Francis Knollys, 1st Viscount Knollys


Francis Knollys, 1st Viscount Knollys, was a British courtier. He served as Private Secretary to the Sovereign from 1901 to 1913.

Background and education

Knollys was the son of Sir William Thomas Knollys, of Blount's Court at Rotherfield Peppard in Oxfordshire, and was educated in Guernsey. He entered the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, in 1851, and was commissioned into the 23rd Foot as an ensign in 1854.

Career

In the following year, however, Knollys joined the Department of the Commissioners of Audit as a junior examiner. In 1862, he became Secretary to the Treasurer to the Prince of Wales. In 1870, he was appointed Private Secretary to the Prince of Wales, an office he held until the Prince, Edward, became King in 1901. He was also Groom-in-Waiting to the Prince of Wales 1886-1901. Knollys then became Private Secretary to the Sovereign, an office he filled until 1913. He was known for his loyalty and discretion in this role. He was also Gentleman Usher to Queen Victoria 1868-1901, and a Lord-in-waiting to Queen Mary 1910-1924.

Personal life

Lord Knollys died in August 1924, aged 87. His titles were inherited by his son, Edward George William Tyrwhitt Knollys, 2nd Viscount Knollys.

Honours

Knollys was created a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1876, and promoted to Knight Commander in 1897 and to Knight Grand Cross in 1908. He was also made a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order in 1901, a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1886, and awarded the Imperial Service Order in 1903. In the 1902 Coronation Honours list, it was announced he would receive a barony, and he was raised to the peerage as Baron Knollys, of Caversham in the County of Oxford, on 15 July 1902. He took the oath and his seat in the House of Lords the following month, on 7 August. He became a Privy Councillor in 1910, and in 1911 he was further honoured when he was made Viscount Knollys, of Caversham in the County of Oxford.