Robert Fellowes, Baron Fellowes (11 December 1941 – 29 July 2024) was a British courtier who was private secretary to

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 1990 to 1999. He was the brother-in-law of

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William, ...

, and a maternal first cousin of Ronald Ferguson, the father of

Sarah, Duchess of York Sarah, Duchess of York (born Sarah Margaret Ferguson; 15 October 1959), also known by the nickname Fergie, is a British author, philanthropist, television personality, and member of the extended British royal family. She is the former wife of P ...

Early life

Fellowes was born in

Sandringham Sandringham can refer to: Places Australia * Sandringham, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney * Sandringham, Queensland, a rural locality * Sandringham, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne **Sandringham railway line **Sandringham railway station * ...

on 11 December 1941. He was the son of Sir William Albermarle Fellowes (1899–1986), a

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in 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 ...

and land agent of the Sandringham estate, and his wife Jane Charlotte Ferguson (1912–1986). His maternal grandfather, Brigadier-General Algernon Francis Holford Ferguson (1867–1943), was the great-grandfather of

. His paternal family hail from Shotesham,

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

, and are a

landed gentry The landed gentry, or the gentry (sometimes collectively known as the squirearchy), is a largely historical Irish and British social class of landowners who could live entirely from rental income, or at least had a country estate. It is t ...

family, a junior branch of the barons de Ramsey. Fellowes was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

. He received a short service commission in the Scots Guards in 1960. Fellowes played

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

for

in the 1959

Minor Counties Championship The NCCA 3 Day Championship or National County Championship is a season-long competition in England and Wales that is contested by the members of the National Counties Cricket Association (NCCA), the so-called national counties (previously ca ...

, making one appearance each against

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

and the Nottinghamshire Second XI.

Career

After leaving the Guards in 1963, Fellowes entered the banking industry. He worked for Allen Harvey and Ross Ltd, discount brokers and bankers, from 1964 until 1977. He was a managing director from 1968. He was first offered a position in the royal household in 1974, but declined until his firm was in a better financial state. In 1977, Fellowes joined the royal household as assistant private secretary to the sovereign. He would spend the next twenty years in the Private Secretary's Office. He became deputy in 1986 succeeding Sir William Heseltine as principal private secretary to the sovereign in 1990. Upon his appointment, he was sworn into Her Majesty's Privy Council which entitled him to the prefix ''

The Right Honourable ''The Right Honourable'' (abbreviation: The Rt Hon. or variations) is an honorific Style (form of address), style traditionally applied to certain persons and collective bodies in the United Kingdom, the former British Empire, and the Commonwealt ...

'' for life. His tenure oversaw Queen Elizabeth II's '' annus horribilis'' in 1992 and the death of his sister-in-law, Diana, in 1997. Fellowes left his position in February 1999 to return to private banking, his retirement having been announced implicitly on 1 June 1998 when his successor Robin Janvrin was named. He was created a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

on 12 July 1999 taking the title Baron Fellowes, ''of Shotesham in the County of Norfolk'' in the Queen's Birthday Honours List. He sat as a

crossbench A crossbencher is a minor party or independent politician, independent member of some legislatures, such as the Parliament of Australia. In the British House of Lords the term refers to members of the parliamentary group of non-political peers. ...

peer until his retirement on 10 February 2022. Lord Fellowes was introduced to the House of Lords and took his seat formally on 26 October 1999. Lord Fellowes remained technically a member of the royal household, having been appointed an extra

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 the Queen following his retirement. He served as secretary and registrar of the

Order of Merit The Order of Merit () is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order r ...

from 2003 to 2022.

Personal life

On 20 April 1978, Fellowes married Lady Jane Spencer, elder sister of

, at the Guards' Chapel, Wellington Barracks. He was an assistant private secretary to the Queen at the time. Diana ( who married

Charles, Prince of Wales Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, a ...

, in 1981) was a bridesmaid. Lord Fellowes had three children and five grandchildren: * The Hon. Laura Jane Fellowes (born 19 July 1980); married Nicholas Peter Pettman on 30 May 2009. They have three children. * The Hon. Alexander Robert Fellowes (born 23 March 1983); married Alexandra Finlay on 20 September 2013. They have two children. * The Hon. Eleanor Ruth Fellowes (born 20 August 1985) Fellowes died in Norfolk on 29 July 2024, at the age of 82. His funeral was held at St Mary's Church in Snettisham on 28 August 2024 and was attended by his nephews, Princes

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

and Harry.

In popular culture

Fellowes was portrayed by

Dominic Jephcott Dominic Jephcott (born 28 July 1957) is a Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, RADA-trained English actor and writer. He is known for his work in ''The Beiderbecke Affair'', ''The Beiderbecke Connection'', ''Midsomer Murders'', and in ''Holby City'' an ...

in '' The Queen'' and by Andrew Havill in series 5 and 6 of ''

The Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...

''.

Honours

Fellowes was also a member of

Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council The Privy Council, formally His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a privy council, formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its members, known as privy counsellors, are mainly senior politicians who are curre ...

(PC) from 1990, an extra

from 1997, and a

from 1999.

Arms

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fellowes, Robert Fellowes, Baron 1941 births 2024 deaths People educated at Eton College Scots Guards officers Companions of the Queen's Service Order Crossbench life peers Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Private Secretaries to the Sovereign Deputy Private Secretaries to the Sovereign Assistant Private Secretaries to the Sovereign

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

English cricketers Norfolk cricketers Life peers created by Elizabeth II Peers retired under the House of Lords Reform Act 2014