Sir Brian Henry McGrath,

GCVO The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

, MW (27 October 1925 – 4 June 2016) was the

Private Secretary A private secretary (PS) is a civil servant in a governmental department or ministry, responsible to a secretary of state or minister; or a public servant in a royal household, responsible to a member of the royal family. The role exists in t ...

to the Duke of Edinburgh. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

. From 1943 to 1946, he served in the

Irish Guards ("Who Shall Separate s") , colors = , identification_symbol_2 Saffron (pipes), identification_symbol_2_label = Tartan , identification_symbol = , identification_symbol_label = Tactical Recognition F ...

, and after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he joined Cannon Brewery from 1946 to 1948. In 1948, he went to Victoria Wine Ltd, of which he became a director in 1949, and was chairman from 1960 to 1982. He was a

Master of Wine Master of Wine (MW) is a qualification (not an academic degree) issued by The Institute of Masters of Wine in the United Kingdom. The MW qualification is generally regarded in the wine industry as one of the highest standards of professional knowle ...

. McGrath also held various directorships, including Grants of St James Ltd 1960 (chairman 1975–1982), Allied Breweries Ltd (now Allied-Lyon Plc) 1970–1982, and Broad Street Securities Ltd (chairman 1983–1991). In 1982 he joined the

Office of the Duke of Edinburgh The Royal Households of the United Kingdom are the collective departments that support members of the British royal family. Many members of the royal family who undertake public duties have separate households. They vary considerably in size, ...

as Assistant Private Secretary, being promoted to Private Secretary and Treasurer in 1984. In 1992 he ceased to be Private Secretary, and from 1993 to 1995 was Head of the Household. He retired as Treasurer in 1995, and in the following year was appointed Extra

Equerry An equerry (; from French ' stable', and related to 'squire') is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attendant, usually up ...

. He died on 4 June 2016, aged 90.

Honours

McGrath was made a CVO in 1988, and advanced to KCVO in 1993, and

in 2001. He was a Younger Brother of the Corporation of

Trinity House "Three In One" , formation = , founding_location = Deptford, London, England , status = Royal Charter corporation and registered charity , purpose = Maintenance of lighthouses, buoys and beacons , he ...

from 1993.

References

1925 births 2016 deaths Equerries Irish Guards officers British Army personnel of World War II People educated at Eton College Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Masters of Wine Members of Trinity House {{wine-bio-stub