Countess To Accompany Queen On Visit To U.S.

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28399, 4 October 1957, Page 2

Countess To Accompany Queen On Visit To U.S.

(By SVSAN VAUGHAN I

LONDON. The Countess of Leicester who accompanied the Queen and Prince Philip on their State visit to Portugal last February, has also been included in the suite for this month's Royal visit to the United States and Canada. A daughter of the eighth Earl of Hardwicke, Lady Leicester is in her early forties and has three good-looking daughters. Her eldest daughter, Lady Ann, was one of the maids of honour who bore the Queen’s train at the Coronation. Her husband. Lord Leicester, is an equerry to the Queen and was previously an extra equerry to King George VI. The Leicesters live in one of the stately homes of England. Hoikham Hall in Norfolk. But to help pay for the hall’s upkeep, the countess and her daughters have sold visitors fruit and vegetables off the estate. They have also turned the house laundry into a pottery. It was at Hoikham Hall that Prince Charles stayed for several days this year while he was recuperating from the operation on his tonsils. The 50-roomed house is on the coast, and there is a beach within walking distance. Lady Leicester is one of five Women of the Bedchamber eligible to accompany the Queen on Royal tours. The title of her paid post is archaic; the duties

nowadays are entirely those of a secretary and lady-in-waiting. Each Woman of the Bedchamber takes a fortnight’s tour of duty, during which time she lives and works at Buckingham Palace, attends to some of the Queen's correspondence, and accompanies her to official functions.