Michael Fergus Bowes-Lyon, 18th and 5th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, DL (7 June 1957 – 27 February 2016), styled Lord Glamis between 1972 and 1987, also known as Mikey Strathmore, was a British Conservative politician, Scots Guards officer and stockbroker. He was a first cousin once removed of Queen Elizabeth II.
The Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne | |
|---|---|
 Strathmore in 2012 | |
| Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Lords Captain of the Queen's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard | |
| In office 30 December 1991 – 20 July 1994 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | John Major |
| Preceded by | The Viscount Davidson |
| Succeeded by | The Earl of Arran |
| Member of the House of Lords | |
Lord Temporal | |
| as a hereditary peer 20 August 1987 – 11 November 1999 | |
| Preceded by | The 17th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne |
| Succeeded by | Seat abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Michael Fergus Bowes-Lyon 7 June 1957 Windsor, Berkshire, England |
| Died | 27 February 2016 (aged 58) London, England |
| Spouses | Isobel Weatherall
(m. 1984; div. 2005)Damaris Stuart-William
(m. 2005; div. 2008)Karen Baxter (m. 2012) |
| Children | 4; including Simon |
| Parents |
|
| Residence | Glamis Castle |
| Education | |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch/service |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1980–1984 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | Scots Guards |
Early life and education
editStrathmore was born on 7 June 1957 in Windsor, the only son of Fergus Bowes-Lyon, later 17th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, and his wife, Mary Pamela McCorquodale (born 1932). His paternal grandfather, Lieutenant-Colonel The Honourable Michael Claude Hamilton Bowes-Lyon (1893–1957), was an elder brother of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, thus making Michael a first cousin once removed of Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret. He served as the Queen Mother's page of honour from 1971 to 1973 and often stayed with her at the Castle of Mey and the Royal Lodge, Windsor.[1][2][3] He was raised in Humbie, East Lothian, with his two sisters, Elizabeth and Diana.[4]
He was educated at Sunningdale School and Eton College before reading Land Economy at the University of Aberdeen. He attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.[1][4]
Career
editAfter Sandhurst, Strathmore was commissioned in the Scots Guards in 1980.[5] He held the rank of lieutenant and was later promoted to captain in 1984.[4][6][7] He served in Northern Ireland and Hong Kong.[1]
He left the army in 1984, going to work in the City of London for the stock brokerage firm Strauss Turnbull. In 1987, Strathmore succeeded his father as 18th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne and inherited Holwick Hall in Teesdale, County Durham, and Glamis Castle, the Queen Mother's girlhood home, in Angus.[4][8][9]
He took his seat in the House of Lords. He served as a lord-in-waiting from 1989 to 1992 and served as Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard and Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Lords in the First Major ministry.[10] His achievements included the ratification of the Maastricht Treaty by the Lords.[1][4] He retired in 1994 and subsequently lost his seat in November 1999 with the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999.[11][12] After resigning his ministerial post, Strathmore sat on the board of Polypipe from 1994 until it was acquired by IMI plc in 1999. He was a member of White's and Pratt's.[13]
He was appointed a deputy lieutenant of Angus on 19 April 1993. He also served as president of Boys' Brigade from 1994 to 1999 and as patron of the Friends of the Bowes Museum in County Durham, a position he inherited from the Queen Mother.[1][14][15]
Personal life
editStrathmore was married thrice. On 14 November 1984, Lord Glamis, as he was then, married Isobel Charlotte Weatherall (born c. 1962), great-granddaughter of Henry Keswick and sister of Percy Weatherall, at St James's Church, Piccadilly, with the Queen Mother in attendance. Strathmore and Weatherall were separated in 2003 and divorced in 2005.[13] They had three sons:
- Simon Patrick Bowes-Lyon, 19th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne (born 1986)
- The Honourable John Fergus Bowes-Lyon (born 1988)
- The Honourable George Norman Bowes-Lyon (born 1991)
On 24 November 2005, Strathmore married Damaris Stuart-William, a clinical psychologist. They were separated in 2007 and divorced in 2008.[1] They had one son:
- The Honourable Toby Peter Fergus Bowes-Lyon (born 2005)
On 4 August 2012, Strathmore married Karen Baxter (née Orrock), who survived him.[4]
As a hobby, he restored old automobiles and lorries, often featuring in the Strathmore Vintage Vehicle Rally. In 2002, as the head of the Bowes-Lyon family, he walked behind the Queen Mother's coffin during her funeral procession and attended the private service of committal in the King George VI Memorial Chapel.[1]
Strathmore died of colorectal cancer on 27 February 2016 in London, aged 58. A memorial service was held at the Church of St Mary the Virgin in Middleton-in-Teesdale, near his County Durham properties, on 12 May and another, attended by Prince Charles, was held at St Martin-in-the-Fields in London on 8 June.[16][17]
Arms
edit |
|
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "The Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne - obituary". The Telegraph. 29 February 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- ^ "No. 45425". The London Gazette. 16 July 1971. p. 7657.
- ^ "No. 46136". The London Gazette. 23 November 1973. p. 13961.
- ^ a b c d e f "The Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne". The Sunday Times. 2 March 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ "No. 48490". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 January 1981. p. 464.
- ^ "No. 48614". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 May 1981. p. 6934.
- ^ "No. 49918". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 October 1984. p. 14958.
- ^ MacFarland, Katie (29 February 2016). "Queen's cousin and County Durham landowner, Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne Michael Bowes-Lyon, dies of cancer aged 58". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
- ^ "Obituary: Michael Bowes-Lyon, 18th Earl of Strathmore and businessman". The Scotsman. 29 February 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
- ^ "No. 51838". The London Gazette. 11 August 1989. p. 9335.
- ^ "No. 53747". The London Gazette. 29 July 1994. p. 10847.
- ^ Steven, Alastair (2 March 2016). "The Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne". The Herald.
- ^ a b "Right to live in Glamis Castle is at centre of (pounds) 5m divorce battle Countess wants to stay in current home for 12 years". The Herald. 10 March 2004. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
- ^ "No. 53296". The London Gazette. 7 May 1993. p. 8038.
- ^ "Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne". The Boys' Brigade. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
- ^ MacFarland, Katie (12 May 2016). "Dozens remember the 18th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne at memorial service". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ "Court Circular, June 8". The Times. 9 June 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2024.