Sir Henry Ponsonby, Private Secretary to Queen Victoria

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

General Sir Henry Ponsonby. source: Royal Collection Trust RCIN 2931062

Sir Henry Ponsonby

Major-General The Right Honourable Sir Henry Ponsonby was Queen Victoria’s Private Secretary from 1870-1895 as well as Keeper of the Privy Purse from 1878-1895.  Queen Victoria did not have an official Private Secretary until she appointed General Charles Grey to the office in 1861. Lord Melbourne informally served as Private Secretary while he was Prime Minister from 1837 – 1840. Prince Albert then informally served as Private Secretary from 1840 until his death in 1861. The official position of Private Secretary came about because it was realized that the monarch was in need of advice and support because the growth of the government had caused the government ministers to have insufficient time to provide daily advice and support. It was traditional for Queen Victoria’s Private Secretaries to be provided with homes at her various residences including apartments in the Norman Tower at Windsor Castle, apartments in St. James’s Palace in London, and Osborne Cottage on the grounds of Osborne House on the Isle of Wight.

The son of Major General Sir Frederick Cavendish Ponsonby and Lady Emily Charlotte Bathurst (a daughter of the 3rd Earl of Bathurst), Henry was born December 10, 1825 in Corfu, Greece, where his father was stationed with the British Army, commanding the troops in the Ionian Islands. He had five siblings:

  • Arthur Ponsonby (1827-1868) – married Catina Dahl
  • Georgina Ponsonby (1829-1895) – unmarried
  • Harriet Ponsonby (1830-1906) – unmarried
  • Selina Ponsonby (1835-1919) – married William Windham Baring
  • Frederick Ponsonby (1837-1894) – unmarried

Henry’s father had served as an Aide-de-Camp to the Prince Regent (later King George IV), and his mother occasionally served as a lady-in-waiting to The Duchess of Cambridge (the former Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel). His paternal aunt was Lady Caroline Lamb (née Ponsonby), the wife of the future Viscount Melbourne, Queen Victoria’s first Prime Minister.

After the death of his father in 1837, Henry’s mother was given apartment #39 at Hampton Court Palace, which spanned over three floors overlooking the West Front and the main entrance to the Palace. Lady Emily remained there until her death in 1877. Later, his brother Arthur served as Chaplain of Hampton Court Palace.

In 1842, at just seventeen, Henry entered the British Army, serving as an Ensign in the 49th Regiment of Foot. In 1844 he transferred to the Grenadier Guards, with whom he would be attached for many years. From 1847-1858, he served as an Aide-de-Camp to Lord Clarendon and Lord St. Germans, successive Lords Lieutenant of Ireland. During this time, he also served during the Crimean Campaigns of 1855-1856, receiving numerous medals and honours for his service. In 1857, Henry was appointed Equerry to Prince Albert, The Prince Consort, beginning his service in the Royal Household which would continue until just months before his death in 1895.

The Honourable Mary Bulteel, August 1854. source: Royal Collection Trust RCIN 2906545

On April 30, 1861, at St. Paul’s Church in Knightsbridge, Henry married The Honourable Mary Elizabeth Bulteel, the daughter of John Crocker Bulteel and Lady Elizabeth Grey. They had known each other for some time, having been in the same social circles, and then through their service in the Royal Household. Mary had served as Maid of Honour to Queen Victoria from 1853-1861, and her maternal grandfather was Sir Charles Grey, Queen Victoria’s Private Secretary from 1861-1870. They were third cousins once removed through their mutual descent from Brabazon Ponsonby, 1st Earl of Bessborough. Henry and Mary had five children:

Frederick “Fritz” Ponsonby. source: Wikipedia

Henry’s son Fritz later played a prominent role in the Royal Household for over 40 years. He was first appointed Equerry to Queen Victoria in 1894, and then also Assistant Keeper of the Privy Purse and Assistant Private Secretary to The Queen in 1897. Following Queen Victoria’s death in 1901, he continued as Assistant Keeper of the Privy Purse and Assistant Private Secretary to King Edward VII until the King’s death in 1910. He then served King George V as Assistant Private Secretary from 1910-1914 and Keeper of the Privy Purse from 1914-1935. In addition, he was named Lieutenant Governor of Windsor Castle from 1928-1935.

In February 1901, Fritz accompanied King Edward VII on a visit to the King’s elder sister (and Fritz’s godmother), the Dowager Empress Friedrich who was dying. The Empress, in a private meeting with Fritz, expressed her fear that her personal letters would fall into her son’s hands and asked Fritz to secretly take them back to England. That evening, two large boxes were delivered to Fritz’s rooms, which he marked as “Books” and “China”, and they were returned to England with the rest of his luggage. He kept the letters safely locked away at his home for over 25 years. In 1928, he edited the letters and they were published as Letters of The Empress Frederick.

Following their marriage, Henry and Mary settled at Windsor, leasing apt no.6 in the Horseshoe Cloister, in the Lower Ward of Windsor Castle. While they had considered finding a home in London, the home at Windsor fit better with their somewhat limited finances. Mary, who was required to leave her post as Maid of Honour, received a dowry from The Queen of £1,000, and Henry received £500 per year as Equerry, in addition to his smaller salary from the Grenadier Guards (which didn’t even cover the costs of the uniforms). Their financial position changed just months later when The Prince Consort died in December 1861. Having depended on his Equerry’s salary, the couple were relieved when The Queen appointed Henry as an Extra Equerry, although at a reduced salary of £300 per year.

A group photo at Osborne, May 1867.  L-R: Mr Welsh; Mr Sahl; Sir John Cowell; Prince Leopold; Mr Legg; The Hon. Miss Macdonald; General Grey; Hon. Mrs Grey; Lady Caledon; Lady Churchill; Col. Henry Ponsonby; Hon. Mrs Ponsonby; Revd Mr Duckworth.  source: Royal Collection Trust RCIN 2901665.

Henry, accompanied by his wife, spent a year in Canada from 1862-1863, commanding a battalion of the Grenadier Guards which was stationed there during the American Civil War. Returning in 1863, he was elevated to Equerry in Ordinary to The Queen. His position put him in waiting for a month at a time, several times throughout the year. The rest of the time, he continued his ‘full time job’ with the Grenadier Guards, by now having reached the rank of Colonel.

On April 8, 1870, Henry was appointed Private Secretary to The Queen, following the death of his wife’s grandfather, Sir Charles Grey. As was traditional for the Sovereign’s Private Secretary, Henry was provided with homes at the Queen’s various residences – apartments in the Norman Tower at Windsor Castle, apartments in St. James’s Palace in London, and Osborne Cottage on the grounds of Osborne House on the Isle of Wight.

The bronze memorial to Sir Henry Ponsonby, in St. Mildred’s Church. photo: © Geoff Allan, Isle of Wight Family History Society

After suffering a stroke several months earlier, Henry formally retired from his positions on May 9, 1895. He was succeeded by Sir Arthur Bigge as Private Secretary, and by Sir Fleetwood Edwards as Keeper of the Privy Purse. Sir Henry Ponsonby died at Osborne Cottage on the Isle of Wight on November 21, 1895, and is buried in the churchyard at St. Mildred’s Church in Whippingham. A memorial to Sir Henry is featured in the North Transept of the church. The memorial, in bronze, was created by Countess Feodora Gleichen, a great-niece of Queen Victoria (her grandmother was Queen Victoria’s sister, Princess Feodora of Leiningen, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.)

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Recommended Books
– Henry & Mary Ponsonby: Life at the Court of Queen Victoria by William M. Kuhn
– Henry Ponsonby, Queen Victoria’s Private Secretary: His Life From His Letters by Arthur Ponsonby
– Serving Queen Victoria: Life in the Royal Household by Kate Hubbard