Ruth Roche, Baroness Fermoy

The Right Honourable
The Lady Fermoy
DCVO OBE
The Right Honourable The Lady Fermoy DCVOOBE
Born	Ruth Sylvia Gill; 2 October 1908; Bieldside,Aberdeenshire,Scotland
Died	6 July 1993(aged 84); Belgravia,London,England
Nationality	British
Education	Paris Conservatoire
Occupation	Woman of the BedchambertoQueen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
Known for	Maternal grandmother ofDiana, Princess of Wales
Spouse	Maurice Roche, 4th Baron Fermoy (m.1931;died1955)
Children	Mary Cynthia Roche; Frances Shand Kydd; Edmund Roche, 5th Baron Fermoy;
Parents	William Smith Gill; Ruth Littlejohn;
Relatives	Diana, Princess of Wales(granddaughter)

Ruth Sylvia Roche, Baroness Fermoy,DCVO,OBE(néeGill;2 October 1908 – 6 July 1993) was a friend and confidante ofQueen Elizabeth The Queen Motherand the maternal grandmother ofDiana, Princess of Wales.She was one of the Queen Mother'sladies-in-waiting.

Biography[edit]

Lady Fermoy was born Ruth Sylvia Gill at Dalhebity House,Bieldside,Aberdeenshire,the daughter ofColonel William Smith Gilland his wife, Ruth (néeLittlejohn, daughter of David Littlejohn,DL).^[1]She showed early promise as a pianist and studied underAlfred Cortotat theParis Conservatoirein the 1920s.^[2]

Her musical career was cut short when she met the wealthy and much olderMaurice Roche, 4th Baron Fermoy.They married on 17 September 1931 at St. Devenick's Church inBieldside,Aberdeenshire.Lord and Lady Fermoy had three children, includingFrances,who would become the mother ofDiana, Princess of Wales.

Lady Fermoy did play the piano in public occasionally after her marriage, most notably withJosef Kripsat theRoyal Albert Hallin 1950, and withSir John Barbirolliand theHallé OrchestraatKing's Lynnin 1966.^[3]She founded the King's Lynn Festival in 1951 and remained closely involved with the Festival for 25 years, persuading Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother to become its patron.^[4]She was appointed anOfficer of the Order of the British Empire(OBE) in January 1952 for her services as Chairman of the King's Lynn Arts Festival Society.^[5]

In 1956, the Queen Mother appointed Lady Fermoy anExtra Woman of the Bedchamber.The Queen Mother, being a widow herself, showed a preference for appointing widows to her household, and four years later Lady Fermoy was promoted to Woman of the Bedchamber, a post she held for the next 33 years.^[6]She was appointed aCommander of the Royal Victorian Orderin June 1966,^[7]and aDame Commander of the Royal Victorian Orderin June 1979.^[8]

Lady Fermoy was a firm believer in the sanctity of marriage. In 1969, her daughter Frances andJohn Spencer, Viscount Althorp,divorced after Frances left her husband forPeter Shand Kydd.Lady Fermoy testified against her daughter, which allowed Viscount Althorp to retain custody of their children.^[2]

The Queen Mother and Lady Fermoy became confidantes, and it was assumed by many that the two women engineered the match between their grandchildren,Charles, Prince of Walesand Lady Diana Spencer. However, when asked about it, Lady Fermoy remarked: "You can say that if you like – but it simply wouldn't be true".^[9]She was also said to have counselled her granddaughter against the marriage, saying: "Darling, you must understand that their sense of humour and their lifestyle are different, and I don't think it will suit you."^[10]

Lady Fermoy died at her home at 36Eaton Square,London,on 6 July 1993,^[11]aged 84.^[12]It was reported that she was not on speaking terms with Diana when she died.^[2]

Ancestry[edit]

Lady Fermoy's great-grandmother, Kitty Forbes, was the daughter of Eliza Kewark. Eliza's father, Hakob Kevork or Kevorkian, wasArmenian;herIndianmother was probablyMuslim.^[13]She is variously described in contemporary documents as "a dark-skinned native woman" and "anArmenianwoman fromBombay".^[1]^[14]^[15]^[16]

Popular culture[edit]

Lady Fermoy was portrayed byGeorgie Glenin the fourth season ofThe Crown.

References[edit]

^^a ^bWilliamson, DThe Ancestry of Lady Diana SpencerIn:Genealogist’s Magazine,1981; vol. 20 (no. 6) pp. 192–199 and vol. 20 (no. 8) pp. 281–282
^^a ^b ^cThe Times (London),Thursday, 8 July 1993; p. 4 col. D and p. 19 col. A
^Vickers, Hugo (2006).Elizabeth: The Queen Mother.Arrow Books/Random House. p. 337.ISBN 978-0-09-947662-7.
^History of the King's Lynn Festival Archived18 May 2011 at theWayback Machine
^"No. 39421".The London Gazette(Supplement). 28 December 1951. p. 13.
^Mosley, C (ed.)Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 107th edition(Burke's Peerage and Gentry LLC, 2004) vol. I p. 1414
^"No. 44004".The London Gazette(Supplement). 3 June 1966. p. 6533.
^"No. 47869".The London Gazette(Supplement). 15 June 1979. p. 3.
^The Associated Press,7 July 1993
^Morton, Andrew,Diana: Her True Story(BCA, 1992) p. 55
^Who's Who,1980 (Adam and Charles Black, London) p. 837
^"The Dowager Lady Fermoy; Diana's Grandmother, 84".The New York Times.8 July 1993.Retrieved9 June2013.
^"On the elusive trail of Eliza Kewark".The Telegraph (Calcutta).21 June 2013.Retrieved20 January2014.
^Brown, David (14 June 2013)."Revealed: the Indian ancestry of William".The Times.p. 1.
^Sinha, Kounteya (16 June 2013)."Hunt on for Prince William's distant cousins in Surat".The Times of India.Archivedfrom the original on 19 March 2015.Retrieved11 August2013.
^Hern, Alex (14 June 2013)."Are there ethical lapses in the Times' story on William's 'Indian ancestry'?".New Statesman.Archivedfrom the original on 20 August 2013.Retrieved11 August2013.Although Eliza Kewark was indeed thought of as Armenian, it's not particularly surprising that she would have had Indian ancestors; the Armenian diaspora had been in India for centuries at the time of her birth, and even the most insular communities tend to experience genetic mixing over in that timescale.

[williamson-1] Williamson, DThe Ancestry of Lady Diana SpencerIn:Genealogist’s Magazine,1981; vol. 20 (no. 6) pp. 192–199 and vol. 20 (no. 8) pp. 281–282

[times-2] The Times (London),Thursday, 8 July 1993; p. 4 col. D and p. 19 col. A

[3] Vickers, Hugo (2006).Elizabeth: The Queen Mother.Arrow Books/Random House. p. 337.ISBN 978-0-09-947662-7.

[4] History of the King's Lynn Festival Archived18 May 2011 at theWayback Machine

[5] "No. 39421".The London Gazette(Supplement). 28 December 1951. p. 13.

[6] Mosley, C (ed.)Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 107th edition(Burke's Peerage and Gentry LLC, 2004) vol. I p. 1414

[7] "No. 44004".The London Gazette(Supplement). 3 June 1966. p. 6533.

[8] "No. 47869".The London Gazette(Supplement). 15 June 1979. p. 3.

[9] The Associated Press,7 July 1993

[10] Morton, Andrew,Diana: Her True Story(BCA, 1992) p. 55

[11] Who's Who,1980 (Adam and Charles Black, London) p. 837

[12] "The Dowager Lady Fermoy; Diana's Grandmother, 84".The New York Times.8 July 1993.Retrieved9 June2013.

[13] "On the elusive trail of Eliza Kewark".The Telegraph (Calcutta).21 June 2013.Retrieved20 January2014.

[14] Brown, David (14 June 2013)."Revealed: the Indian ancestry of William".The Times.p. 1.

[15] Sinha, Kounteya (16 June 2013)."Hunt on for Prince William's distant cousins in Surat".The Times of India.Archivedfrom the original on 19 March 2015.Retrieved11 August2013.

[16] Hern, Alex (14 June 2013)."Are there ethical lapses in the Times' story on William's 'Indian ancestry'?".New Statesman.Archivedfrom the original on 20 August 2013.Retrieved11 August2013.Although Eliza Kewark was indeed thought of as Armenian, it's not particularly surprising that she would have had Indian ancestors; the Armenian diaspora had been in India for centuries at the time of her birth, and even the most insular communities tend to experience genetic mixing over in that timescale.

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