George Keppel (British Army officer, born 1865)

Lieutenant-Colonel the Hon.George Keppel, MVO (14 October 1865 – 22 November 1947) was a British soldier and the husband of Alice Keppel, the mistress and confidante of King Edward VII 1898-1910. Colonel the Hon. George Keppel, MVO, was 7th in direct-line of descent from HM King Charles II; and was also the great grandfather of HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, GCVO.

Cimitero degli Allori, The Hon. George Keppel and Alice Keppel

Biography

Keppel was the third son of William Keppel, 7th Earl of Albemarle,KCMG, MP, PC, ADC, Treasurer of HM Queen Victoria's Household; and of his wife, the Rt. Hon. Sophia Mary, Countess of Albemarle(d. 5 April 1917), daughter of Sir Allan Napier MacNab, speaker of the Canadian Parliament.[1] He graduated from the Royal Military College in 1885 and soon after joined the Gordon Highlanders. He resigned his commission in 1892, but joined the Norfolk Artillery in 1894. He was promoted to captain in 1908 and was appointed MVO a year later after being attached to the king during the latter's visit to the City of Norwich that year.

On 1 June 1891, Keppel married Alice Frederica Edmonstone, the youngest daughter of Mary Elizabeth, née Parsons (1823–1902) and Admiral Sir William Edmonstone, 4th Baronet of Duntreath Castle (1810–1888). Together they had two daughters; Violet Chevalier de l'Ordre de la Legion d'honneuer (1894–1972) and Sonia Rosemary Keppel, OBE (1900–1986). In 1898, Keppel's wife became a mistress and confidante to Edward, Prince of Wales, as he then was. Her relationship with King Edward VII lasted through his ascension to the throne in 1901; and until his death in May 1910. Keppel knew of the affair and would leave their house on Portman Square when King Edward VII visited his wife.

Through his daughter Sonia; Keppel is the great-grandfather of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall GCVO. Her Royal Highness was four months old when Keppel died on 22 November 1947; in his suite at the Ritz Hotel, in London.

References

Pollard, A. F. (23 September 2004). Matthew, H. C. G. (ed.). Keppel, William Coutts, seventh earl of Albemarle and Viscount Bury (1832–1894), politician. 1. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/15444.

"Playing by the Rules". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
Burke's Peerage & Gentry, 107th edition

*[Burke's Peerage and Baronetage Albemarle, Earl of     Lt. Col. the Hon. George Keppel, MVO]

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[1] Pollard, A. F. (23 September 2004). Matthew, H. C. G. (ed.). Keppel, William Coutts, seventh earl of Albemarle and Viscount Bury (1832–1894), politician. 1. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/15444.