Lieutenant Colonel Sir Derek William George Keppel (7 April 1863 – 26 April 1944) was a member of the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
Royal Household.
Early life
Keppel was a son of the
7th Earl of Albemarle and was educated at
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Godalming, Surrey, England. Founded by Thomas Sutton in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian monastery in Charter ...
. He joined the army and rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in
The Prince of Wales' Own Civil Service Rifles
''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The' ...
and served in
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
.
Courtier
Keppel 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 ...
to
the Duke of York in 1893, and was reappointed as such when the latter became Prince of Wales in 1901. On the Prince's accession as King George V in 1910, Keppel was appointed 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 ...
and in 1912 promoted to
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 ...
, serving in this post until the King's death in 1936. He continued as the only Master of the Household under
King Edward VIII
Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January ...
's short reign, and on the accession of
King George VI
George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...
he returned to being an equerry until his own death in 1944.
Family
On 20 June 1898, he married Bridget Louisa Harbord, (later known as Lady Keppel), a daughter of the
5th Baron Suffield, and they had three daughters.
Honours
British decorations
*CMG : Companion of the
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...
- ''26 November 1901'' - after accompanying the Prince of Wales on his 1901 Commonwealth tour
*CIE : Commander of the
Order of the Indian Empire
The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:
#Knight Grand Commander (:Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire, ...
*KCB : Knight Commander of the
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...
*GCVO: Knight Grand Cross of the
Royal Victorian Order
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 ...
Foreign decorations
*:
Order of the White Lion
The Order of the White Lion () is the highest order of the Czech Republic. It continues a Czechoslovak order of the same name created in 1922 as an award for foreigners (Czechoslovakia having no civilian decoration for its citizens in the 192 ...
References
External links
Old photograph
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keppel, Derek William George, Sir
Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath
Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George
Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire
Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
People educated at Charterhouse School
London Regiment officers
King's Royal Rifle Corps officers
Younger sons of earls
Derek Keppel
Masters of the Household
1863 births
1944 deaths