The British royal family has lost one of its most beloved members. Charles Towneley Strachey O’Hagan, Elizabeth II’s godson, has died aged 79. We tell you more.
The British royal family is in mourning. It has just lost one of its most esteemed members. Lord Charles O’Hagan, the former sovereign’s godson. A tragedy that adds to the series of tragedies experienced by the “firm” since the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Death of Lord Charles O’Hagan: who was he?
The Daily Mail has announced the death of Lord Charles O’Hagan. He died on March 23 in Barnstaple Hospital at the age of 79. According to the British media, he succumbed to a subdural hematoma caused by head trauma.
Lord Charles O’Hagan, real name Charles Towneley Strachey O’Hagan, was the godson of Queen Elizabeth II. Born in 1945, his mother was none other than Lady Mary Sophia Palmer. The latter was Elizabeth II’s lady-in-waiting when she was still a princess, between 1944 and 1947. She remained in her service until 1949, and even attended the birth of Prince Charles. Over the years, she developed a valuable bond with the sovereign, who later became her son’s godmother. Lord Charles O’Hagan served as Page of Honor to Queen Elizabeth II from 1959 to 1962. He is also known for wearing the Queen’s train at the Order of the Garter ceremony in 1960.
Later, he pursued a career in politics like his grandfather, Maurice Towneley-O’Hagan. Lord O’Hagan entered the House of Lords in 1967 and became an independent MEP in 1973, before joining the Conservatives in 1977. A supporter of a united Europe, he campaigned for direct elections to the European Parliament and served until 1994, when he resigned for health and family reasons. He lost his right to sit in the House of Lords in 1999, and made headlines in 2008 when he tried to sell shares to cover his medical expenses.
Lord Charles O’Hagan: who are his children?
Lord Charles O’Hagan has been married three times. In 1967, he married Georgian princess Tamar Bagration-Imeretinsky, with whom he shared his life until 1984. From this union was born his first daughter, Nino, in 1968. In 1985, he married Mary Roose-Francis and became the father of a second little girl, Antonia, born in 1986. Their marriage ended in 1995.
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