Lord Claud Nigel Hamilton (10 November 1889 – 22 August 1975) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer and courtier. He was comptroller and treasurer to Queen Mary from 1936 until her death in 1953.

Family and education

Lord Claud was born at Hampden House, 61 Green Street, Mayfair, the seventh (but third surviving) son of

James Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Abercorn James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...

and Lady Mary Anna Curzon-Howe. He was educated at

Wellington College, Berkshire Wellington College is a co-educational public school providing education for boarding and day pupils in the village of Crowthorne, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. Wellington is a registered charity and currently educates roughly 1,100 pu ...

. On 11 July 1933, he married Violet Ruby Newall (''née'' Ashton), mother of Pamela Newall (later Baroness Sharples). They had no children.

Career

Army

In 1907, he joined the 3rd Battalion (Lothian Regiment) of the

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot guards#United Kingdom, 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 in the Ki ...

as a Second Lieutenant, and transferred to the

Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...

in 1909, having been promoted to the rank of Captain the previous year. During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

in 1914 for having "commanded a machine-gun for five days and nights without relief, with great effect and under severe fire." The same year, he was made a Companion of the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...

. In 1916, he was made an MVO as courtier to the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

, and in 1918 he became an Officer of the

Order of the Crown of Italy The Order of the Crown of Italy ( or OCI) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate Italian unification, the unification of Italy in 1861. It was awarded in five degrees for ...

and was awarded the

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

Royal household

In 1919, Lord Claud was employed as an

equerry An equerry (; from French language, French 'stable', and related to 'squire') is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attend ...

to Edward, Prince of Wales and made a CMG in 1920 for services to the Prince on his overseas visits. In 1921, Hamilton was promoted as Deputy

Master of the Household The Master of the Household is the operational head (see Chief operating officer) of the "below stairs" elements of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom. The role has charge of the domestic staff, from the Royal Kitchens, the pages and footm ...

, made an Extra Equerry to

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...

a year later and an Equerry in 1924. In 1932, he was promoted to a CVO, and to a

GCVO The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

in 1937. In 1936, he was one of the escorts of the

gun carriage A gun carriage is a frame or a mount that supports the gun barrel of an artillery piece, allowing it to be maneuvered and fired. These platforms often had wheels so that the artillery pieces could be moved more easily. Gun carriages are also use ...

at the King's funeral and became Queen Mary's Comptroller, Treasurer and Extra Equerry that year. He served in these offices until her death in 1953, when he became an Extra Equerry to

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. ...

until his own death in 1975 aged 85.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Claud Nigel, Lord 1889 births 1975 deaths

Claud Claud is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Claud Allister (1888–1970), English actor *Claud Beelman (1883–1963), American architect *Claud Irvine Boswell (1742–1824), Scottish judge *Claud Thomas Bourchier (1831–1877), E ...

Younger sons of dukes People from Mayfair Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Scots Guards officers Grenadier Guards officers British Army personnel of World War I Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order People educated at Wellington College, Berkshire Nobility from London