Angus Ogilvy

Sir Angus James Bruce Ogilvy KCVO (14 September 1928 – 26 December 2004) was a British businessman. He is best known as the husband of Princess Alexandra of Kent, a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. Ogilvy is also remembered for his role in a business scandal, known as the Lonrho affair, involving the breaking of sanctions against Rhodesia during the 1970s. In later years, he was involved in charity work.

The Right Honourable Sir

Angus Ogilvy

KCVO
Ogilvy in Queensland in 1978
Born(1928-09-14)14 September 1928
London, England
Died26 December 2004(2004-12-26) (aged 76)
London, England
Burial placeRoyal Burial Ground, Frogmore
Alma materTrinity College, Oxford
OccupationBusinessman
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1963)​
Children
Parents
Signature

Early life

He was born in London as the second son of the 12th Earl of Airlie and Lady Alexandra Coke, daughter of the 3rd Earl of Leicester.[1] Many of his relatives had close links with the British royal family.[1]

His grandmother, Mabell Ogilvy, Countess of Airlie, was a close friend and lady-in-waiting to Queen Mary.[1] His father was a lord-in-waiting to George V and Lord Chamberlain to Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother).[1] He was a second cousin of Diana Mitford, a second cousin of Lavinia Fitzalan-Howard, Duchess of Norfolk, and a second cousin once removed of Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 5th Marquess of Salisbury.

Education and career

Ogilvy was educated at Heatherdown School, near Ascot in Berkshire, and later at Eton College (also in Berkshire). Between 1946 and 1948, while on National service, he was commissioned as an officer in the Scots Guards. In 1947, he attended Trinity College, Oxford, graduating in 1950 with a BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE).[2]

After university, Ogilvy worked at the Drayton company and later worked with the tycoon Tiny Rowland at Drayton's subsidiary, London and Rhodesia Mining and Land Company (Lonrho). The then-Prime Minister, Sir 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. Ogilvy's business career ended in 1976, after he was criticised in a Department of Trade report into the company's activities.[3]

Marriage
Main article: Wedding of Princess Alexandra and Angus Ogilvy

On 24 April 1963, Ogilvy married Princess Alexandra of Kent, a granddaughter of King George V and Queen Mary and a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, at Westminster Abbey in London.[4][5] 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, which he declined.[6] He also rejected a grace-and-favour apartment at one of the royal palaces. Instead, he leased Thatched House Lodge in Richmond, London from the Crown Estate for him and Princess Alexandra to live in,[2] and where she still lives today. However, she retained a grace-and-favour apartment at St James's Palace.[7]

The couple had two children, James (born in 1964) and Marina (born in 1966).[2]

Issue
NameBirthMarriageIssue
James Ogilvy29 February 196430 July 1988Julia RawlinsonFlora Vesterberg
Alexander Ogilvy
Marina Ogilvy31 July 19662 February 1990
Divorced 4 December 1997		Paul MowattZenouska Mowatt
Christian Mowatt

Marina's first pregnancy, which was announced in late 1989, caused a controversy as the couple were not married. This resulted in a feud with her parents who suggested she either marry her companion or have an abortion.[8][9] In an interview with a tabloid at the time, Marina had claimed that her parents had cut off her trust fund and monthly allowance due to their disapproval of her conduct.[8]

Later years
Pew cushion in St Anne's Church, Kew dedicated to Angus Ogilvy and Princess Alexandra

After his business career was blighted, Ogilvy was involved with charity work.[4] He 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 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.[2] He was also a member of the Royal Company of Archers, the Sovereign's Bodyguard in Scotland,[2] in which his father had served as one of its four lieutenants.

He suffered from throat cancer in later years, and his last public appearance with his wife was when he accompanied her to Thailand for an official tour.

Ogilvy died in Kingston upon Thames, London, on 26 December 2004 after spending three months in hospital with cancer-related illnesses, including acute pneumonia.[10] His funeral took place at St. George's Chapel, Windsor in Windsor Castle on 5 January 2005.[11] He was buried in the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore, at Windsor.[12]

Legacy

Ogilvy and his wife attended a special service at St Anne's Church, Kew, on Sunday 10 May 1964, to mark the church's 250th anniversary. A pew cushion in the church is embroidered with their names and coats of arms.[13]

Honours and arms
Sir Angus Ogilvy's arms[14]
See also: List of honours of the British Royal Family by country

References
  1. "Sir Angus Ogilvy". The Guardian. 27 December 2004. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  2. Corby, Tom (26 December 2004). "Sir Angus Ogilvy". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  3. Andrew Goodrick-Clarke (7 July 1976). "Mr Ogilvy to resign directorships after Lonrho report criticizes him". The Times.
  4. Saxon, Wolfgang (28 December 2004). "Angus Ogilvy, 76, Banker With Ties to British Royalty, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 March 2008. He and Princess Alexandra had a son, James Robert Bruce Ogilvy, and a daughter, Marina Victoria Alexandra. Once estranged from their parents, they had reconciled and, according to The Times of London, were with them at the time of Sir Angus's death.
  5. "Princess Alexandra of Kent". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  6. Panton, Kenneth J. (2011). Historical Dictionary of the British Monarchy. Scarecrow Press, Inc. p. 38. ISBN 978-0-8108-5779-7.
  7. "The Royal Residences". Official website of the British Monarchy. Archived from the original on 15 October 2014.
  8. "One More Scandal For British Royalty". The New York Times. 17 October 1989. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  9. "Unwed Pregnant Royal Cousin Petitions Queen". Los Angeles Times. 9 October 1989. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  10. "Royals attend Sir Angus's funeral". BBC News. 5 January 2005. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  11. "Death of the Rt Hon Sir Angus Ogilvy". British Monarchy. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  12. "Sir Angus Ogilvy is buried at Windsor". The Telegraph. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  13. Blomfield, David (2014). St Anne's Kew: 1714–2014. RJL Smith and Associates. pp. 68, 72. ISBN 978-0-9573492-8-5.
  14. Maclagan, Michael; Louda, Jiří (1999). Lines of Succession: Heraldry of the Royal Families of Europe. London: Little, Brown & Co. p. 31. ISBN 1-85605-469-1.
  15. The London Gazette
  16. St George's Chapel - Orders of Chivalry Archived 20 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  17. "Page 1 | Issue 54625, 30 December 1996 | London Gazette | the Gazette".

Angus

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