by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Louisa McDonnell, Countess of Antrim

Louisa McDonnell, Countess of Antrim, was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria from 1890 until 1901, and briefly served as Acting Mistress of the Robes in 1894. 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 Louisa Jane Grey at St. James’s Palace in London, England on February 15, 1855, she was the daughter of The Honorable Charles Grey and Caroline Farquhar. Louisa had five siblings:

• Lady Sybil Grey (1848-1871) – married William Beauclerk, 10th Duke of St Albans, had issue
• Charles Grey (1850-1855) – died in childhood
• Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey (1851-1917) – married Alice Holford, had issue
• Lady Victoria Grey (1853-1922) – married the Hon. Lewis Dawnay, had issue
• Lady Mary Caroline Grey (1858-1940) – married Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto, had issue

Louisa’s early life was spent very close to the royal circles, as her father served as Private Secretary to Prince Albert from 1849 until the Prince’s death in 1861, and then as Private Secretary to Queen Victoria until his own death in 1870. The family had apartments at St. James’s Palace in London and lived in the Norman Tower at Windsor Castle and Osborne Cottage on the grounds of Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, where Louisa grew up as a playmate to several of Queen Victoria’s children. Following her father’s death, her mother became an Extra Woman of the Bedchamber to The Queen and was given permission to retain the family’s apartments at St. James’s Palace. She served until her death in 1890.

Royal and government service was very common in the Grey family. Her grandfather, the 2nd Earl Grey, served as Prime Minister from 1830-1834. Her sister Mary’s husband, the 4th Earl of Minto, served as Governor-General of Canada from 1898-1904, and then Viceroy of India from 1905-1910. Her brother, the 4th Earl Grey, served as Governor-General of Canada from 1904-1911.

Her father’s sister, Lady Caroline Barrington, served as a Woman of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria from 1837-1875, as well as Lady Superintendent (governess) to The Queen’s daughters. And her cousin, Mary Bulteel, served as a Maid of Honour to Queen Victoria from 1853-1861, before marrying Sir Henry Ponsonby, who succeeded Louisa’s father as Private Secretary to Queen Victoria in 1870, serving until 1895, and also served as Keeper of the Privy Purse from 1870-1895. Another cousin, Alice, Countess of Morton, later served as an Extra Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Alexandra, from 1901-1907.

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In the Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace on June 1, 1875, Louisa married William McDonnell, 6th Earl of Antrim. He was the son of Capt. Mark McDonnell, 5th Earl of Antrim and Jane Macan. They had met at a house party in Scotland just months earlier and were quickly engaged. Louisa and William had three children:

• Lady Sybil McDonnell (1876-1959) – married Vivian Smith, 1st Baron Bicester, had issue
• Randal McDonnell, 7th Earl of Antrim (1878-1931) – married Margaret Talbot, had issue
• Angus McDonnell (1881-1966) – married Ethelwyn Jones, no issue

In September 1890, Louisa received a letter from The Duchess of Buccleuch asking her to consider becoming a Lady of the Bedchamber. After initially declining, she ended up accepting the offer days later and received her formal invitation from Queen Victoria in early October. Due to her mother’s death the following month, and an appropriate period of mourning, Louisa began her service in March 1891. Having grown up in royal circles, Louisa was quickly able to settle into her position. So impressed was The Queen that she assigned Louisa to be the lady-in-waiting for the Empress of Germany during a State Visit from the Emperor and Empress in July 1891.

Louisa briefly served as Acting Mistress of the Robes, when she accompanied Queen Victoria to Coburg in April 1894 for the wedding of the Queen’s grandchildren – Ernst Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The position of Mistress had been vacant for several years, as no one would accept the position due to Prime Minister Gladstone’s policy of Home Rule in Ireland. The Dowager Duchess of Atholl and the Duchess of Roxburghe fulfilled the duties during this time, but it was Louisa who was chosen for the trip to Coburg.

Louisa was often chosen to accompany The Queen on her annual holiday in the south of France and joined her on her last foreign trip – to Ireland in 1900. Louisa last saw Queen Victoria in December 1900, taking her final drive with the Queen on December 6th. Later that month, she sailed to Canada to visit her sister and brother-in-law, the Earl and Countess of Minto. It was while in Canada that they received news that Queen Victoria had died. She was unable to return to Britain for the funeral but attended a memorial service at Christ Church Cathedral in Ottawa.

Upon returning home, Louisa received a letter from the new Queen Alexandra, asking her to stay on as a Lady of the Bedchamber. She went on to serve the new Queen until the death of King Edward VII in 1910. During this time, she accompanied The Queen on several foreign trips, and during a State Visit from the King of Portugal in 1904, Louisa struck up a friendship with Queen Amelie of Portugal which would last the rest of her life.

Having grown up in royal circles, Louisa also maintained close friendships with several members of the royal family. Her correspondence shows a close relationship with Princess Beatrice, and in later years she became good friends with Princess Helena Victoria (daughter of Princess Helena) and Princess Victoria (daughter of King Edward VII).

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After retiring from royal service, Louisa still kept in touch with many of her royal friends and occasionally went on holiday with Princess Victoria. She was widowed in 1918, and in later years moved next door to her sister, Lady Minto, in Chelsea Park Gardens. The Dowager Countess of Antrim died on April 2, 1949 at the age of 94. She is buried in the Antrim family graveyard at Glenarm Castle in Glenarm, Northern Ireland.

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Recommended Books

• Louisa, Lady in Waiting: The personal diaries and albums of Louisa, Lady in Waiting to Queen Victoria and Queen Alexandra compiled and edited by Elizabeth Longwood
• Serving Queen Victoria: Life in the Royal Household by Kate Hubbard