Name Martin Baron Nationality British | Preceded by Sir Michael Adeane | |
Parents Lady Violet Catherine Manners, Hugo Charteris, Lord Elcho Grandparents Hugo Charteris, 11th Earl of Wemyss Cousins John Julius Norwich, Lady Caroline Paget, Lady Rose McLaren, Henry Paget - 7th Marquess, Charles Manners - 10th Duk Similar People Violet Manners - Duchess, Henry Cust, Lady Diana Cooper, Lady Cynthia Asquith, Henry Paget - 7th Marquess | ||
Lieutenant-Colonel Martin Michael Charles Charteris, Baron Charteris of Amisfield (7 September 1913 – 23 December 1999) was a British Army officer and courtier of Queen Elizabeth II.
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Biography
Charteris was the son of Hugo Francis Charteris, grandson of Hugo Charteris, 11th Earl of Wemyss and a brother of the 12th Earl of Wemyss. He was educated at Eton and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst and was commissioned in the King's Royal Rifle Corps. He fought in the Middle East during the Second World War, rising to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. On his return, he married the Hon. Mary Margesson (a daughter of the 1st Viscount Margesson) on 16 December 1944 in Jerusalem and they had three children. He retired from the Army in 1951.
In 1950, he was appointed Private Secretary to Princess Elizabeth, who was then Duchess of Edinburgh and heiress presumptive to the British throne. From her accession in 1952 until 1972, he served as her Assistant Private Secretary under Sir Michael Adeane. On Adeane's retirement in 1972, he was promoted to Private Secretary. He held this post until his retirement in 1977 and returned to Eton as its Provost. He was granted the honour of being a Permanent Lord in Waiting.
Charteris was probably most outspoken in an interview he gave to The Spectator in 1995, in which he described the Duchess of York as "vulgar", the Prince of Wales as "whiney" and the Queen Mother as "a bit of an ostrich".
British honours
Foreign honour
Portrayals
In Netflix's 2016 series The Crown, Charteris was portrayed by Harry Hadden-Paton.