Ruth Roche, Baroness Fermoy

Ruth Roche, Baroness Fermoy
Born Ruth Sylvia Gill
2 October 1908(1908-10-02)
Bieldside, Aberdeenshire
Died 6 July 1993(1993-07-06) (aged 84)
36 Eaton Square, London
Nationality British
Education Paris Conservatoire
Occupation Extra Woman of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
Known for Maternal grandmother of Diana, Princess of Wales
Spouse Edmund Roche, 4th Baron Fermoy
Children Mary Cynthia Roche (b.1934)
Frances Shand Kydd (1936–2004)
Edmund Roche, 5th Baron Fermoy (1939–1984)

Ruth Roche, Baroness Fermoy, DCVO, OBE, (2 October 1908 – 6 July 1993) was a friend and confidante of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the maternal grandmother of Lady Diana Spencer, later Princess of Wales.

Lady Fermoy was born Ruth Sylvia Gill at her father's house, Dalhebity, Bieldside, Aberdeenshire, the daughter of Colonel William Smith Gill and his wife Ruth (the daughter of David Littlejohn).[1] She showed early promise as a pianist and studied under Alfred Cortot at the Paris Conservatoire in the 1920s.[2] Her musical career was cut short when she met, and later married in 1931, the wealthy and much older Edmund Roche, 4th Baron Fermoy. They had three children which included her younger daughter, Frances. Lady Fermoy did play the piano in public occasionally after her marriage, most notably with Josef Krips at the Royal Albert Hall in 1950, and with Sir John Barbirolli and the Hallé Orchestra at King's Lynn in 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]

In 1956, the Queen Mother appointed Lady Fermoy an Extra Woman of the Bedchamber. The Queen Mother, being a widow herself, showed a preference for appointing widows to her household, and four years later Ruth, Lady Fermoy, was promoted to Woman of the Bedchamber, a post she held for the next 33 years.[5] The Queen Mother and Lady Fermoy became confidantes and it was largely supposed that they engineered the match between Charles, Prince of Wales, and 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".[6] It was also said that she 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."[7] Lady Fermoy was a firm believer in the sanctity of marriage. In 1969, her daughter Frances and John Spencer, Viscount Althorp, were divorced. Lady Fermoy testified against Frances, allowing Lord Spencer to retain custody of his children.[2]

Lady Fermoy died at her home, 36 Eaton Square, London,[8] aged 84. It was reported that she was not on speaking terms with Diana when she died.[2]

References

  1. ^ Williamson, D The Ancestry of Lady Diana Spencer In: Genealogist’s Magazine, 1981; vol. 20 (no. 6) pp. 192–199 and vol. 20 (no. 8) pp. 281–282
  2. ^ a b c 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 9780099476627. 
  4. ^ History of the King's Lynn Festival
  5. ^ Mosley, C (ed.) Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 107th edition (Burke's Peerage and Gentry LLC, 2004) vol. I p. 1414
  6. ^ The Associated Press, 7 July 1993
  7. ^ Morton, Andrew, Diana: Her True Story (BCA, 1992) p. 55
  8. ^ Who's Who, 1980 (Adam and Charles Black, London) p. 837