Social Victorians/People/Keppel

Overview

Alice Keppel, 1890s

Alice Keppel is shown (right) at about 30 years old. She died (at nearly 80) of cirrhosis of the liver. George Keppel was the 3rd son of the Earl of Albemarle. Alice and George Keppel are the great grandparents of Queen Camilla, who was less than a year old when they died. Alice Keppel was one of two last mistresses of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales's, an improvement over Daisy, Countess of Warwick, who was not discreet and who had enemies. Agnes Keyser seems to have begun a relationship with the Prince of Wales about the same time Alice Keppel did — around 1898. (Keyser was not a socialite, and Lamont-Brown says she mothered him in a way he had craved his entire life.)

She was Albert Edward, Prince of Wales's last mistress, following Daisy, Countess of Warwick. Famous for her tact, discretion and social skills, she and Luís de Soveral were friends, and Alex, Princess of Wales, tolerated her and allowed her to visit King Edward VII on his deathbed.

In his account of the "Social and Diplomatic Life" of Edward VII, Gordon Brook-Shepherd describes ways George and Alice Keppel's lives changed after the Prince of Wales's accession to the throne:

For Mrs Keppel, in particular, the accession brought greater problems as well as greater privileges. It was one thing to have an Heir-Apparent for a lover but something quite different when that lover became the ruler of the British Empire. To begin with, even to move in the appropriate style at the King's side cost a great deal more money, / and money was something that neither Edward VII nor the Hon. George Keppel had to spare. Indeed, in an attempt to put extra cash into the Keppel family coffers after Alice had become the mistress of a king, her husband was obliged to go "into trade." Sir Thomas Lipton, the grocer millionaire and yachting friend of King Edward's, found a job for him in his "Buyers' Association" at No. 70–74 Wigmore Street. This, to judge from the firm's stationery on which George Keppel once wrote a business letter to Soveral, sold everything direct to the customer, from groceries, bedding and tobacco, to cartridges and coal. It also advertised "Motor Cars Bought, Sold or Exchanged," and it was about this that Keppel, prompted by his Alice, wrote to the Portuguese Minister:

"Dear Soveral, My wife tells me you contemplate buying a small motor car for use in London. May we offer our services in the matter ...? [sic]

For an earl's son to be a salesman in Edwardian England was bad enough. For the salesman to be the husband of the King's official mistress was an added humiliation. Though George Keppel seems to have taken the whole situation philosophically, there were many in society who condemned him for being so much the mari complaisant. As one distinguished survivor from that Edwardian age, who shall be anonymous, commented: "Had Keppel been put up for membership at some London clubs, the black balls would have come rolling out like caviare."

While her reputation was one of discretion, she was widely known to be the King's mistress and "when it came to visits to the homes of the great and good with the king,"

she was always to be found standing or sitting near her lover in the official photographs for the picture papers of the day. And her "pushy presence", some were to say, was such a constant irritation to Queen Alexandra that it drove her to eschew her husband's company.

According to Lamont-Brown,

Reginald Baliol Brett, 2nd Viscount Esher (1852–1930), royal archivist and intimate of every prime minister from Rosebery to Baldwin, ... believed that she deliberately lied in Society about certain royal happenings to enhance her own reputation.

On 10 March 1932, Thursday, Virginia Woolf wrote in her diary about a lunch with Alice Keppel:

I had lunched with Raymond [Mortimer, critic] to meet Mrs Keppel; a swarthy thick set raddled direct — "My dear", she calls one — old grasper: whose fists had been in the moneybags these 50 years: And she has a flat in the Ritz; old furniture; &c. I like her on the surface of the old courtezan: who has lost all bloom; & acquired a kind of cordiality, humour, directness instead. No sensibilities as far as I could see; no snobberies, immense superficial knowledge, & going to Berlin to hear Hitler speak. Shabby under dress: magnificent furs, great pearls: a Rolls Royce waiting. [sic editorial interpolation]

Acquaintances, Friends and Enemies

Freddie Keppel's Friends

• Luís de Soveral
• Lady Sarah (Spencer-Churchill) Wilson

Freddie Keppel's Sexual Partners Outside Her Marriage

• Ernest Beckett, 2nd Baron Grimthorpe
• Humphrey Sturt, 2nd Baron Alington
• Albert Edward, Prince of Wales

Organizations

• The inner circle of the Prince of Wales and King Edward VII of England after his accession
  • Alexandra, Princess of Wales and Queen Alexandra
  • Luìs, Marquis de Soveral
  • Alice Keppel
• "Committee of Seven"
  1. Alice Keppel ("gradually became chief of the 'Committee of Seven'")
  2. Luìs, Marquis de Soveral
  3. Sir Ernest Cassel
  4. Sir William Esher
  5. Admiral Lord Fisher
  6. Lord Hardinge
  7. Sir Francis Knollys

Timeline

1891 June 1, Alice Edmonstone and George Keppel married.

1893 December 12, Tuesday, Alice and George Keppel took part in tableaux vivants at the Newland Bazaar in Hull. They were in Mrs. Arthur Wilson's party.

1894 July 19, Thursday, the Hon. George and Alice Keppel were guests at the ball following a dinner hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire for the Prince and Princess of Wales and their family.

1895 February 1, Friday, the Hon. George Keppel and Alice Keppel attended the bal poudré at Warwick castle.

1896 April 27, Monday, Alice Keppel gave a box to Lady Angela St Clair Erskine and James Stewart Forbes for their wedding.

1897 June 28, Monday, the Hon. George and Alice Keppel attended the Queen's Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, the last official event of the Diamond Jubilee. They were two of perhaps 5,000 or 6,000 people present.

1897 July 2, Alice and George Keppel attended the Duchess of Devonshire's fancy-dress ball at Devonshire House. Freddie Keppel's brother and sister-in-law, Sir Archibald and Lady Edmonstone, also attended.

1897 July 6, Tuesday, Alice and George Keppel attended a garden party at Devonshire House. No one from Victoria's or the Prince of Wales's family was present, although a number of dignitaries from around the empire were.

1897 July 31, Saturday, Alice and George Keppel may have attended the wedding of Mabel Caroline Wombwell and Henry R. Hohler and the reception afterwards, although their names are not listed. The Morning Post does list a gift from the Keppels' — "white enamel and turquoise sleeve links." The the Prince and Princess of Wales did not attend or send a gift.

1897 November 20, Saturday or so, house parties for Derby horseraces run at Epsom Downs. The Derby Mercury cites the Daily Mail: unlike 10 years ago, "now all the smartest people go, and it is one of the most important meetings, rivalling Doncaster in popularity." The Keppels were guests at the Miller Mundy house party at Shipley Hall: "At Shipley are Sir Charles and Lady Hartopp, Mr. and Mrs. George Keppel, Mrs. de Winton, Lord Athlumney, and Mr. Sturt, among others."

1898, Alice Keppel became the mistress of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales. The article on her in Wikipedia says they met in 1898, but they both were present at the Duchess of Devonshire's ball in 1897, so she likely was presented if not introduced to him; on the other hand, more than 700 people were there.

1899 January 25, Wednesday, the Hon. George Keppel, at least, and perhaps Freddie, was present at the Holderness Hunt Ball.

1899 September 4, Monday, the Hon. George and Mrs. George Keppel were at the house party of Mr. E. W. Meckett, M.P., at Kirkstall Grange that week, held as part of the Doncaster races.

1900 July 27, Friday, Alice Keppel (at least) was present at a dinner party for Albert Edward, Princes of Wales hosted by the Arthur Wilsons. George Keppel's name is not listed.

Costume at the Duchess of Devonshire's 2 July 1897 Fancy-dress Ball

Freddie Keppel — the Hon. Mrs. George Keppel — attended the Duchess of Devonshire's fancy-dress ball dressed as Madame de Polignac. The Hon. George Keppel attended, dressed as King Solomon. Neither appears to have been in the first supper seating, suggesting that her prominence was yet to come. Also, they did not use any of the most notable costumiers (like Mr. Alias) or couturiers (like Mrs. Mason) who sometimes provided the press with information about or perhaps viewings of the costumes.

Duchess of Polignac by Vigee-Le Brun, 1787

The Hon. Mrs. George Keppel

The newspapers commented on the Keppels' costumes, but no portrait of either for this ball survives.

The portrait of Gabrielle, Duchess of Polignac (right), painted by Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun in 1787, shows the duchess at about 30 years old, about what Alice Keppel was at the time of the ball. Vigée Le Brun painted several portraits of Gabrielle around this time, and in them all, Gabrielle appears informally dressed, without jewelry, so the portraits seem more intimate than official. Gabrielle's dress in this portrait is not the original for Keppel's dress — its style is transitional between the stiff fabrics and panniers of the formal court (and the past) and the post-revolutionary empire waists, columnar shape and lightweight fabrics. Ardern Holt's description of Keppel's dress for The Queen (below) bears no relation to what we can see in Le Brun's portrait of Gabrielle, Duchess of Polignac.

Newspaper Reports of Her Costume

Alice Keppel walked in the Louis XV procession led by Daisy, Countess of Warwick, who was dressed as Marie Antoinette.

• She was "very beautiful," and, "as Madame de Polignac, wore a lovely dress of silver cloth embroidered in silver and pink gems and garlands of small roses. The bunched out over dress was of pink and silver brocade lined with apple-green satin."
• She was dressed as Madame de Polignac in the quadrille of the Louis XV and XVI Period.
• "Mrs. George Keppel, as Madame de Polignac, wore a dress of silver cloth embroidered in silver and pink gems and garlands of small roses. The bunched-out over-dress was of pink and silver brocade lined with apple-green satin."
• "Among these [in the Countess of Warwick's Marie Antoinette quadrille] the Honourable Mrs. George Keppell looked very beautiful.... Mrs. George Keppell, as Madame de Polignac, wore a lovely dress of silver cloth embroidered in silver, and pink gems and garlands of small roses. The bunched-out over-dress was of pink and silver brocade lined with apple green satin."
• Ardern Holt's writing for The Queen is typically more trustworthy on fashion and garment construction than other, more traditional news outlets: "Madame de Polignac appeared at the Devonshire House ball in the Louis XV. quadrille, represented by the Hon. Mrs George Keppel, in an old dress of the period, a rose and silver brocade handed down from that century. The pouf paniers [sic] were lined with pale green soft satin, and faced back with wide bands of silver embroidery. The hooped petticoat was of cloth of silver worked in tinsel threads of all shades, forming a design of roses in true lovers' knots extending from the waist to the hem; at the foot it was garlanded with pink pompon [sic] roses, interlaced through the stripes of embroidery, and below this was a quaint pleating of silver lace. The low bodice was finished off with a transparent lace collar sewn with silver. The hair was powdered and dressed very high, with soft curls falling on the neck, surmounted by a pink and green ostrich feather and a small garland of roses. She wore long lace mittens."

Madame de Polignac

Madame de Polignac was Yolande Martine Gabrielle de Polastron (1749–1793), known as Gabrielle. She was a confidante and favorite of Marie Antoinette beginning in 1775, though Gabrielle was unpopular and the queen's affections were variable. One of Madame de Polignac's closest friends was Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. Gabrielle died of cancer in Switzerland, shortly after Marie Antoinette's execution in Paris, having fled France after the storming of the Bastille.

Simeon Solomon's King Solomon, c. 1874

The Hon. George Keppel

George Keppel (who is early in the list of the people attending the ball for the London Morning Post), walked in the "Oriental" procession as King Solomon in the Suite of Men following the two Queens of Sheba (Lady Cynthia Graham and Daisy, Princess of Pless) and was attended by "Messrs. Gordon Wood and Wilfred Wilson."

No photograph of Keppel in his costume from this ball exists. The c. 1874 portrait of King Solomon (right), by Simeon Solomon, is now in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., which received it as a gift in 1995 from William B. O'Neal. O'Neal may have bought it from the Durlacher Brothers, an art gallery founded in London in 1843 by Henry Durlacher and his brother George. After Henry Durlacher's death his sons opened a New York branch. Where George Keppel might have seen this painting — if he ever did — is not clear, because it is not clear how long the Durlacher Brothers owned it or when they exhibited it. In spite of how it looks, this is the entire painting.

Of the many depictions of King Solomon, Simeon Solomon's painting might have been familiar to Keppel or his costumier, and it shows the king wearing a crown, robe and light-colored tunic, like Keppel.

According to the newspaper reports Keppel was dressed as

• "King Solomon. Tunic of white silk with an elaborate border of jewels; turquoise silk robe lined with white, and a jewelled crown."
• "King Solomon. Tunic of white silk with an elaborate border of jewels; turquoise silk robe, lined with white, and a jewelled crown."
• (King Solomon), tunic of white silk, embroidered in gold, with an elaborate border on the bottom of jewels and turquoise; turquoise silk robe lined with white; jewelled headdress."

King Solomon

Stories about King Solomon appear in Jewish, Christian, Islamic and Baháʼí traditions. The Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon with gifts and tested his wisdom, perhaps the characteristic most associated with him. The 9th edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica does not have an article about King Solomon, although he figures in other, historical articles, like the one on Israel.

The 1895 Warwick Bal Poudré

Alice Keppel, 1895?

The Hon. George and Alice Keppel attended the Countess and Earl of Warwick's February 1895 bal poudré at Warwick Castle.

Even though no portrait of Alice in her costume from the 1897 Duchess of Devonshire ball exists, a photograph of her in what may be her costume for at the Warwick ball does. This photograph (right), which has no provenance information, is a low-resolution digital image of a positive rather than a negative, which explains its poor quality. (The Lafayette Negative Archive [http://lafayette.org.uk/] and the Bassano Studio Portrait Collection [https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/about/photographs-collection/bassano-studio-portrait-collection] do not include any portraits of the Keppels.)

According to the Leamington Spa Courier, Alice Keppel was dressed as a "Lady, time Louis XVI." at the Warwick ball and wearing a

Gown of shell pink satin, pointed bodice, with full paniers, of antique brocade of the real deep rose shade known as du Barri sewn with silver thread and bouquets of roses. Full petticoat, of dull creamy-tinted satin, with a deep band round it of silver tissue embroidered with garlands of small leafless roses. The sleeves had long ruffles of old lace. The hair was powdered and dressed elaborately and high, with three rose du Barri feathers in it and a little cap of lace. The shoes were of pink satin, with diamond buckles. (6, 4c)

The description from the Leamington Spa Courier does not match the dress in this photograph in a number of particulars, at least as well as it is possible to analyze the image. The dress in the photograph is not a dress from the 18th century, and it does not appear to have "full paniers," although it may have the late 19th-century version of panniers — a bustle. The neckline, however, makes it look like a costume intended to look like an 18th century dress. The sleeves also have "long ruffles" of lace and, because of the frou-frou, also seem 18th century. Keppel's gloves cover her arm up above the elbow, an oddity that seems to clash with the long ruffles on the sleeves, which would normally emphasize the flesh.

Demographics

• Nationality: British

Residences

• 1 February 1895: 2, Wilton Crescent, London (6, Col. 4c)
• 30 Portman Square

Family

• William Coutts Keppel, 7th Earl of Albemarle (15 April 1832 – 28 August 1894)
• Sophia Mary MacNab (5 July 1832 – 5 April 1917)

1. Lt.-Col. Arnold Allen Cecil Keppel, 8th Earl of Albemarle (1 June 1858 – 12 April 1942)
2. Gertrude Mary Keppel (9 November 1859 – 7 April 1860)
3. Lady Theodora Keppel (11 January 1862 – 30 October 1945)
4. Hon. Sir Derek William George Keppel (7 April 1863 – 26 April 1944)
5. Lady Hilda Mary Keppel (29 August 1864 – 7 October 1955)
6. Lt.-Col. Hon. George Keppel (14 October 1865 – 22 November 1947)
7. Lady Leopoldina Olivia Keppel (14 November 1866 – 9 August 1948)
8. Lady Susan Mary Keppel (5 May 1868 – 26 June 1953)
9. Lady Mary Stuart Keppel (15 May 1869 – 21 September 1906)
10. Lady Florence Cecilia Keppel (24 February 1871 – 30 June 1963)

• Freddie (Alice Frederica) Edmonstone Keppel (29 April 1868 – 11 September 1947)
• George Keppel (14 October 1865 – 22 November 1947)

1. Violet Trefusis (6 June 1894 – 1 March 1970 [Wikipedia says 1972])
2. Sonia Cubitt (24 May 1900 – 16 August 1986)

Also Known As

Freddie Keppel

• Family name: his, Keppel; hers, Edmunstone
• Freddie (Alice Frederica) Edmonstone Keppel
• Alice Keppel: VIAF: 62357923

The Honourable George Keppel

Sir Derek Keppel

Notes and Questions

1. David Cannadine says of courtiers with aristocratic connections and long careers, "Sir Derek Keppel, brother of the eighth Earl of Albermarle, served every sovereign from Queen Victoria to King George VI."
2. The Hon. George Keppel is #39 on the list of people who were present; the Hon. Mrs. George Keppel — Freddie — is #231.
3. Lamont-Brown, Raymond. Alice Keppel and Agnes Keyser: Edward VII's Last Loves. History Press, 2013. Rpt. of Edward VII's Last Loves, Sutton, 2005. Google Books: https://books.google.com/books?id=8LQTDQAAQBAJ.
4. When were the Keppels presented to the Queen?
5. George Keppel was attended by "Messrs. Gordon Wood and Wilfred Wilson."