Charles Beaumont Phipps
Encyclopedia
He was the second son of Henry Phipps, 1st Earl of Mulgrave
Henry Phipps, 1st Earl of Mulgrave
Henry Phipps, 1st Earl of Mulgrave GCB, PC , styled The Honourable Henry Phipps until 1792 and known as The Lord Mulgrave from 1792 to 1812, was a British soldier and politician...
, and was born at the family estate of Mulgrave Castle in 1801. Educated at Harrow
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
, Phipps joined the army by purchasing a commission as an ensign and lieutenant in the Scots Fusilier Guards on 17 August 1820. He ranked as lieutenant and captain by 1 January 1828, when he was made adjutant
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
. In 1832, his brother Constantine, then 2nd Earl of Mulgrave
Constantine Phipps, 1st Marquess of Normanby
Constantine Henry Phipps, 1st Marquess of Normanby KG GCB GCH, PC , styled Viscount Normanby between 1812 and 1831 and known as The Earl of Mulgrave between 1831 and 1838, was a British Whig politician and author...
was appointed Governor of Jamaica, and Charles accompanied him as his private secretary. Mulgrave left the governorship in 1834, and was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was the British King's representative and head of the Irish executive during the Lordship of Ireland , the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
in 1835; Phipps continued with him to act as steward
Steward (office)
A steward is an official who is appointed by the legal ruling monarch to represent him or her in a country, and may have a mandate to govern it in his or her name; in the latter case, it roughly corresponds with the position of governor or deputy...
of his official household. On 25 June 1835, he married Margaret Anne Bathurst (d. 1874). The two had four children, including Harriet Lepel Phipps
Harriet Phipps
Harriet Lepel Phipps, VA was a confidential attendant of Queen Victoria.Harriet was the younger daughter of Sir Charles Beaumont Phipps, a courtier and confidant of the Queen, as Keeper of the Privy Purse...
, a confidential attendant to Queen Victoria. He purchased a commission as captain and lieutenant-colonel on 26 May 1837.
On 1 August 1846, Phipps was appointed an Equerry
Equerry
An equerry , and related to the French word "écuyer" ) is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attendant, usually upon a Sovereign, a member of a Royal Family, or a national...
in Ordinary to Queen Victoria, succeeding Charles George James Arbuthnot
Charles George James Arbuthnot
General Charles George James Arbuthnot, DL was a British general.Arbuthnot was born at sea aboard the frigate Juno and raised at Woodford, Northamptonshire. His father, Charles Arbuthnot, was a prominent Tory politician and confidant of the Duke of Wellington...
, and hereafter was much in the royal household. He was appointed private secretary to Prince Albert on 1 January 1847, and went on half-pay from the Army later that month as a lieutenant-colonel. On October 10, 1849, Phipps replaced George Edward Anson
George Edward Anson
George Edward Anson was a courtier and British politician. He served as Keeper of Her Majesty's Privy Purse, Treasurer of the Household to HRH Prince Albert, Treasurer and Cofferer of the Household of HRH the Prince of Wales, a member of the Council of the Duchy of Lancaster and of the Prince of...
as Keeper of the Privy Purse
Keeper of the Privy Purse
The Keeper of the Privy Purse and Treasurer to the King/Queen is responsible for the financial management of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom....
, Treasurer and Cofferer to the Prince of Wales, and Treasurer to Prince Albert, resigning his post as private secretary.
He was promoted colonel (unattached) in 1851. He received the CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
on 9 September 1853 and retired from the army the following year. In 1858, he received the KCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
. Phipps was much in the confidence of Victoria and Albert, and aided Charles Grey
Charles Grey (British Army officer)
Sir Charles Grey was a British army officer, member of the British House of Commons and political figure in Lower Canada...
in his duties as Private Secretary to the Sovereign
Private Secretary to the Sovereign
The Private Secretary to the Sovereign is the senior operational member of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, as distinct from the Great Officers of the Household. The Private Secretary is the principal channel of communication with Her Majesty's Government and the...
after the death of Albert in 1861. He was appointed Receiver-General of the Duchy of Cornwall
Duchy of Cornwall
The Duchy of Cornwall is one of two royal duchies in England, the other being the Duchy of Lancaster. The eldest son of the reigning British monarch inherits the duchy and title of Duke of Cornwall at the time of his birth, or of his parent's succession to the throne. If the monarch has no son, the...
on 26 May 1862, and was appointed to the Council of the Prince of Wales on 27 January 1863. On 8 February 1864, he received the additional offices of Secretary, Chamberlain and Receiver-General and Keeper of the Signet to the Prince of Wales as Prince and Steward of Scotland. Phipps died of bronchitis
Bronchitis
Acute bronchitis is an inflammation of the large bronchi in the lungs that is usually caused by viruses or bacteria and may last several days or weeks. Characteristic symptoms include cough, sputum production, and shortness of breath and wheezing related to the obstruction of the inflamed airways...
at St James' Palace on 24 February 1866, and was buried in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on 2 March 1866.