Ralph Thomas Campion George Sherman Stonor, 7th Baron Camoys, (16 April 1940 – 4 January 2023) was a British peer and banker who served as

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 ...

of the United Kingdom from 1998 to 2000, and the first

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Lord Chamberlain since the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

Early life

The 7th Baron Camoys was the son of

Sherman Stonor, 6th Baron Camoys Ralph Robert Watts Sherman Stonor, 6th Baron Camoys, DL, JP (5 July 1913 – 9 March 1976) was an English aristocrat and Justice of the Peace.Talbot Earls of Shrewsbury, the Nevills of Abergavenny and, through an illegitimate line, the de la Pole Dukes of Suffolk. He was a direct descendant of British Prime Minister

Robert Peel Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850) was a British Conservative statesman who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835 and 1841–1846) simultaneously serving as Chancellor of the Excheque ...

whose daughter Eliza married The Hon. Francis Stonor. Through his father's side he was a descendant of the family that founded

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. On his mother's side, he was descended from

Charles II of England and Scotland Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of England, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest surviving child o ...

through that monarch's illegitimate daughter, Charlotte Lee, Countess of Lichfield.

Education

Lord Camoys was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI of England, Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. i ...

and

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the ...

, graduating with an MA

Honours Honour (British English) or honor (American English; see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of social teaching and of personal ethos, that manifests itself as a ...

degree in Modern History.

Career

Lord Camoys' main career was in banking. He was General Manager/Director of National Provincial and Rothschild (London) Ltd. in 1968, and Managing Director of Rothschild Intercontinental Bank Ltd. in 1969. After the purchase of Rothschild Intercontinental Bank by

American Express American Express Company (Amex) is an American multinational corporation, multinational corporation specialized in payment card industry, payment card services headquartered at 200 Vesey Street in the Battery Park City neighborhood of Lower Man ...

in 1975, he was named

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

and Managing Director of Amex Bank Ltd, 1975–77, and Chairman between 1977–78. Lord Camoys was Managing Director of Barclays Merchant Bank from 1978–84, and Executive Vice-Chairman from 1984–86. After the widespread reforms of the City of London's financial structures in 1986 (

Big Bang The Big Bang event is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models of the Big Bang explain the evolution of the observable universe from the ...

), Barclays Merchant Bank became

Barclays de Zoete Wedd Barclays () is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England. Barclays operates as two divisions, Barclays UK and Barclays International, supported by a service company, Barclays Execution Services. Barclays traces ...

(BZW), of which Lord Camoys was the first

Chief Executive A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

from 1986 to 1988, and Deputy Chairman from 1988 to 1998. BZW later became

Barclays Capital Barclays () is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England. Barclays operates as two divisions, Barclays UK and Barclays International, supported by a service company, Barclays Execution Services. Barclays traces ...

. He was a Director of Barclays Bank International Ltd between 1980–84, and

Barclays Bank Plc Barclays () is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England. Barclays operates as two divisions, Barclays UK and Barclays International, supported by a service company, Barclays Execution Services. Barclays traces ...

between 1984–94. Lord Camoys was Chairman of

Jacksons of Piccadilly Jacksons of Piccadilly was a London tea house, tea wholesaler and retailer, grocer, wine merchant, and deluxe department store, founded by Robert Jackson in Piccadilly in 1700. It is now a brand owned by R. Twinings and Company Limited, a for ...

from 1968 to 1985. He was Deputy Chairman of

Sotheby's Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, an ...

from 1993–97. He was a director of Mercantile Credit Co Ltd from 1980–84, National Provident Institution from 1982–93, the Administrative Staff College from 1989 – 2000, 3i Group Plc from 1991–2002, and Perpetual from 1994–2000. He was President of the Mail Users Association from 1977 to 1984. He was a member of the Court of Assistants of the Fishmongers Company from 1980. He served the latter livery company as Prime Warden from 1992–93. He was a Steward of

Henley Royal Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It differs from the thr ...

since 1978, and President of The River and Rowing Museum since 1997.

Governmental career

Following the death of his father, he became the 7th Lord Camoys as well as a member of the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...

on 8 March 1976. He was a member of the

select committee Select committee may refer to: *Select committee (parliamentary system) A select committee is a committee made up of a small number of parliamentary members appointed to deal with particular areas or issues originating in the Westminster system o ...

on the

European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lis ...

(EEC) between 1979 and 1981, and a member of the

Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked wit ...

from 1985 to 1987 (now

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

) and the

Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts The Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts (widely known as the Historical Manuscripts Commission, and abbreviated as the HMC to distinguish it from the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England), was a United Kingdom Royal Co ...

from 1987 to 1994. He was a

Lord in Waiting Lords-in-waiting (male) or baronesses-in-waiting (female) are peers who hold office in the Royal Household of the sovereign of the United Kingdom. In the official Court Circular they are styled "Lord in Waiting" or "Baroness in Waiting" (withou ...

from 1992–97 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 her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

, and was a Permanent Lord in Waiting from 2000. He was

of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

from 1998 to 2000, when he retired due to ill health. He followed

David Ogilvy, 13th Earl of Airlie 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 and Lady Alexandra Coke. His younger brother was Si ...

and was succeeded by Lord Luce. He was the first

since the

Religious career

He was a

consultor A consultor is one who gives counsel, i.e., a counselor. In the Catholic Church, it is a specific title for various advisory positions: *in the Roman Curia, a consultor is a specially appointed expert who may be called upon for advice desired by ...

of the Extraordinary Session of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See from 1991 until 2006. Lord Camoys was appointed Chairman of The Tablet Trust in June 2009.

Marriage and family life

The seventh Baron married Elisabeth Mary Hyde Parker, daughter of Sir William Hyde Parker, 11th Bt. of Melford Hall, Suffolk, in 1966. The couple has the following issue: *The Hon. Alina Mary Stonor (born 1967) – she married Simon Barrowcliff in 1994; the couple has three children. *The Hon. Emily Mary Julia Stonor (born 1969) – she married John Dalrymple, 14th Earl of Stair (born 1961) in 2006; the couple has two sons and a daughter. *The Hon. Sophie Ulla Stonor (born 29 September 1971) – she married James Alastair Stourton, younger son of

Charles Stourton, 26th Baron Mowbray Charles Edward Stourton, 23rd Baron Stourton, 27th Baron Segrave, 26th Baron Mowbray (11 March 1923 – 12 December 2006) was an English peer. He sat on the Conservative benches in the House of Lords and was a Conservative whip in government an ...

, in 1993; the marriage was dissolved via annulment in 1997; she remarried in 2001 to a Bavarian nobleman, Moritz Florian Maria

Freiherr (; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , literally "free lord" or "free lady") and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empir ...

von Hirsch; the couple has two sons. *(Ralph) William Robert Thomas Stonor, 8th Baron Camoys (born 10 September 1974) – he married, in 2004, Lady Ailsa Fiona Mackay, the younger daughter of

Peter Mackay, 4th Earl of Inchcape Kenneth Peter Lyle Mackay, 4th Earl of Inchcape (born 23 January 1943), known as Peter Inchcape, is a British peer, landowner, and business man. He was a member of the House of Lords from 1994 to 1999. Early life The elder son of Kenneth Mackay, ...

; the couple has two sons and a daughter. Lord Camoys' ancestral home is

Stonor Park Stonor Park is a historic country house and private deer park situated in a valley in the Chiltern Hills at Stonor, about north of Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire, England, close to the county boundary with Buckinghamshire. The house has a 12th ...

Henley-on-Thames Henley-on-Thames ( ) is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England, northeast of Reading, west of Maidenhead, southeast of Oxford and west of London (by road), near the tripoint of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckin ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primaril ...

Honours

* Lord Camoys was made a Knight Grand Cross of the

Royal Victorian Order 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, o ...

(GCVO) in 1998, and a

Privy Counsellor The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises senior politicians who are current or former members of ei ...

(PC) in the same year. * He was a Deputy Lieutenant (DL) of

from 1993. * He received the

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...

ese Order of Gorkha Dadshina Baku, 1st Class, in 1981. * He received a Honorary

D.Litt Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...

degree from the

University of Sheffield , mottoeng = To discover the causes of things , established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions: – Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield , type = Pu ...

in 2001. * In 2006 he was made Knight Grand Cross of the

Papal The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

Order of St. Gregory the Great (GCSG) by

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereig ...

References