of Airlie, was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth II,[1] following in the footsteps of his grandmother, Mabell, Countess of Airlie, who was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Mary.[19] She was the first American to be appointed a lady-in-waiting.

In popular culture

Lord Airlie was portrayed by actor Douglas Reith in the 2006 film The Queen in his capacity as Lord Chamberlain, planning the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales.[20] He was portrayed by actor Martin Turner in the fifth season of The Crown in which he was depicted managing the divorce of the Prince (Dominic West) and Princess of Wales (Elizabeth Debicki). He was again portrayed by Turner in the sixth season of the series, planning the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales and for Operation London Bridge.[21]

Honours and arms

Honours

Foreign honours

Arms

Coat of arms of David Ogilvy, 13th Earl of Airlie
Coronet
A Coronet of an Earl
Crest
A Lady from the waist upwards, affrontée Azure holding a Portcullis Gules
Escutcheon
Argent a Lion passant guardant Gules crowned with an Imperial Crown and collared with an open one proper
Supporters
On either side a Bull Sable, armed and unguled Vert, and gorged with a Garland of Flowers proper
Motto
A Fin (To the end)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Corby, Tom (3 July 2023). "The Earl of Airlie obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Birthday's today". The Daily Telegraph. 17 May 2013. Archived from the original on 16 May 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2014. the Earl of Airlie, Lord–Lieutenant for Angus, 1989–2001; Lord Chamberlain, 1984–97, 87
  3. ^ a b c d e "The Earl of Airlie, dashing courtier who led Schroders through the Big Bang and reviewed the royal finances – obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 28 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d "The Earl of Airlie obituary". The Times. 30 June 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  5. ^ Ferguson, Craig (28 June 2023). "Lord Airlie of Cortachy: Angus landowner and friend of late Queen dies". The Courier. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  6. ^ a b c "The Rt Hon the Earl of Airlie, KT, GCVO, PC". debretts.com. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  7. ^ Tomlinson, Richard (20 December 1992). "They also serve, who only ush". Independent.
  8. ^ a b "No. 49952". The London Gazette. 7 December 1984. p. 16627.
  9. ^ "Can Meghan Markle modernise the monarchy?". The Economist. 23 May 2018.
  10. ^ a b "No. 21848". The Edinburgh Gazette. 29 November 1985. p. 1822.
  11. ^ "No. 51925". The London Gazette. 3 November 1989. p. 12689.
  12. ^ "No. 43455". The London Gazette. 6 October 1964. p. 8411.
  13. ^ a b "No. 54984". The London Gazette. 19 December 1997. p. 14236.
  14. ^ last of the Scottish earls? Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  15. ^ "No. 58510". The London Gazette. 13 November 2007. p. 16433.
  16. ^ University of Abertay Dundee website Archived 7 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine, abertay.ac.uk. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  17. ^ "Court Circular: November 15, 2023". The Times. 16 November 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  18. ^ "London Pageantry AKA Queen Mother Attends… 1952". British Pathé.
  19. ^ "No. 45868". The London Gazette. 2 January 1973. p. 105.
  20. ^ "Douglas Reith: Lord Airlie". IMDb. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  21. ^ "Martin Turner: Lord Chamberlain". IMDb. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  22. ^ "No. 48605". The London Gazette. 11 May 1981. p. 6580.
  23. ^ "No. 54309". The London Gazette. 6 February 1996. p. 1807.

External links

Court offices
Preceded by
The Lord Maclean
 Lord Chamberlain
1984–1997 		Succeeded by
The Lord Camoys
Honorary titles
Preceded by Lord Lieutenant of Angus
1989–2001 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chancellor of the Order of the Thistle
2007–2023 		Succeeded by
Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by Earl of Airlie
1968–2023 		Succeeded by
David Ogilvy
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