Anna Russell, Duchess of Bedford, Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Anna Russell, Duchess of Bedford; Credit – Wikipedia

Anna Russell, Duchess of Bedford was Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria from 1837 until 1841. Ladies of the Bedchamber were always wives of peers. Only one Lady of the Bedchamber was in waiting at a time.  She was always ready to attend to the Queen. The Lady-in-Waiting attended all State occasions and presided over the Household table when the Mistress of the Robes was not in residence.  A Lady of the Bedchamber had two to three waits a year from twelve to thirty days at a time.

Born Anna Maria Stanhope, on September 3, 1783, she was the eldest daughter of Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington and Jane Fleming. Anna had ten siblings:

Anna’s mother had served as a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Charlotte from 1794 until 1818, and her father served as Governor and Constable of Windsor Castle from 1812 until 1829.

Francis Russell, Duke of Bedford; Credit – Wikipedia

On August 8, 1808, at Harrington House in London, Anna married Francis Russell, Marquess of Tavistock (later 7th Duke of Bedford). He was the son of John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford and the Hon. Georgiana Byng. The couple had one son:

Anna was appointed a Lady of the Bedchamber in 1837, one of the first eight women appointed to the position by Queen Victoria. At the time, she was the Marchioness of Tavistock but became Duchess of Bedford upon her husband’s accession to the dukedom in 1839. That same year, Anna played a prominent role in the Flora Hastings scandal. Along with Baroness Lehzen, Anna helped to spread the rumor that Flora was pregnant, and named Sir John Conroy as the father. It was Anna who informed Lord Melbourne of the situation and potential scandal. When the truth became known that Flora was not pregnant, Anna’s reputation, along with those of Baroness Lehzen and Queen Victoria, suffered greatly through several public attacks in the media. But her loyalty to and from Queen Victoria remained strong. In 1840, she represented Queen Victoria, serving as chief mourner at the funeral of Princess Augusta, a daughter of King George III. She ended her service in the Royal Household in 1841.

Belvoir Castle. photo: By Jerry Gunner from Lincoln, UK – Belvoir CastleUploaded by Alaniaris, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18154009

Several years later, while visiting the Duke of Rutland at Belvoir Castle, Anna reportedly began the tradition now known as “Afternoon Tea”. Feeling a bit peckish in the mid-afternoon, she began having tea with cakes or sandwiches and then began inviting friends to join her. Much enjoyed, afternoon tea soon became a staple of the British afternoon.

The Duchess of Bedford died in Belgrave Square, London on July 3, 1857, and is buried in the Bedford Chapel at St. Michael’s Church in Chenies, Buckinghamshire.

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Recommended Book – Serving Queen Victoria: Life in the Royal Household by Kate Hubbard