Lord Robert Fellowes, the private secretary to Queen Elizabeth II, was the uncle of Princes William and Harry and the brother-in-law of Princess Diana. He passed away at the age of 82.
Between 1990 and 1999, while three of the late monarch’s children were divorcing and Diana was passing away, the British courtier served as her primary advisor.
He supported the Queen during what she called her “Annus Horribilis” of 1992, which included the breakup of Charles and Diana, Andrew’s divorce from Sarah, Anne’s divorce, the burning of Windsor Castle, and a shift in public sentiment against the royal family.
Additionally, Mohamed Al Fayed, the owner of Harrods, ordered Lord Fellowes to refute his absurd allegations that he was complicit in a plot to kill his son Dodi and Diana.
In 1978, he married Diana’s older sister, Lady Jane Spencer, and together they produced three children: Alexander, Eleanor, and Laura, who happens to be Princess Charlotte’s godmother.
Actor Andrew Havill portrayed him in the Netflix series The Crown. In his later years, he served as Elizabeth II’s supplementary equerry until her death in September 2022.
Funeral arrangements have not been made public, and his cause of death was not divulged on Monday.
Reacting to his death, Diana’s younger brother Earl Spencer tweeted this morning: “My absolutely exceptional brother-in-law, Robert, is no longer with us.”
“A total gentleman—in all the best meanings of that word—he was a man of humour, wisdom and utter integrity. I’m deeply proud to have been his brother-in-law.”
Sir William “Billy” Fellowes, the estate manager from 1936 until 1964, who went shooting with King George VI, was the father of Lord Fellowes, who was born at Sandringham in 1941.
Jane Fellowes, his mother, was the granddaughter of Brigadier General Algernon Ferguson, the high sheriff of Northamptonshire and Sarah, the Duchess of York’s great-grandfather.
In an obituary published in The Times today, it is stated that the then-Princess Elizabeth was among the first to greet him upon his birth and subsequently noted, “Robert is the only one of my private secretaries I have held in my arms.”
Never going to university, he was dubbed the “Walking Wisden” at Eton College for his remarkable cricket knowledge.
Rather, he received a commission in the Scots Guards and served in the Army for three years, from 1960 to 1963, before moving to the City to work for Allen, Harvey, and Ross, discount brokers.
Following that, in 1977, he was appointed as the Queen’s assistant private secretary. A year later, in 1978, he married Lady Jane Spencer, with Diana serving as a bridesmaid.
After moving up the ranks at Buckingham Palace, he succeeded Sir William Heseltine as deputy private secretary in 1986 and became private secretary himself in 1990.
Soon after taking on the position, he assisted the Queen in getting through the ‘annus horribilis’ of 1992, during which she was confronted with a number of family scandals, including those surrounding the marriages of three of her children, Charles, Anne, and Andrew.
Windsor Castle suffered significant damage from a fire on November 20 of that year, which destroyed 115 rooms, including nine state rooms.
In a speech to more than 500 VIP guests at a Corporation of London Guildhall luncheon on November 24 in 1992 to mark her 40th year on the throne, Elizabeth II said: “1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure.”
It has proven to be “Annus Horribilis,” in the words of one of my kinder correspondents. I’m guessing I’m not the only one who feels that way.
The Queen parodied the more often used phrase “annus mirabilis,” meaning “year of wonders,” by using the Latin phrase “annus horribilis,” which translates as “terrible year.”.
The Queen was then chastised for not visiting London sooner when Diana passed away in 1997 while she was at Balmoral.
Although Lord Fellowes believed that the criticism was unjust, he ultimately concluded that a change of course was necessary and hastened her return to London.
He also wrote the first draft of her speech to the nation, which was widely praised when she referred to herself as “your queen and as a grandmother.”.
In 1999, he returned to the city to take up the position of chairman at Barclays Private Bank, passing the reins to his deputy, Sir Robin Janvrin.
After leaving the Royal Family, Lord Fellowes went on to become a life peer and served as chairman of the Prison Reform Trust in addition to a privy counsellor.
In 2008, he commented in an interview with the Daily Telegraph, “My life has been spent in quite a gilded cage.” Eton, the royal family, the Guards, and then Barclays.
“To be introduced to a prison was a culture shock and very salutary.”
Lord Fellowes continued, “She was very good at it—an extraordinary communicator with a great feeling for the underdog.” in reference to his sister-in-law’s professional career.
“It never became patronising. She chose the areas where she thought she could make a difference, and on the whole, she did that.”
Furthermore, he gave an explanation for his choice to sit on the crossbenches in the Lords in a 2003 interview with The Times.
Lord Fellowes said: “In my previous life, I had to be apolitical, and it became a habit. It’s difficult for anyone who has been working in the private office of the sovereign to take a party whip.”
And being a crossbencher fits my disposition, even though my buddies think I’m a scary pinko.
On December 11, 1941, Lord Robert Fellowes was born, and he passed away on July 29, 2024.
