Michael Adeane, Baron Adeane
Michael Adeane, Baron Adeane
Lieutenant Colonel The Right Honourable The Lord Adeane GCB,GCVO,PC | |
|---|---|
| Private Secretary to the Sovereign | |
| In office 1953–1972 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Preceded by | Sir Alan Lascelles |
| Succeeded by | Sir Martin Charteris |
| Assistant Private Secretary to the Sovereign | |
| In office 1945–1953 | |
| Monarch | George VI Elizabeth II |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Michael Edward Adeane 30 September 1910 London, England |
| Died | 30 April 1984(aged 73) Aberdeen, Scotland |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse(s) | Helen Chetwynd-Stapleton |
| Children | 1 daughter, 1 son (Edward Adeane) |
| Alma mater | Magdalene College, Cambridge |
Michael Edward Adeane, Baron Adeane, GCB, GCVO, PC (30 September 1910 – 30 April 1984) was Private Secretary to Elizabeth II for 19 years, between 1953 and 1972.
Lieutenant Colonel The Right Honourable The Lord Adeane GCB,GCVO,PC | |
|---|---|
| Private Secretary to the Sovereign | |
| In office 1953–1972 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Preceded by | Sir Alan Lascelles |
| Succeeded by | Sir Martin Charteris |
| Assistant Private Secretary to the Sovereign | |
| In office 1945–1953 | |
| Monarch | George VI Elizabeth II |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Michael Edward Adeane 30 September 1910 London, England |
| Died | 30 April 1984(aged 73) Aberdeen, Scotland |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse(s) | Helen Chetwynd-Stapleton |
| Children | 1 daughter, 1 son (Edward Adeane) |
| Alma mater | Magdalene College, Cambridge |
Early life and education
Adeane was the son of Captain Henry Robert Augustus Adeane (1882–1914), by his wife Hon. Victoria Eugenie Bigge (d.1969). His paternal grandfather was Admiral Edward Stanley Adeane, and his maternal grandfather was Arthur Bigge, 1st Baron Stamfordham, Private Secretary to Queen Victoria and King George V. Adeane was educated at Eton College and graduated from Magdalene College, Cambridge in 1934 with a Master of Arts degree.
Career
After graduating Adeane travelled to Canada and was aide-de-camp to Lord Bessborough, Governor General of Canada from 1934 to 1935, and then to his successor, Lord Tweedsmuir until 1936.
Adeane then returned to England and became George VI's Assistant Private Secretary from 1945 after five and a half years on active military duty,[1] a post he held until the latter's death in 1952. He continued in that post for Queen Elizabeth until 1953 when he was promoted to Private Secretary and admitted to the Privy Council.
In 1961, during a Royal visit to Nepal, Adeane was credited with a share of a tiger kill with Sir Christopher Bonham-Carter in a royal tiger hunt.[2] The tiger shooting role had fallen to him after the Queen had declined, the Duke of Edinburgh had been unable to shoot due to having his trigger finger in a splint and the then Foreign Secretary Alec Douglas-Home had missed twice.[2]
Personal life
On 10 January 1939 Adeane married Helen Chetwynd-Stapleton (c.1920–c.1995), together they had a daughter and a son.[3] Their son Edward Adeane, a barrister, was Private Secretary to the Prince of Wales from 1979–1985.
On 30 April 1984 Adeane died of heart failure in Aberdeen, Scotland. He was cremated at Golders Green crematorium.[3]
Honours
Adeane was appointed a Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO) in 1946,[4] a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1947,[5] he was promoted to Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) in 1951,[6] and Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in 1955.[7] In 1962 he was promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO)[8] and in 1968 to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB).[9]