Martin Charteris, Baron Charteris of Amisfield
Lieutenant-Colonel Martin Michael Charles Charteris, Baron Charteris of Amisfield, (7 September 1913 – 23 December 1999) was a British Army officer and courtier of Queen Elizabeth II. Charteris was the longest-serving Assistant Private Secretary to the Sovereign, having served for over 20 years in that position. Later, he became Private Secretary to the Sovereign. Early life and education. Charteris was the second of two sons born to Hugo Francis Charteris, Lord Elcho (1884–1916) and Lady Violet Catherine Manners (died 1971). His paternal grandparents were Hugo Charteris, 11th Earl of Wemyss and Mary Constance  Wyndham, and his maternal grandparents were Henry Manners, 8th Duke of Rutland and Violet Lindsay. His father, a barrister, was killed in action in Egypt in the First World War, and his mother remarried in 1922. His brother, David, succeeded as 12th Earl of Wemyss following the death of their grandfather in 1937. He was educated at Eton and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst and was commissioned in the King's Royal Rifle Corps. He fought in the Middle East during the Second World War, rising to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. On his return, he married the Hon. Mary  Margesson (a daughter of the 1st Viscount Margesson) on 16 December 1944 in Jerusalem and they had three children. He retired from the Army in 1951. Career. In 1950, he was appointed Private Secretary to Princess Elizabeth, who was then Duchess of Edinburgh and heir presumptive to the British throne. From her accession in 1952 until 1972, he served as her Assistant Private Secretary under Sir Michael Adeane. On Adeane's retirement in 1972, he was promoted to Private Secretary. He held this post until his retirement in 1977 and returned to Eton as its Provost. He was granted the  honour of being a Permanent Lord in Waiting. Charteris was noted for his outspoken interview, given to "The Spectator" in 1995, in which he described the Duchess of York as "vulgar", the Prince of Wales as "whiny", and the Queen Mother as "a bit of an ostrich", who "doesn't look at" what she "doesn't want to see". Portrayals. In the first two seasons of the Netflix series "The Crown", Charteris was portrayed by Harry Hadden-Paton. In seasons 3 and 4, the more mature Charteris was played by Charles Edwards. Charteris retired in 1977 as Private Secretary. In  The Crown he was portrayed as holding the office much longer than in reality.