The Lord Fellowes | |
---|---|
Private Secretary to the Sovereign | |
In office 19 October 1990 – 4 February 1999 | |
Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Preceded by | Sir William Heseltine |
Succeeded by | Sir Robin Janvrin |
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
In office 12 July 1999 – 10 February 2022 Life peerage | |
Personal details | |
Born | Sandringham, Norfolk, England | 11 December 1941
Died | 29 July 2024 Norfolk, England | (aged 82)
Spouse | |
Children | 3 |
Relatives | Diana, Princess of Wales (sister-in-law) Ronald Ferguson (first cousin) |
Alma mater | Eton College |
Robert Fellowes, Baron Fellowes, GCB, GCVO, QSO, PC (11 December 1941 – 29 July 2024), was a British courtier who was private secretary to Queen Elizabeth II from 1990 to 1999. He was also known as a brother-in-law of Diana, Princess of Wales and maternal first cousin of Ronald Ferguson, the father of Sarah, Duchess of York.
Early life
[edit]Fellowes was born in Sandringham on 11 December 1941. He was the son of Sir William Albermarle Fellowes (1899–1986), a major in the Scots Guards and land agent of the Sandringham estate, and his wife Jane Charlotte Ferguson (1912–1986). His maternal grandfather, Brigadier-General Algernon Francis Holford Ferguson (1867–1943), was the great-grandfather of Sarah, Duchess of York. His paternal family hail from Shotesham, Norfolk, and are an landed gentry family, a junior branch of the barons de Ramsey.[1]
Fellowes was educated at Eton College.[2] He received a short service commission in the Scots Guards in 1960.[3] Fellowes played cricket for Norfolk in the 1959 Minor Counties Championship, making one appearance each against Buckinghamshire and the Nottinghamshire Second XI.[4][5]
Career
[edit]After leaving the Guards in 1963, Fellowes entered the banking industry. He worked for Allen Harvey and Ross Ltd, discount brokers and bankers, from 1964 until 1977.[6] He was a managing director from 1968. He was first offered a position in the royal household in 1974, but declined until his firm was a better financial state.
In 1977, Fellowes joined the royal household as assistant private secretary to the sovereign.[7] He would spend the next twenty years in the Private Secretary's Office. He became deputy in 1986 before Sir William Heseltine as principal private secretary to the sovereign in 1990.[8][9][10] Upon his appointment, he was sworn into Her Majesty's Privy Council which entitled him to the prefix The Right Honourable for life.[2] His tenure oversaw Queen Elizabeth II's annus horribilis in 1992 and the death of his sister-in-law, Diana, in 1997.[11][12]
Fellowes left his position in February 1999 to return to private banking, his retirement having been announced implicitly on 1 June 1998 when his successor Robin Janvrin was named. He was created a life peer on 12 July 1999 taking the title Baron Fellowes, of Shotesham in the County of Norfolk in the Queen's Birthday Honours List.[13][14][15] He sat as a crossbench peer until his retirement on 10 February 2022.[16]
Lord Fellowes was introduced to the House of Lords and took his seat formally on 26 October 1999. Lord Fellowes remained technically a member of the royal household, having been appointed an extra equerry to the Queen following his retirement.[17][18][19][20] He served as secretary and registrar of the Order of Merit from 2003 to 2022.[21]
Marriage and family
[edit]On 20 April 1978, Fellowes married Lady Jane Spencer, elder sister of Diana, Princess of Wales, at the Guards' Chapel, Wellington Barracks. He was an assistant private secretary to the Queen at the time. Diana (who married Charles, Prince of Wales, in 1981) was a bridesmaid. Lord Fellowes had three children and five grandchildren:[1]
- The Honourable Laura Jane Fellowes (19 July 1980); married Nicholas Peter Pettman on 30 May 2009. They have three children.
- The Honourable Alexander Robert Fellowes (23 March 1983); married Alexandra Finlay on 20 September 2013. They have two children:
- Robert George Fellowes (10 April 2015)
- Rose Jane Fellowes (10 August 2016)
- The Honourable Eleanor Ruth Fellowes (20 August 1985)
Death and legacy
[edit]Fellowes died in Norfolk on 29 July 2024, at the age of 82.[11][22]
Fellowes was portrayed by Dominic Jephcott in The Queen and by Andrew Havill in seasons 5 and 6 of The Crown.[23]
Honours
[edit]Fellowes was also a member of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council (PC) from 1990, an extra equerry from 1997, and a life peer from 1999.[2][19][13]
Country | Date | Appointment | Ribbon | Post-nominal letters | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 6 February 1977: | Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal | ![]() |
[24] | |
United Kingdom | 11 June 1983 | Member, Fourth Class of the Royal Victorian Order | ![]() |
MVO | [25][a] Promoted to KCVO in 1989 |
United Kingdom | 31 December 1986 | Companion of the Order of the Bath | ![]() |
CB | [26] Promoted to KCB in 1990 |
United Kingdom | 17 June 1989 | Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order | ![]() |
KCVO | [27] Promoted to GCVO in 1996 |
United Kingdom | 31 December 1990 | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath | ![]() |
KCB | [28] Promoted to GCB in 1997 |
United Kingdom | 15 June 1996 | Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order | ![]() |
GCVO | [29] |
United Kingdom | 31 December 1997 | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath | ![]() |
GCB | [30] |
United Kingdom | 31 December 1998 | Companion of the Queens Service Order | ![]() |
QSO | [31] |
Arms
[edit]![]() ![]() |
|
Notes
[edit]- ^ After 31 December 1984: Lieutenant (LVO)
References
[edit]- ^ a b Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knighthood (107 ed.). Burke's Peerage & Gentry. p. 1406. ISBN 0-9711966-2-1.
- ^ a b c "Lord Fellowes, stalwart private secretary to Queen Elizabeth II during the turbulent 1990s – obituary". The Telegraph. 31 July 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ "No. 42137". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 September 1960. p. 6152.
- ^ "Player profile: Robert Fellowes". CricketArchive. Archived from the original on 4 August 2024. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
- ^ "Minor Counties Championship Matches played by Robert Fellowes". CricketArchive. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
- ^ "No. 43051". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 July 1963. p. 5880.
- ^ "No. 47145". The London Gazette. 8 February 1977. p. 1787.
- ^ "No. 50480". The London Gazette. 8 April 1986. p. 4821.
- ^ "No. 52306". The London Gazette. 19 October 1990. p. 16315.
- ^ Tomlinson, Richard (20 December 1992). "They also serve, who only ush". The Independent. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
- ^ a b "Lord Fellowes obituary: Queen Elizabeth's private secretary and brother-in-law of Diana". The Times. 31 July 2024. Archived from the original on 30 July 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
- ^ Bates, Stephen (5 August 2024). "Lord Fellowes obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ a b "No. 55555". The London Gazette. 16 July 1999. p. 7715.
- ^ House of Lords (26 October 1999). "Announcement of his introduction at the House of Lords". Minutes of proceedings. Archived from the original on 7 September 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2006.
- ^ House of Lords (13 October 1999). "House of Lords: Membership". Publications & records. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 3 January 2011.
- ^ "Lord Fellowes". members.parliament.uk. Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
- ^ House of Lords (13 October 1999). "Select Committee on Constitution Fourth Report: APPENDIX 1". Publications & records. Retrieved 3 January 2011.
- ^ Court Circular, Buckingham Palace, 24 March 2003 Archived 14 June 2024 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "No. 51116". The London Gazette. 10 November 1987. p. 13845.
- ^ "Court Circular, 28 February 2018". The Royal Family. Archived from the original on 29 June 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
- ^ "Court Circular, 8 May 2003 and 8 May 2022". The Royal Family. Archived from the original on 29 June 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
- ^ Furness, Hannah (31 July 2024). "Harry and William's uncle Lord Fellowes dies aged 82". The Telegraph. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ "James Murray to play Prince Andrew in the Crown". MSN. Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
- ^ Peacock, Caroline; Everett, Charlotte (31 July 2024). "Meet the late Queen's private secretary Robert Fellowes". The US Sun. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ "No. 49375". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 June 1983. p. 4.
- ^ "No. 50764". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1986. p. 3.
- ^ "No. 51772". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 June 1989. p. 4.
- ^ "No. 52382". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 December 1990. p. 3.
- ^ a b "No. 54427". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 June 1996. p. 4.
- ^ a b "No. 54993". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1997. p. 2.
- ^ a b "New Year Honours List 1999". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 1998. Retrieved 8 August 2024.