Virginia Fortune Ogilvy, Countess of Airlie,

DCVO 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 ...

(née Ryan; born February 9, 1933) is a former

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."Her Majesty's A-team"
telegraph.co.uk; accessed 20 July 2015.

Early life

Lady Airlie was born in Newport,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, the daughter of John Barry Ryan Jr., and Margaret Kahn. Her mother was the daughter of German-American financier

Otto Kahn Otto Hermann Kahn (February 21, 1867 – March 29, 1934) was a German-born American investment banker, collector, philanthropist, and patron of the arts. Kahn was a well-known figure, appearing on the cover of ''Time'' magazine and was sometime ...

, and her father was the grandson of

Thomas Fortune Ryan Thomas Fortune Ryan (October 17, 1851 – November 23, 1928) was an American tobacco, insurance and transportation magnate. Although he lived in New York City for much of his adult career, Ryan was perhaps the greatest benefactor of the Roman Ca ...

. Lady Airlie was a Lady of the Bedchamber from 1973, until the Queen's death in September 2022. She was appointed a Dame Commander 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, or ...

(DCVO) in 1995. Lady Airlie's 70th birthday was celebrated with a dinner at the private member's nightclub

Annabel's Annabel's is a private members club at 46 Berkeley Square in Mayfair, London. It was opened at 44 Berkeley Square in 1963 by Mark Birley and named for his wife Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart. It was founded in the basement of the Clermont ...

in Mayfair to which the Queen attended. It is thought to be the only occasion on which the Queen had visited a nightclub since she was married. As Lady of the Bedchamber she was a senior lady-in-waiting, and attended to the Queen on major occasions and overseas tours. In May 2007, she accompanied the Queen on her trip to the United States to commemorate the 400th anniversary of England's first American settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. On May 7, 2007, she attended a state dinner at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

, hosted by President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

and First Lady Laura Bush.

Personal life

On October 23, 1952, she married

David Ogilvy, Lord Ogilvy David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

, who in 1968 became the

Earl of Airlie Earl of Airlie is a title of the peerage in Scotland created on 2 April 1639 for James Ogilvy, 7th Lord Ogilvy of Airlie, along with the title “Lord Ogilvy of Alith and Lintrathen.” The title “Lord Ogilvy of Airlie” was then created o ...

. With her husband, Lady Airlie has six children: * Lady Doune Mabell Ogilvy (b. August 13, 1953); served as a bridesmaid at the wedding of her uncle

Angus Ogilvy Sir Angus James Bruce Ogilvy (14 September 1928 – 26 December 2004) was a British businessman. He is best known as the husband of Princess Alexandra of Kent, a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. Ogilvy is also remembered for his role in a bu ...

and

Princess Alexandra of Kent Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy (Alexandra Helen Elizabeth Olga Christabel; born 25 December 1936) is a member of the British royal family. Queen Elizabeth II and Alexandra were first cousins through their fathers, King George V ...

. Lady Doune married Sir Hereward Charles Wake, 15th Bt. on April 16, 1977; they had four children, and divorced in July 1995. * Lady Jane Fortune Margaret Ogilvy (b. June 24, 1955); married François Nairac on 30 August 1980. The couple have two daughters. * David John Ogilvy, Lord Ogilvy (b. March 9, 1958); served as a page boy at the wedding of his uncle Angus Ogilvy and Princess Alexandra. Lord Ogilvy married, firstly, in 1981, Hon. Geraldine Harmsworth, daughter of

Vere Harmsworth, 3rd Viscount Rothermere Vere Harold Esmond Harmsworth, 3rd Viscount Rothermere (27 April 1925 – 1 September 1998), known as Vere Harmsworth until 1978, was a British newspaper magnate. He controlled large media interests in the United Kingdom and United States. Busi ...

. They had a daughter before divorcing in 1990. Lord Ogilvy married, secondly, in 1991, Tarka Kings, with whom he has three children. * Hon. Bruce Patrick Mark Ogilvy (b. April 7, 1959) * Lady Elizabeth Clementine Ogilvy (b. June 4, 1965); married Jonathan Baring, with whom she has one issue. * Hon. Patrick Alexander Ogilvy (b. March 24, 1971);

References

External links

Profile
thePeerage.com; accessed 20 July 2015. 1933 births Living people Ladies of the Bedchamber Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom Scottish countesses Dames Commander of the Royal Victorian Order American people of German-Jewish descent British people of German-Jewish descent British people of American-Jewish descent American emigrants to England {{Scotland-earl-stub

Early life

Personal life

Further reading

References

External links