Anne Murray, Duchess of Atholl

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Anne Murray, Duchess of Atholl, 1860.  source: Royal Collection Trust RCIN 2910738

Anne Murray, Duchess of Atholl served as Mistress of the Robes to Queen Victoria from 1852 to 1853, and then as a Lady of the Bedchamber from 1854 until she died in 1897. She also served as Acting Mistress of the Robes, along with the Duchess of Roxburghe, from August 1892 to July 1895.  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 Anne Home-Drummond at the family home on Princes Street in Edinburgh, Scotland on June 17, 1814, she was the only daughter of Henry Home-Drummond and Christian Moray of Abercairney.

Anne had two brothers:

  • George Stirling Home-Drummond (1813-1876) – married (1) Mary Hay, no issue; (2) Kalitza Hay, no issue
  • Charles Stirling-Home-Drummond-Moray (1816-1900) – married Lady Anne Douglas, had issue

George Murray, 6th Duke of Atholl; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 29, 1839 in Blair Drummond, Anne married George Murray, 2nd Baron Glenlyon, the son of James Murray, 1st Baron Glenlyon (son of the 4th Duke of Atholl) and Lady Emily Frances Percy (daughter of the 2nd Duke of Northumberland). Her husband would later succeed his uncle as the 6th Duke of Atholl. Anne and George had one son:

Blair Castle. photo: By © Guillaume Piolle /, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7565974

The new Baroness Glenlyon and her husband made their home at Blair Castle in Blair Atholl, Perthshire, Scotland where, in 1839, her husband formed a regiment called the Atholl Highlanders. The regiment escorted Queen Victoria during her tour of Perthshire in 1842, and mounted the guard when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert stayed at Blair Castle for several weeks in 1844. In recognition of their service, Queen Victoria decreed that she would present the regiment with colours, thus giving them official status. Lady Glenlyon presented the colours to them on The Queen’s behalf in 1845.

Anne became Duchess of Atholl in 1846 upon her husband’s accession to the dukedom. They preferred to use the alternative spelling of ‘Athole’. In 1852, she was appointed Mistress of the Robes when the Earl of Derby and the Conservative party came to power. Derby’s government was short-lived, and Anne served for less than a year. She was then appointed a Lady of the Bedchamber, and served in that role for nearly 45 years, becoming a close friend of The Queen. Back at home, she founded the Duchess of Atholl Girls’ School in Dunkeld in 1853.

The Dowager Duchess of Atholl (seated to the left) photographed at Balmoral in May 1868, along with Prince Arthur and Prince Leopold, and several members of The Queen’s Household. source: Royal Collection Trust RCIN 2901892

Anne was in-waiting in December 1861 when Prince Albert died at Windsor Castle. Upon his death, Queen Victoria is reported to have come out of his room and said to Anne, “Oh Duchess, he is dead.” The Duchess was widowed three years later but continued serving as one of the Queen’s Ladies of the Bedchamber for the rest of her life.

The Dowager Duchess of Atholl, 1876. Hand-painting photograph by Alexander Bassano. source: Royal Collection Trust RCIN 2914324 

When Gladstone returned to power in 1892, no one would accept the position of Mistress of the Robes, due to the Prime Minister’s policy of Home Rule for Ireland. While the position remained vacant for several years, Anne and the Duchess of Roxburghe, performed the duties of the role. Several years later, at the age of 83, the Dowager Duchess of Atholl died in Dunkeld, Scotland on May 22, 1897. She is buried alongside her husband in the family’s cemetery beside the ruins of St. Bride’s Church in Old Blair, a village adjacent to Blair Castle.

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

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