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He was a member of the Royal Household for more than three decades and inspired one of Queen Victoria’s most famous retorts: ‘We are not amused.’
Now two of the uniforms worn by the Honourable Alexander Grantham Yorke when he was a Buckingham Palace equerry and groom-in-waiting are being auctioned by Dreweatts in London on October 16.
Born in 1847, Alick, as he was known, graduated with an MA from Oxford’s Oriel College and joined the Household in 1874, at the age of 27, as an equerry to Queen Victoria’s eighth child and youngest son, Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany.
He became a groom-in-waiting to the Queen in 1884 and, after her death in 1901, took up the post of an extra groom-in-waiting to her eldest son, Edward VII.
He remained working for the Royal Family until the King’s death in 1910, but died the following year in Palermo, Sicily, at the age of 63. He was buried in Hamble-le-Rice, Hampshire.
The Honourable Alexander Grantham Yorke – known to all as ‘Alick’ – was groom-in-waiting to Queen Victoria and equerry to her son Prince Leopold, the Duke of Albany
Queen Victoria reigned for 63 years, until her death in 1901 – she wasn’t amused by Alick’s story at dinner, and her cutting retort became her most famous quote
The first uniform, lot 390, dates from the time Yorke was an Equerry to Prince Leopold and comprises a scarlet tunic with blue facings and gold embroidery; blue trousers with gold lace; a blue frock coat with mourning bands; and a greatcoat
The other uniform, lot 388, is from the era when he was a groom-in-waiting to Edward VII and bears the King’s cypher on the tailcoat buttons
Also in the lot are three cocked hats with varying loops and buttons; a braided sword knot; and one uniform trunk. It carries an estimate of £500 to £800
‘He was attending one of the Queen’s dinner parties at Windsor Castle, and at one point turned to his German neighbour and told him a slightly risque story,’ the catalogue states.
‘The German, who evidently was pleased easily, burst into near hysterical laughter and began to clutch his sides in riotous appreciation.
‘The Queen then asked to hear the story and, after Yorke had reluctantly repeated it, she delivered her historic risposte: “We are not amused.”’
The two uniforms are among more than 400 lots going under the hammer at Dreweatts in a sale entitled: Collecting Arcadia: The Collections from Gatewick and Trethill House.
The historic manor house was purchased in 1953 by one of his descendants, lawyer and JP David Yorke, after his marriage to Anne Mackail, great-granddaughter of the renowned Pre-Raphaelite artist Sir Edward Burne-Jones.
The Grade II listed house, in Steyning, West Sussex, which is set in 6.5 acre-grounds, went on the market earlier this year for £2.95 million and has since sold.
The first uniform, lot 390, dates from the time Yorke was an Equerry to Prince Leopold and comprises a scarlet tunic with blue facings and gold embroidery; blue trousers with gold lace; a blue frock coat with mourning bands; and a greatcoat.
A Vanity Fair Spy cartoon image of ‘Alick’ from 1881. He remained working for the Royal Family until the King’s death in 1910, and died the following year in Palermo, Sicily
The historic Gatewick House was purchased in 1953 by one of Alick’s descendants, lawyer and JP David Yorke, after his marriage to Anne Mackail, great-granddaughter of the renowned Pre-Raphaelite artist, Sir Edward Burne-Jones
The Grade II listed house, in Steyning, West Sussex, which is set in 6.5 acre-grounds, went on the market earlier this year for £2.95 million
It comes with a cocked hat with gold embroidered loop; a crimson and gold dress sash; a dress waist belt and sling; a pair of brass spurs; and two uniform trunks, one labelled for Manning & Co, London. It is estimated to raise £400 to £600.
The other uniform, lot 388, is from the era when he was a groom-in-waiting to Edward VII and bears the King’s cypher on the tailcoat buttons.
The lot includes a blue full-dress coat with red facings and gold embroidery; a blue undress coat with red facings and gold embroidery; the black Edwardian evening dress tailcoat with ER VIl buttons; and a pair of white breeches.
Also in the lot are three cocked hats with varying loops and buttons; a braided sword knot; and one uniform trunk. It carries an estimate of £500 to £800.
Other lots include works by the 18th century Scottish artist Allan Ramsay, who was a painter to King George III, and the 18th century Italian artist Michelangelo Maestri.
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