| George Keppel 1865 |
MRS. GEORGE KEPPELLINK WITH EDWARDIAN ERAAlice Frederica Keppel was the youngest daughter of Admiral Sir William Edmonstone, Bt. If her charm bewitched the world of rank and fashion of the nineties and early nineteen hundreds, her kindness and consideration for others also endeared her to many in less exalted spheres. With her culture and wit she would perhaps have been equally at home with the great ladies of the Devonshire House set of the eighteenth century, an age that now seems just a little more remote than that in which she shone. She was also outstanding as a connoisseur of the arts, and particularly of Chinese ware, of which she had a fine collection. She married in 1891 Lieutenant-Colonel the Hon. George Keppel, M.V.O., third son of the seventh Earl of Albemarle, and there were two daughters of the marriage. A friend writes:- The passing of Mrs. George Keppel, perhaps more than the death of any of her contemporaries, puts a full stop to an era. Without being strictly beautiful, judged by exacting cannons, she had that indefinable quality compounded of charm, chic, dignity, and vitality which caused more strictly beautiful women to be overlooked when she was present. Perhaps no woman of her generation had a readier wit, a keener sense of the friend above all a greater genius for friendship. Although the peak point of her life was at a period which in many ways witnessed the decline of the aristocratic principle into vanities, Alice Keppel belonged by temperament and birth to a generation when great ladies preserved the facade, entertained magnificently, but without ostentation, could converse realistically in inverted commas instead of employing the language of the pothouse, and submitted to sometimes irksome rules because they oiled the wheels of civilized intercourse. For many years her long intimacy with the Court and her acquaintance with men of eminence in every walk of life gave her an unrivalled knowledge of the dessous des cartes. Discretion was perhaps her long suit, and her great influence was always used to pour oil on troubled waters. Her tact and realism were combined with a kindness of heart which became proverbial and not only made her the least censorious of critics but also found her ever ready to help those under the shadow of misfortune. The adventure in her was ever at the mast-head and her perennial interest in her fellow creatures always enabled her to make new friends among the younger generation. A great friend, a great lady, and a great hostess, her brilliant, gallant, warm-hearted personality will always be a joyful memory to the many who knew and loved her. |