Dame Frances Olivia Campbell-Preston, DCVO 1918-2022

Dame Frances Campbell-Preston, DCVO, who died 22 November, 2022, aged 104, was a long serving member of the Household of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. She was a Woman of the Bedchamber (that's a Lady in Waiting) to Her Majesty for 37 years, from her appointment to the Clarence House staff in 1965 until the Queen Mother's death in 2002.

She was appointed CVO in 1977, and advanced to DCVO in 1990.

She was born 2 September, 1918, as Frances Olivia Grenfell, scion of that landed gentry family, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Morton Grenfell, DSO (1873-1958), and his second wife the former Hilda Margaret Lyttelton (1886-1972), scion of the Barons Lyttelton. Her older half-brother, Reggie (1903-93), was married to Joyce Irene Phipps (1910-79), the comic actress Joyce Grenfell.

Frances Grenfell married 2 December, 1938, Lieutenant-Colonel George Patrick Campbell-Preston, MBE, DL (1911-60), late the Black Watch, scion of that Scottish landed gentry family, 2nd son of Colonel Robert William Pigott Clarke Campbell-Preston, 11th of Ardchattan (1865-1929), and his wife the former Mary Augusta Margaret Nicol Thorne (1884-1930).

Dame Frances leaves issue, two sons, Robert (born 1948), and Colin (born 1958), and two daughters, Mary Anne (born 1940), wife of Alastair Lorne Campbell of Airds, who died a few weeks ago, and Helen (born 1955).

Only a few weeks ago Dame Frances featured in an article in the Oldie magazine where she spoke of her time at Clarence House in the service of the late Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.

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