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Sadly, your ex-personal secretary has departed from this world. - Ex-private secretary of her has passed away.
Dipping his toes in politics and royalty, Sir Christopher Airy served as a private secretary to none other than Princess Diana and King Charles III before his recent passing at the age of 91. According to the Daily Mail, the man who might have known the Palace's darkest secrets breathed his last on April 7.
From Soldier to Courtier
Taking the military oath in 1954, Airy climbed the ranks to become Major General of the Household Division and General Officer Commanding of the London District. In 1986, he was knighted as Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order and previously received the Order of the British Empire[1].
With a familiar face in the Brit royal family, Airy was appointed as private secretary to Charles, Prince of Wales, and the future Queen Diana. The announcement came at the end of 1989, but it seems Sir Christopher wasn't quite cut out for the role.
The Man Lost at Sea
Affectionately referred to as "completely unsuitable" and "completely from another planet", Airy found himself buttering his bread on both sides in the Royal Household. The Palace, seething with tension, was as foreign a territory to him as Pluto would be to Venus[3].
A contemporary account describes his struggles dealing with Charles' growing interest in charities. Airy was lost in translation, with the vast symbolism of "charitable, voluntary, and state" stuff making him cringe in disbelief[1]. The man who led troops on the battlefield seemed ill-equipped to handle the capital's growing labyrinth of philanthropic undertakings.
Resignation and the Royal Divide
In the face of adversity, Airy held on for barely a year before announcing his resignation in May 1991. The following year, Charles and Diana announced their separation, and the winds of change blew chillily through the ivy-covered walls of the Palace. In 1996, their union came to an end with a bitter divorce. Just a year later, the world watched in shock as thespotlight-hunting Diana was caught in the spotlight one last time - this time, during a fatal car crash in Paris[1].
- King Charles III
- Princess Diana
- Royal Family
- Divorce
- Private Secretary
- Charity
- Military
Enrichment Data:
Sir Christopher Airy: A Glimpse into His Past
Sir Christopher Airy's illustrious career began in the British military, where he gradually rose through the ranks. His appointments included Major General of the Household Division and General Officer Commanding of the London District, ultimately earning him the Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order and the Order of the British Empire[1].
Reasons for Departure:
- Incompatibility: The Royal Household was as foreign a world to Airy as Pluto would be to Venus. He had difficulty understanding the dynamics of the Palace, particularly the growing divide between the staff of Charles and Diana as marital strife escalated[3].
- Lack of Understanding: Airy was caught off-guard by the intricacies of Charles' charitable pursuits, struggling to grasp the differences between various charitable organizations and other interests of Diana[1].
- Personal Unsuitability: Saddled with the role of mediator in a ticking time bomb of a marriage, Airy's inexperience with the demands of being a private secretary to the royal couple left him overwhelmed[1][2].
- Amidst the tumultuous events that surrounded the Royal Family, the role of a private secretary became a challenge for Sir Christopher Airy, who served both King Charles III and Princess Diana during their marriage.
- As celebrities and their lives became increasingly intertwined with the world of entertainment and pop-culture, the Royal Family found itself in a crisis that echoed the intricacies of modern society.
