Cimitero Evangelico degli Allori, George Keppel and Alice Keppel

George Keppel MVO (14 October 1865 – 22 November 1947) was a British army officer and the husband of

Alice Keppel Alice Frederica Keppel (''née'' Edmonstone; 29 April 1868 – 11 September 1947) was an aristocrat, british society hostess and a long-time mistress of King Edward VII. Keppel grew up at Duntreath Castle, the family seat of the Edmonstone baro ...

, the mistress of

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...

. Keppel was a descendant of King Charles II, and was also the great grandfather of

Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom Camilla (born Camilla Rosemary Shand, later Parker Bowles, 17 July 1947) is List of British royal consorts, Queen Consort of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms as the wife of King Charles III. She became queen consort on ...

Biography

Keppel was the third son of

William Keppel, 7th Earl of Albemarle Lieutenant-colonel William Coutts Keppel, 7th Earl of Albemarle, , MP, ADC (15 April 1832 - 28 August 1894), styled Viscount Bury between 1851 and 1891, was a British soldier and politician. He served in the British Army before entering Parliame ...

, treasurer of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

's household, and his wife, Sophia Mary, Countess of Albemarle (''d''. 5 April 1917), daughter of Sir Allan Napier MacNab, speaker of the Canadian Parliament. He graduated from the

Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial officer training centre. It is located in the town ...

, in 1885. Soon after, he joined the

Gordon Highlanders Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gordon, ...

. He resigned his commission in 1892, but joined the Norfolk Artillery in 1894. Keppel was promoted to captain in 1908 and was appointed MVO a year later after being attached to the king during the latter's visit to the city of

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

that year. On 1 June 1891, Keppel married Alice Frederica Edmonstone, the youngest daughter of Mary Elizabeth, née Parsons (1823–1902), and Admiral

Sir William Edmonstone, 4th Baronet Admiral Sir William Edmonstone, 4th Baronet CB, DL (29 January 1810 – 18 February 1888), also 14th of Duntreath, was a Scottish naval commander, courtier and Conservative politician. Life Born at Hampton, Edmonstone joined the Royal Navy in ...

(1810–1888). Together they had two daughters,

Violet Violet may refer to: Common meanings * Violet (color), a spectral color with wavelengths shorter than blue * One of a list of plants known as violet, particularly: ** ''Viola'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants Places United States * Viol ...

(1894–1972) and

Sonia Sonia, Sonja or Sonya, a name of Greek origin meaning wisdom, may refer to: People * Sonia (name), a feminine given name (lists people named, Sonia, Sonja and Sonya) :* Sonia (actress), Indian film actress in Malayalam and Tamil films :* Sonia ...

(1900–1986). In 1898, Keppel's wife became a mistress and confidante to Edward, Prince of Wales. Her relationship with Edward lasted through his ascension to the throne as King Edward VII in 1901, and until his death in May 1910. Keppel knew of the affair and would leave their house on

Portman Square Portman Square is a garden square in Marylebone, central London, surrounded by elegant townhouses. It was specifically for private housing let on long leases having a ground rent by the Portman Estate, which owns the private communal garden ...

when King Edward VII visited his wife. Through his daughter

, Keppel is the great-grandfather of

Queen Camilla Camilla (born Camilla Rosemary Shand, later Parker Bowles, 17 July 1947) is Queen Consort of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms as the wife of King Charles III. She became queen consort on 8 September 2022, upon the a ...

, who was four months old when Keppel died on 22 November 1947, in his suite at the Ritz Hotel, in London.

References

*
Burke's Peerage & Gentry, 107th edition
* urke's Peerage and Baronetage Albemarle, Earl of Lt. Col. the Hon. George Keppel, MVO {{DEFAULTSORT:Keppell, George 1865 births 1947 deaths George Keppel (soldier) Members of the Royal Victorian Order Gordon Highlanders officers Younger sons of earls Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst