Everything to Know About Queen Elizabeth's 30 Godchildren
When a royal baby is christened, as Prince Louis was early this summer, he or she is typically given a small army of godparents. Prince George, for example, has seven godparents; Princess Charlotte has five; and baby Louis has six. But at least in recent years, those godparents are usually drawn from outside the immediate family. Aunts and uncles and grandparents are guaranteed to be in that baby's life, so no need to give them the extra title.
But that doesn't mean, the royal family doesn't routinely serve as godparents. Sometimes it's for a fellow European royal, like Prince William's godchild Prince Konstantinos-Alexios of Greece; many take on the role for a close friend, like Prince Harry's godson Jasper Dyer, who is the son of Captain Mark Dyer, a longtime mentor of Harry's.
But no godparent is quite as prolific as Queen Elizabeth. According to a release from the Palace back in 2002, Queen Elizabeth has 30 godchildren. Not all of the Queen's godchildren are known to the public, but we took a look at a number of Queen Elizabeth's godchildren here:
Guy Rupert Gerard Nevill (1945–1993)
Elizabeth's first godchild was entrusted to her long before she became Queen. Guy's father was Lord Rupert Nevill, who served in the officer of the Treasurer to Prince Philip and was his private secretary until 1982. Lady Nevill, born Lady Anne Camilla Wallop, is a childhood friend of Queen Elizabeth's. One of Guy's sisters, Henrietta Nevill, is the goddaughter of prince Philip. Guy died in 1993 at age 47.
Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia (born 1945)
Queen Elizabeth became the godmother of Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia back when she was still Princess Elizabeth. Elizabeth's father, King George VI, was also his godparent. Alexander was born in London, baptized at Westminster Abbey, and then raised in exile in the United Kingdom. The prince maintained a close relationship with the British royal family throughout his life. He's also a descendant of Queen Victoria, making him a relative of the British royals as well.
Charles Strachey, 4th Baron O'Hagan (born 1945)
Elizabeth became the godparent of Charles when she was still Princess Elizabeth. Born in 1945, Charles attended Eton College and served as a Page Honour to the Queen between 1959 and 1962. His grandfather, Maurice Towneley-O'Hagan, 3rd Baron O'Hagan, was a well-known politician in the United Kingdom. Charles served as a member of Parliament for a number of years.
Julian Hardinge, 4th Baron Hardinge of Penshurst (born 1945)
Elizabeth's godchild Julian has stayed out of the public eye throughout his life. He succeeded his father as the Baron Hardinge in 1997 and is an avid chess player who even wrote a book on the game called Chess: A Guide for the Club Player, which is still available to on Amazon.
Elizabeth Lavinia Sara King (born 1946)
Elizabeth Lavinia King typically goes by her middle name, Lavinia. She's the daughter of Lieutenant Commander James Osborne King and the Honorable Elizabeth Patricia White. The Queen and Elizabeth White were childhood friends, and the royals visited the White family on a tour of Northern Ireland in 1961. In 1969, Lavinia married David Montgomery, and they have two children. Lavinia and her family now live in Australia.
Rosemary Elizabeth Elphinstone (born 1947)
Rosemary is the daughter of the Queen's former lady-in-waiting, Jean Hambro, who was appointed to that role at age 22 when Elizabeth was still Princess Elizabeth. Elizabeth also served as a bridesmaid when Jean married Andrew Elphinstone, Rosemary's father. Andrew also happens to be the Queen's cousin; his mother, Mary Elphinstone, Lady Elphinstone, was the Queen's maternal aunt. Rosemary married James Ronald Percy Pigé Leschallas in 1967, and they have three children.
Sandra Elizabeth Zia Butter (born 1948)
Sandra is the daughter of Major Sir David Butter, a descendent of an ancient Scottish family, and Lady Myra Butter, who is a cousin of Prince Philip's and the granddaughter of Grand Duke Michael of Russia. Myra is one of Queen Elizabeth's closest friends from childhood, the Daily Mail reports, and the Butter family is close to the entire British royal family. In 1961, Sandra served as a bridesmaid in the wedding of the Duke of Kent and Katherine Worsley.
In 1983, Sandra married William David Morrison, and they have two children.
Edward Philip Gerald Hay (born 1949)
Edward is the son of Sir Alan Philip Hay and Lady Margaret Katherine Seymour. Edward served as Page Honour to the Queen from 1964 and 1966. Edward's mother, Lady Margaret, was a lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth, and later held the office of Woman of the Bedchamber from 1953 through 1975.
The Hon Michael-John Knatchbull (born 1950)
The son of John Ulick Knatchbull, 7th Baron Brabourne and Lady Patricia Mountbatten, Michael-John is related to the royal family. His mother, who was also known as Countess Mountbatten of Burma, was Prince Philip's first cousin. Michael-John sat for a portrait with his mother and siblings that is now on exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. He has been married twice and has two children; his eldest daughter, Kelly, is Princess Anne's godchild.
David Lascelles, 8th Earl of Harewood (born 1950)
David is a great-grandson of King George V and a first cousin, once removed, of his godmother, Queen Elizabeth. His father, George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood, was the son of Princess Mary, Princess Royal, who was the only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary. When he was born in 1950, David was 13th in line to the British throne. He has four children and is a movie and television producer.
Caroline Elizabeth Longman (born 1951)
Caroline's mother, Lady Elizabeth Longman, was a childhood friend of Queen Elizabeth's and a bridesmaid at her wedding. She was also a granddaughter of the 10th Early of Cavan. Caroline was a rumored girlfriend of Prince Charles's in the 1970s, but she eventually married art conservator Peter Zevenbergen in 1982. They have two sons.
Elizabeth Georgina Gail Villiers (born 1952)
Known by her middle name, Georgina is a daughter of Nicholas Villiers, whose father was George Villiers, 6th Earl of Clarendon. She was the first godchild of the Queen to be born during her reign. In 1980, she married Edward Jewson, and they have two daughters.
Elizabeth Harriet Colville (born 1952)
The Queen's goddaughter Elizabeth Harriet Colville goes by Harriet. Her mother, Lady Margaret Egerton, was a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth and to the Queen Mother; Harriet's father, Sir John Rupert Colville, was a private secretary to the royal family and Winston Churchill during his lifetime, and was knighted in 1974. Harriet was a lady-in-waiting to Princess Anne. In 1976, she married David James Bowes-Lyon, and they have three children.
Henry Alan Walter Richard Percy, 11th Duke of Northumberland (1953–1995)
Henry was the eldest son of Hugh Percy, 10th Duke of Northumberland, and Lady Elizabeth Diana Percy, Duchess of Northumberland. He became Duke of Northumberland when his father died in 1988, but tragically died in 1995 after a drug overdose.
Victoria Ann Rhodes (born 1953)
Victoria is another goddaughter of Queen Elizabeth's who is also related to the monarch: She is the daughter of Margaret Rhodes, whose mother is Lady Mary Bowes-Lyon, the sister of Elizabeth's mother, the Queen Mother. Margaret and the Queen are first cousins, and were frequent playmates during their childhoods.
“Mummy and the Queen are best mates," Victoria said in an interview in 2012. "She can talk to her about things that few people can talk to the Queen about-things that happened 60 or 70 years ago.” Victoria now goes by Victoria Pryor after marrying her second husband John Pryor in 1999, a wedding that the Queen, Queen Mother, and Princess Margaret reportedly attended.
The Lady Virginia Mary Elizabeth FitzRoy (born 1954)
Lady Virginia FitzRoy is the daughter of Hugh FitzRoy and Ann Fortune FitzRoy, Duchess of Grafton. Ann currently serves as the Mistress of the Robes within the Royal Household, a position she has held since 1967. Lady Virginia FitzRoy was a bridesmaid at Princess Margaret's wedding in 1960.
Christopher Abel Smith (born 1954)
Christopher is the son of the Queen's former lady-in-waiting, Henriette, Lady Abel Smith and Brigadier Sir Alexander Abel Smith. Abel Smith served with the Queen for 38 years, the Daily Mail notes. Christopher married Catherine Berger, and they have two children.
Princess Friederike of Hanover (born 1954)
Princess Friederike is the daughter of Prince George William of Hanover and Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark, Prince Philip's sister, making Queen Elizabeth both aunt and godmother to Frederike. The Princess married Jerry William Cyr in 1979, and they have two children together. Frederike and her family live a private life in Vancouver, British Columbia.
George Herbert, 8th Earl of Carnarvon (born 1956)
Herbert is best known for being the longtime resident of Highclere Castle, where Downton Abbey was famously filmed. Herbert's family has owned the Castle since the late 17th century, according to the New York Times.
The Earl has been married twice and has three children. George's father, Henry Herbert, 7th Earl of Carnarvon, was Queen Elizabeth's longtime horse racing manager and a very close friend of the monarch, the Guardian reports. Elizabeth affectionally called Henry "Porchie," based on his former title, Lord Porchester, and Porchie played a signifcant role in Seasons 1 and 2 of The Crown.
Alice Dugdale (born 1957)
Alice's mother, Kathryn Stanley, also known as Lady Dugdale, was one of Queen Elizabeth's longest-serving ladies-in-waiting, having worked in the royal household from 1955 through her retirement in 2002, the Telegraph reports. Alice is the eldest of Kathryn and Sir John Robert Stratford Dugdale's four children.
Fergus Leveson-Gower, 6th Earl of Granville (born 1959)
Fergus is an entrepreneur who is best known for producing world-class smoked salmon on North Uist, an island off of Scotland's western coast, Conde Nast Traveler reports. Granville has lived on the tiny island, which has a population of only 1,700, since childhood. His father, the fifth Earl Granville, decided to move to North Uist in 1960 and the Queen used to visit Fergus and his parents for a picnic on the royal yacht regularly. "One year she got lost and I was sent to find her," Fergus told The Guardian. "It took us 45 minutes to walk back and by the end I was a little tongue-tied." Fergus and his wife, Anne, have three children.
Katherine Elizabeth Somervell (born 1961)
Katherine is the daughter of Diana Cinderella Mildred Bowes-Lyon and Peter Somervell and is related to her godmother, Queen Elizabeth: her mother, Diana Bowes-Lyon, is the daughter of John Bowes-Lyon, who was Queen Elizabeth's maternal uncle. Diana was also a bridesmaid in Queen Elizabeth's wedding, the Daily Mail reports.
James Arthur Hussey (born 1961)
Hussey's mother, Lady Susan Hussey, served as one of Queen Elizabeth's ladies-in-waiting for over 50 years, according to the Telegraph. James is one of Susan's two children with husband Marmaduke Hussey, Lord Hussey of North Bradley, who was chairman of the BBC from 1986 through 1996.
David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon (born 1961)
David Armstrong-Jones is the son of Queen Elizabeth's sister, Princess Margaret, making the Queen his aunt and godmother. Born on November 3, 1961, the furniture craftsman has been married to Serena Armstrong Jones, Countess of Snowdon, since 1993. They have two children together, Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones and Charles Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley.
Edwina Victoria Louise Hicks (born 1961)
Edwina, who now goes by her married name Edwina Brudenell, is the elder daughter of Lady Pamela Hicks and David Nightingale Hicks. Her siblings are Ashley Hicks and India Hicks. Their mother, Lady Pamela, is a first cousin of Prince Philip, served as a bridesmaid in Queen Elizabeth's wedding, and acted as a lady-in-waiting to the Queen on a royal tour in the 1950s. Edwina married Jeremy Brudenell in 1984, and they have three children.
James Robert Bruce Ogilvy (born 1964)
James Ogilvy is the son of Princess Alexandra of Kent and Sir Angus Ogilvy. Princess Alexandra is the Queen's cousin and a working royal, making numerous appearances on behalf of the Queen each year. James married Julie Caroline Rawlinson in July 1988, and they have two children. James is also the godfather of Princess Eugenie of York.
The Hon. Charles Edward Maurice Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer (born 1964)
Charles Spencer has multiple connections to the royal family: He is first and foremost Princess Diana's brother, as well as being the Queen's godson. Charles, who inherited the title Earl Spencer when his father passed away in 1992, is currently married to his third wife, Karen Spencer, and has seven children total. He has maintained a close relationship with his nephews, Prince William and Prince Harry, and was a guest at Harry's wedding to Meghan Markle in May.
Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark (born 1983)
Theodora is the daughter of deposed Greek King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie. She's an actress living in Los Angeles, having starred on The Bold and the Beautiful under the stage name Theodora Greece. But she still makes time to tap into her royal side: earlier this summer, she shared a photo on Instagram from a royal affair at which she wore at tiara.
A post shared by Theodora (@tgreece) on May 30, 2018 at 11:08pm PDT
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