Colonel Sir Charles Beaumont Phipps (27 December 1801 – 24 February 1866), was a British soldier and courtier. He was the second son of

Henry Phipps, 1st Earl of Mulgrave General Henry Phipps, 1st Earl of Mulgrave, (14 February 17557 April 1831), styled The Honourable Henry Phipps until 1792 and known as The Lord Mulgrave from 1792 to 1812, was a British Army officer and politician who served as Foreign Secret ...

, and was born at the family estate of

Mulgrave Castle Mulgrave Castle refers to one of three structures on the same property in Lythe, near Whitby, North Yorkshire, England. One of these, known as the "old" or "ancient" castle, was by legend founded by Wade (folklore), Wada, a 6th-century ruler of ...

in 1801. Educated at Harrow,* Phipps joined the army by purchasing a commission as an ensign and lieutenant in the Scots Fusilier Guards on 17 August 1820. He ranked as lieutenant and captain by 1 January 1828, when he was made

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

. In 1832, his brother Constantine, then 2nd Earl of Mulgrave, was appointed Governor of Jamaica, and Charles accompanied him as his private secretary. Mulgrave left the governorship in 1834, and was appointed

Lord Lieutenant of Ireland Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (), or more formally Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland, was the title of the chief governor of Ireland from the Williamite Wars of 1690 until the Partition of Ireland in 1922. This spanned the K ...

in 1835; Phipps continued with him to act as steward of his official household. He purchased a commission as captain and lieutenant-colonel on 26 May 1837. On 1 August 1846, Phipps was appointed 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 ...

in Ordinary to Queen Victoria, succeeding Charles George James Arbuthnot, and hereafter was much in the royal household. He was appointed private secretary to Prince Albert on 1 January 1847, and went on half-pay from the Army later that month as a lieutenant-colonel. On 10 October 1849 Phipps replaced George Edward Anson as

Keeper of the Privy Purse The Keeper of the Privy Purse and Treasurer to the King/Queen (or Financial Secretary to the King/Queen) is responsible for the financial management of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, Royal Household of the Monarchy of the United Kingd ...

, Treasurer and Cofferer to the Prince of Wales, and Treasurer to Prince Albert, resigning his post as private secretary. He was promoted colonel (unattached) in 1851. He received the CB on 9 September 1853 and retired from the army the following year. In 1858, he received the KCB. Phipps was much in the confidence of Victoria and Albert, and aided Charles Grey in his duties as Private Secretary to the Sovereign after the death of Albert in 1861. He was appointed Receiver-General of the Duchy of Cornwall on 26 May 1862, and was appointed to the Council of the Prince of Wales on 27 January 1863. On 8 February 1864, he received the additional offices of Secretary, Chamberlain and Receiver-General and Keeper of the Signet to the Prince of Wales as Prince and Steward of Scotland. Phipps died of

bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...

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 24 February 1866, and was buried in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on 2 March 1866.

Family

Phipps married, on 25 June 1835, to Margaret Anne Bathurst (d. 1874). The couple had four children: * Maria Henrietta Sophia Phipps (d.1915), wife of army officer and courtier lieutenant-colonel William Chaine (or Cheyne) * Harriet Lepel Phipps (1841–1922), a confidential attendant to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

, died unmarried and without issue * Charles Edmund Phipps (1844–1906), married Susan Stuart Geddes, had issue * Albert Augustus Phipps (1847–1875), killed in India while serving in the 60th King's Royal Rifle Corps, no issue

In popular culture

A heavily re-imagined, more youthful version of Phipps appears as a character in popular manga and anime franchise '' Black Butler'', with a key role in ''Black Butler: Book of Murder''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phipps, Charles Beaumont 1801 births 1866 deaths Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath People educated at Harrow School Scots Guards officers Younger sons of earls

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...