Online Encyclopedia
Angus Ogilvy
The Right Honourable Sir Angus James Bruce Ogilvy (14 September 1928–26 December 2004) was a member of the British Royal Family, the husband of HRH Princess Alexandra of Kent, a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II.
Sir Angus is remembered as an astute businessman, and his role in a scandal involving the breaking of sanctions to Rhodesia in the 1970s. In later years he was heavily involved in charity work.
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Early Life
Ogilivy was born in London, England on 14 September 1928. His father was David Ogilvy, 12th Earl of Airlie and his mother was Lady Alexandra Coke, the daughter of Thomas Coke, 3rd Earl of Leicester .
Ogilvy's family could trace their linegae back through to the 12th century. Many of his relatives had close links with the British Royal Family. His grandmother, Mabell, Countess of Airlie, was a close friend and lady-in-waiting to Queen Mary. His father was a Lord-in-Waiting to King George V and Lord Chamberlain to HM Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.
Education and Career
Ogilvy was educated at Heatherdown School, Ascot; and later at Eton College. in 1947 he attended Trinity College, Oxford, graduating in 1950 with a BA in Modern Greats.
After university, Ogilvy worked at the Drayton company, later working with the tycoon, Tiny Rowland in Drayton's subsidiary, London and Rhodesia Mining and Land Company (Lonrho). His career ended when Lonrho was involved in a scandal over the breaking of trade sanctions on British-held Rhodesia. The Prime Minister, Edward Heath, criticised the company and described it in the House of Commons as "an unpleasant and unacceptable face of capitalism" on a 1973 court case over the company's management style.
Marriage
On 24 April 1963, Ogilvy married HRH Princess Alexandra of Kent at Westminster Abbey in London. Princess Alexandra was a granddaughter of King George V and a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. Her father was HRH The Prince George, Duke of Kent and HRH Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark.
The wedding ceremony was attended by all the members of the Royal Family and was broadcast worldwide on television, watched by an estimated 200 million people.
The Queen had offered Ogilvy an earldom on his wedding; however he turned it down, favouring a low profile existence. He also rejected a grace-and-favour apartment at one of the Royal Palaces. Instead he purchased Thatched Lodge in Richmond Upon Thames from the Crown for him and Princess Alexandra to live in.
Together the couple had two children:
- James Ogilvy born 29 February 1964
- Marina Ogilvy born 31 July 1966.
Charity and Royal Duties
After the failure of his career, Ogilvy worked with charity and supported his wife in her royal duties. He sometimes accompanied Princess Alexandra on her Royal tours abroad. He also attended major Royal occasions with his wife.
Ogilvy was created a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 1989 by Queen Elizabeth II, his wife's first cousin. In 1997 he was made a Privy Counsellor.
Family Turmoil
In 1989, Sir Angus and Princess Alexandra became embroiled in a public row with their daughter, Marina, after she fell pregnant by her boyfriend, a freelance photographer, Paul Mowatt. Persuaded by her lover, Marina subsequently appeared in the Today newspaper, publically critising her family and posing for photographs with a crown.
Marina married Paul Mowatt in 1990, with Sir Angus giving the bride away. Apart from her mother, Princess Alexandra, no other member of the Royal Family attended. Since then, Marina has divorced Paul Mowatt and is now reconciled with her parents.
Later Years
Sir Angus served as president of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund , and as chairman of Youth Clubs UK, the biggest non-uniformed youth organisation in Britain. He was patron of Arthritis Care; vice-patron of the National Children's Homes; chairman of the advisory council of The Prince's Youth Business Trust; a trustee of the Leeds Castle Foundation, as well as being a member of the governing council of Business in the Community, and of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. He was also a member of the Royal Company of Archers, the Sovereign's Bodyguard in Scotland, in which his father served as one of its four lieutenants.
Suffering from throat cancer in later years, he was too ill to attend many major royal events. His last public appearance with his wife was when he accompanied the princess to Thailand for an official tour.
Sir Angus died on 26 December 2004. His funeral took place at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle on January 5, 2005. He was burried at the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore, Windsor.
Styles
- The Honourable Angus Ogilvy
- The Honourable Sir Angus Ogilvy
- The Right Honourable Sir Angus Ogilvy