Thomas William Edward Coke, 5th Earl of Leicester MVO DL (16 May 1908 – 3 September 1976), was a

British peer The peerages in the United Kingdom are a legal system comprising both hereditary and lifetime titles, composed of various noble ranks, and forming a constituent part of the British honours system. The term '' peerage'' can be used both coll ...

. cited in Holkham-Hall-South-Facafe

Early life

Major Thomas William Edward Coke, 5th Earl of Leicester of Holkham, was born on 16 May 1908. He was the son of Thomas William Coke, 4th Earl of Leicester, and Marion Gertrude Trefusis. He was educated at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

, and the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infantry a ...

. He succeeded to the title of 5th Viscount Coke and 5th Earl of Leicester of Holkham on 21 August 1949.

Courtier

He was Equerry to the Duke of York between 1934 and 1937, and was invested as a Member, Royal Victorian Order (M.V.O.) in 1937. When the Duke of York became

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of Ind ...

, the Earl became Extra Equerry to the King between 1937 and 1952, and continued as Extra Equerry to

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

. He was awarded the Order of Christ of Portugal in 1955 and later with the

Royal Order of George I The Royal Order of George I ( el, Βασιλικόν Τάγμα Γεωργίου Α') is a Greek order instituted by King Constantine I in 1915. Since the monarchy's abolition in 1973, it has been considered a dynastic order of the former Greek r ...

of Greece in 1963.

Military career

He served as Aide-de-Camp to the Commander-in-Chief, Middle East in

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 ...

, reaching the rank of major, and later becoming an Honorary Colonel of the Royal Norfolk Regiment. He held the office of Deputy Lieutenant (D.L.) of Norfolk from 1944.

Marriage and family

Leicester married Lady Elizabeth Mary Yorke (born 10 March 1912, died 1985), daughter of

Charles Yorke, 8th Earl of Hardwicke Charles Alexander Yorke, 8th Earl of Hardwicke (11 November 1869 – 1 February 1936) was a British peer. Yorke was born in 1869. He succeeded as the 8th Earl of Hardwicke in 1909. He had worked as a miner in Australia and America and was a pi ...

and Ellen Russell, on 1 October 1931. The couple had three daughters. * Lady Anne Veronica Coke (born 16 July 1932) Lady Anne was one of

Maids of Honour A maid of honour is a junior attendant of a queen in royal households. The position was and is junior to the lady-in-waiting. The equivalent title and office has historically been used in most European royal courts. Role Traditionally, a queen ...

at the

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a coronation crown, crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the ...

in 1953. She married the Scottish peer

Colin Tennant, 3rd Baron Glenconner Colin Christopher Paget Tennant, 3rd Baron Glenconner (1 December 1926 – 27 August 2010) was a British aristocrat. He was the son of Christopher Grey Tennant, 2nd Baron Glenconner, and Pamela Winefred Paget. He was also the nephew of Edward ...

on 21 April 1956. They have five children. She was Extra Lady-in-Waiting to

Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth ...

, Countess of Snowdon between 1971 and 2002. After her marriage, Lady Anne Veronica Coke was styled as ''Baroness Glenconner'' on 4 October 1983. She was appointed Lieutenant, Royal Victorian Order (L.V.O.) in 1991. * Lady Carey Elizabeth Coke (5 May 1934 – 14 May 2018) She married Bryan Ronald Basset on 30 April 1960. They have three sons: David Francis Basset (1961—2010), Michael James Basset (b. 1963) and James Bryan Basset (b. 1968). * Lady Sarah Marion Coke (born 23 July 1944) She married Major David Finlayson Wylie-Hill Walter on 27 June 1970. They have two sons: Nicholas Robert Walter (b. 1972) and James George Walter (b. 1975). Leicester died on 3 September 1976 at age 68. Because he had no sons, on his death he was succeeded in the earldom and other titles by his cousin

Anthony Coke, 6th Earl of Leicester Anthony Louis Lovel Coke, 6th Earl of Leicester (11 September 1909 – 19 June 1994), was a British peer. Background Coke (pronounced ''Cook'') was the son of the Hon Arthur George Coke and Phyllis Hermione, a daughter of Francis Saxham Elwes D ...

. Coke was the great-uncle of the actress

Miranda Raison Miranda Caroline Raison (born 18 November 1977) is an English actress and voice-over narrator. Early life Miranda Raison was born in Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk, on 18 November 1977. Her mother is former Anglia News reader Caroline Raison (''née ...

References

1908 births 1976 deaths British Army personnel of World War II Royal Norfolk Regiment officers Thomas Coke Deputy Lieutenants of Norfolk 5th Earl of Leicester Equerries Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Members of the Royal Victorian Order People educated at Eton College Recipients of the Order of George I People from Holkham {{UK-earl-stub