Diana Marion Maxwell, Baroness Farnham, ( Gunnis; 24 May 1931 – 29 December 2021) was a British

courtier A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the officia ...

who served as

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. A lady of the bedchamber would gi ...

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 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. ...

from 1987 until her death in 2021.

Life

Born Diana Marion Gunnis on 24 May 1931, she was the elder daughter of Nigel Eric Murray Gunnis, of Branden,

Sissinghurst Sissinghurst is a small village in the borough of Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England. Originally called ''Milkhouse Street'' (also referred to as ''Mylkehouse''), Sissinghurst changed its name in the 1850s, possibly to avoid association with the s ...

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, and Elizabeth Mary Morrison, a first cousin of Lord Margadale. Her paternal grandmother, Ivy Marion Gunnis née Streatfeild, was a daughter of Marion Henrietta Smith of Blendon Hall, Kent, whose sister

Frances Frances is an English given name or last name of Latin origin. In Latin the meaning of the name Frances is 'from France' or 'the French.' The male version of the name in English is Francis (given name), Francis. The original Franciscus, meaning "F ...

was the paternal grandmother of

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 al ...

, making her and Queen Elizabeth II third cousins. In 1959, she married Barry, 12th Baron Farnham. They adopted two daughters, Harriet and Sophia. Lady Farnham was named a

on 4 August 1987 upon the retirement of Patricia, Marchioness of Abergavenny. Owing to her connections to Ireland through her maternal grandmother, a daughter of Lord Trevor, Lady Farnham accompanied the Queen on her landmark state visit to the Republic of Ireland in 2011. In 2012, during the

Diamond Jubilee A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th annivers ...

, she notably rode alongside the Queen to

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

for the Service of Thanksgiving after

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...

, was hospitalized. Lord and Lady Farnham donated the Farnham collection of photographs, mementos, letters, war medals and papers relating to the Farnham family and their connection to

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the hi ...

to the

Cavan County Museum Cavan County Museum () is a museum dedicated to the history of County Cavan. The museum is housed in the former Convent of St Clare in Ballyjamesduff. History The museum was established in 1996, and is housed in a 19th-century former convent of ...

and the

National Library of Ireland The National Library of Ireland (NLI; ) is Ireland's national library located in Dublin, in a building designed by Thomas Newenham Deane. The mission of the National Library of Ireland is "To collect, preserve, promote and make accessible the ...

. She died on 29 December 2021 at the age of 90. Her funeral was held in the Chapel Royal,

St James's Palace St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace in London, England. The palace gives its name to the Court of St James's, which is the monarch's royal court, and is located in the City of Westminster. Although no longer the principal residence ...

, on 14 January 2022. Her cousin the Hon. Mary Morrison represented the Queen, and the

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

and

Duchess of Gloucester Duchess of Gloucester is the principal Courtesy titles in the United Kingdom, courtesy title used by the wife of the Duke of Gloucester. There have been five titles referring to Gloucester since the 14th century. The current duchess is Birgitt ...

attended. Her ashes were interred in Kilmore Cathedral.

Honors

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farnham, Diana Maxwell, Baroness 1931 births 2021 deaths Irish baronesses Ladies of the Bedchamber Dames Commander of the Royal Victorian Order