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.

Sir Derek Keppel, by Leslie Ward.

Early life

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Keppel was a son of the 7th Earl of Albemarle and was educated at Charterhouse School.[1] 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.

Courtier

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Keppel was appointed an equerry to the Duke of York in 1893, and was reappointed as such when the latter became Prince of Wales in 1901.[2] On the Prince's accession as King George V in 1910, Keppel was appointed Deputy Master of the Household and in 1912 promoted to Master of the Household, serving 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 accession of King George VI he returned to being an equerry until his own death in 1944.

Family

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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

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British decorations

Foreign decorations

Preceded by Master of the Household
1913–1936
Succeeded by

References

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  1. ^ Parish, William Douglas (1879). "Surnames: K". List of Carthusians, 1800-1879. Lewes: Farncombe and Co. p. 137. OCLC 37118353. Retrieved 16 January 2009.
  2. ^ "No. 27379". The London Gazette. 19 November 1901. p. 7472.
  3. ^ "No. 27380". The London Gazette. 26 November 1901. p. 8087.
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