He was a member of the Royal Family for more than thirty years and inspired one of Queen Victoria’s most famous replies: “We are not amused.”
Now two of the uniforms worn by the Honorable Alexander Grantham Yorke when he was equerry and groomsman at Buckingham Palace, will be auctioned by Dreweatts in London on October 16.
Born in 1847, Alick graduated with an MA from Oriel College, Oxford, and entered the Household in 1874, aged 27, as equerry to Queen Victoria’s eighth child and youngest son, Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany. .
He became the Queen’s groom-in-waiting in 1884 and, after her death in 1901, took on the role of additional groom-in-waiting for her eldest son, Edward VII.
He continued to work for the royal family until the king’s death in 1910, but died the following year at the age of 63 in Palermo, Sicily. He was buried in Hamble-le-Rice, Hampshire.
The Honorable Alexander Grantham Yorke – known to all as ‘Alick’ – was Queen Victoria’s lady-in-waiting and equerry to her son Prince Leopold, the Duke of Albany
Queen Victoria reigned for 63 years, until her death in 1901. She was not amused by Alick’s story at dinner, and her cutting response became her most famous quote
The first uniform, lot 390, dates from when Yorke was an Equerry to Prince Leopold and consists of a scarlet tunic with blue facings and gold embroidery; blue trousers with gold lace; a blue frock coat with mourning bands; and an overcoat
The other uniform, lot 388, dates from when he was a groom to Edward VII and bears the king’s code on the buttons of the skirt.
Also included in the lot are three cocked hats with different loops and buttons; a braided sword knot; and a uniform trunk. It is estimated between €500 and €800
“He was present at one of the Queen’s dinners at Windsor Castle, and at one point he turned to his German neighbor and told him a somewhat risqué story,” the catalog said.
‘The German, who was apparently easily satisfied, burst into almost hysterical laughter and began to clutch his sides in wanton appreciation.
The Queen then asked to hear the story and, after Yorke reluctantly repeated it, gave her historic response: ‘We are not amused.’
The two uniforms are among more than 400 lots going under the hammer at Dreweatts in an auction entitled: Collecting Arcadia: The Collections from Gatewick and Trethill House.
The historic country house was purchased in 1953 by one of his descendants, lawyer and JP David Yorke, following his marriage to Anne Mackail, great-granddaughter of the famous Pre-Raphaelite artist Sir Edward Burne-Jones.
The Grade II listed house in Steyning, West Sussex, set in 1.5 acres, went on the market earlier this year for £2.95 million and has since sold.
The first uniform, lot 390, dates from when Yorke was an Equerry to Prince Leopold and consists of a scarlet tunic with blue facings and gold embroidery; blue trousers with gold lace; a blue frock coat with mourning bands; and an overcoat.
A Vanity Fair Spy cartoon image of ‘Alick’ from 1881. He continued to work for the royal family until the king’s death in 1910, dying the following year in Palermo, Sicily
The historic Gatewick House was purchased in 1953 by one of Alick’s descendants, barrister and JP David Yorke, following his marriage to Anne Mackail, great-granddaughter of the famous Pre-Raphaelite artist Sir Edward Burne-Jones.
The Grade II listed house in Steyning, West Sussex, set in 15 acres, went on the market earlier this year for £2.95 million.
It comes with a stitch hat with gold embroidered loop; a crimson and gold dress sash; a waist belt and sling; a few copper traces; and two uniform trunks, one labeled Manning & Co, London. It is estimated that it will fetch between 400 and 600 euros.
The other uniform, lot 388, dates from when he was a groom to Edward VII and bears the king’s code on the buttons of the tailcoat.
The lot includes a blue full dress coat with red trim and gold embroidery; a blue undressing coat with red borders and gold embroidery; the black Edwardian evening dress skirt with ER VIl buttons; and white riding breeches.
Also included in the lot are three cocked hats with different loops and buttons; a braided sword knot; and a uniform trunk. It is estimated between €500 and €800.
Other lots include works by 18th-century Scottish artist Allan Ramsay, painter to King George III, and 18th-century Italian artist Michelangelo Maestri.