David George Coke Patrick Ogilvy, 8th (or 13th) Earl of Airlie, (born 17 May 1926) is a Scottish peer.

Background and education

Airlie is the eldest son of

David Ogilvy, 12th Earl of Airlie Colonel David Lyulph Gore Wolseley Ogilvy, 12th and 7th Earl of Airlie (18 July 189328 December 1968) was a Scottish peer, soldier, and courtier. He was the eldest son of David Ogilvy, 11th Earl of Airlie, and his wife, the former Lady Mabel ...

and Lady Alexandra Coke. His younger brother was Sir Angus Ogilvy, the husband of Princess Alexandra of Kent. He served as a page to his father at the

coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The coronation of George VI and his wife, Elizabeth, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and as Emperor and Empress of India took place at Westminster Abbey, London, on Wednesday 12 May ...

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

on 12 May 1937. With the death of

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 her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

, , he is the last surviving participant of the Coronation of George VI and Elizabeth in 1937. Born in

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

, David Ogilvy was educated at Eton and served in the

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the E ...

during the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

. In 1946, he was appointed ADC to the C-in-C and High Commissioner to Austria. He remained in the army until 1950, when he left to attend the

Royal Agricultural College ;(from Virgil's Georgics)"Caring for the Fieldsand the Beasts" , established = 2013 - University status – College , type = Public , president = King Charles , vice_chancellor = Peter McCaffery , students ...

Cirencester Cirencester (, ; see below for more variations) is a market town in Gloucestershire, England, west of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswolds. It is the home of ...

, to learn more about estate management. He currently maintains two homes on the family's estate in Angus: Cortachy Castle and Airlie Castle. He also has a home in Chelsea, London.

Merchant banker

He subsequently took up merchant banking, joining J. Henry Schroder in 1953. He was appointed a director of the company in 1961 and chairman of Henry Schroder Wagg & Co in 1973, and then of Schroders plc from 1977. In 1984, Lord Airlie resigned from Schroder to take up the position of

Lord Chamberlain The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Sovereign of the United Kingdom while also acting as the main c ...

, when he was also sworn of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mo ...

and appointed GCVO. Lord Airlie as Lord Chamberlain initiated changes in the early 1990s under the auspices of “The Way Ahead Group”. 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. He was made a

Knight of the Thistle A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

on 29 November 1985. Two years after that he became Chairman of General Accident Fire and Life Assurance plc. He followed in the footsteps of his late father, who served as Lord Chamberlain to

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was th ...

. He remained in the post until 1997, the same year he was awarded the

Royal Victorian Chain The Royal Victorian Chain is a decoration instituted in 1902 by King Edward VII as a personal award of the monarch (i.e. not an award made on the advice of any Commonwealth realm government). It ranks above the Royal Victorian Order, with which it ...

. Lord Airlie has also served as the Lord Lieutenant of Angus in Scotland, and as the Captain General of The

Royal Company of Archers The Royal Company of Archers, The King's Bodyguard for Scotland is a ceremonial unit that serves as the Sovereign's bodyguard in Scotland—a role it has performed since 1822 during the reign of King George IV when the company provided a per ...

and Gold Stick for Scotland. He was also the founding Chancellor of the University of Abertay Dundee (1994–2009). In 1998, he was asked by the Labour government to stay on as a Lord in Waiting for life. Lord Airlie's ancestral home in Tayside is 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. On 13 November 2007,

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

announced Lord Airlie was appointed

Chancellor of the Order of the Thistle The Chancellor of the Order of the Thistle is an office of the Order of the Thistle, established in 1687. The Chancellor is normally one of the knights, though not necessarily the most senior. Office Holders from 1913 *1913: John James Hugh Hen ...

, following the death of the previous Chancellor, the Duke of Buccleuch. The Countess of Airlie was a

Lady of the Bedchamber Lady of the Bedchamber is the title of a lady-in-waiting holding the official position of personal attendant on a British queen regnant or queen consort. The position is traditionally held by the wife of a peer. They are ranked between the Mis ...

to Queen Elizabeth II. His grandmother, Mabell, Countess of Airlie, was a

Lady-in-Waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

and subsequently

to Queen Mary.

Family

On 23 October 1952, he married Virginia Ryan. The wedding took place at

St Margaret's, Westminster The Church of St Margaret, Westminster Abbey, is in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, London, England. It is dedicated to Margaret of Antioch, and forms part of a single World Heritage Site with the Palace of Westminster ...

, in the presence of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and

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 ...

. They have six children: * Lady Doune Mabell Ogilvy (b. 13 August 1953); married Sir Hereward Charles Wake, 15th Bt. on 16 April 1977; they had four children, and divorced in July 1995. * Lady Jane Fortune Margaret Ogilvy (b. 24 June 1955); married François Nairac on 30 August 1980. The couple have two daughters. * David John Ogilvy, Lord Ogilvy (b. 9 March 1958); married, firstly, in 1981, Hon. Geraldine Harmsworth, daughter of Vere Harmsworth, 3rd Viscount Rothermere. They had a daughter, Augusta (b. 1981), before divorcing in 1990. Lord Ogilvy married, secondly, in 1991, Tarka Kings, with whom he has three sons; David Huxley, Master of Ogilvy (b. 1991), Joseph (b. 1995) and Michael (b. 1997). * Hon. Bruce Patrick Mark Ogilvy (b. 7 April 1959) * Lady Elizabeth Clementina Ogilvy (b. 4 June 1965); married Jonathan Baring, with whom she has one son. * Hon. Patrick Alexander Ogilvy (b. 24 March 1971)

In popular culture

He 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. He was portrayed by actor

Martin Turner Martin Robert Turner (born 1 October 1947) is an English musician best known for his time as the bass guitarist, lead vocalist and a founding member of the rock band, Wishbone Ash. Career Turner was with Wishbone Ash, known for their twin le ...

in the fifth season of ''

The Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has differ ...

'' to manage the divorce of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

Arms

References

External links

*
Cortachy Castle
Retrieved 21 July 2016.
Domesday Project retrospective archive. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Airlie, David Ogilvy, 13th Earl of 1926 births Living people People educated at Eton College Alumni of the Royal Agricultural University Deputy Lieutenants of Angus Earls of Airlie Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Knights of the Thistle Lord-Lieutenants of Angus Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom People associated with the University of Abertay Dundee Scots Guards officers British Army personnel of World War II Members of the Royal Company of Archers Schroders people

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