Derek Keppel
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Derek William George Keppel GCVO
KCB
CMG
CIE
VD
(7 April 1863–26 April 1944) was a member of the British
Royal Household
.
Keppel was a son of the 7th Earl of Albemarle
and was educated at Charterhouse School
. He joined the army and rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in The Prince of Wales' Own Civil Service Rifles and served in India
. On 20 June 1898, he married Hon. Bridget Louisa Harbord, a daughter of the 5th Baron Suffield
and they had three girls.
Keppel then served as an equerry
to The Duke of York
from 1893 to 1910 and was Deputy Master of the Household
from 1910 to 1912. He was then promoted to Master of the Household in 1912 and served in this post until The King's death in 1936. He continued as the only Master of the Household under King Edward VIII
's short reign and on the ascension of King George VI
, he returned to being an equerry until his death.
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
KCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
CMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
CIE
Order of the Indian Empire
The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:#Knight Grand Commander #Knight Commander #Companion...
VD
Volunteer Decoration
The Volunteer Officers' Decoration was created by Royal Warrant under command of Queen Victoria on 25 July 1892 to reward 'efficient and capable' officers of the Volunteer Force who had served for twenty years...
(7 April 1863–26 April 1944) was a member of the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Royal Household
Royal Household
A Royal Household in ancient and medieval monarchies formed the basis for the general government of the country as well as providing for the needs of the sovereign and his relations....
.
Keppel was a son of the 7th Earl of Albemarle
William Keppel, 7th Earl of Albemarle
William Coutts Keppel, 7th Earl of Albemarle KCMG, PC , styled Viscount Bury between 1851 and 1891, was a British soldier and politician. He served in the British Army before entering parliament in 1857...
and was educated at Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
. He joined the army and rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in The Prince of Wales' Own Civil Service Rifles and served in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. On 20 June 1898, he married Hon. Bridget Louisa Harbord, a daughter of the 5th Baron Suffield
Charles Harbord, 5th Baron Suffield
Charles Harbord, 5th Baron Suffield GCVO, KCB, PC, JP, DL , was a British peer, courtier and Liberal politician. A close friend of Edward VII, he served as a Lord of the Bedchamber and Lord-in-Waiting to the King...
and they had three girls.
Keppel then served as an equerry
Equerry
An equerry , and related to the French word "écuyer" ) 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 attendant, usually upon a Sovereign, a member of a Royal Family, or a national...
to The Duke of York
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
from 1893 to 1910 and was Deputy Master of the Household
Master of the Household
The Master of the Household is the operational head of the "below stairs" elements of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom...
from 1910 to 1912. He was then promoted to Master of the Household in 1912 and served 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 of the United Kingdom
Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
's short reign and on the ascension of King George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
, he returned to being an equerry until his death.