19 August 2025
Douglas Girton
Virginia Fortune Ogilvy, Countess of Airlie (1933 - 2024) was a distinguished figure in the British royal household, best remembered as the first American-born Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth II, a role she held with devotion and discretion from 1973 until the Queen’s death in 2022.
This September we are honoured to present selected contents from Lady Airlie’s Scottish and London residences for sale in the forthcoming edition of Five Centuries on 03 September.
Born Virginia Fortune Ryan on 9 February 1933, she was the daughter of John Barry Ryan Jr. and Margaret (Nin) Kahn. Her maternal grandfather was the renowned German-American financier and philanthropist Otto Kahn, a prominent figure in New York society and a leading patron of the arts. Virginia spent her childhood between New York City and Newport, Rhode Island, and was educated at the Brearley School in Manhattan, later attending the James Franklyn School of Professional Arts.
From an early age, Virginia developed a fondness for England. Each year, her mother brought her to London, where they stayed in a flat overlooking St James’s Park. During one such visit, at the age of 16, she met David Ogilvy at a dance at the Savoy Hotel. Three years later, he proposed, and in October 1952 they were married at St Margaret’s, Westminster, in a grand ceremony attended by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret.
At the turn of the 18th century, London hosted a thriving community of foreign craftsmen, many of whom came from Holland, drawn in part by the presence of Dutch William on the English throne. Others arrived from France after the 1685 revocation of the Edict of Nantes, which led many Huguenot artisans to seek refuge in England. Given these circumstances, it is plausible that this piece was decorated by a European artisan in a workshop dedicated to finishing techniques.
David Ogilvy came from a distinguished Scottish family with close ties to the monarchy. On succeeding as 13th Earl of Airlie in 1968, he and Virginia divided their time between their home in Chelsea and the family’s estates in Angus, Cortachy Castle and Airlie Castle, where they raised six children: three sons and three daughters. The couple became part of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip’s social circle, often joining them at Sandringham and Balmoral.
Lady Airlie was devoted to the arts and served on the Royal Fine Art Commission, as a trustee of both the Tate and the National Gallery, and as chair of the American Museum in Britain. She also sat on the board of the National Galleries of Scotland, reflecting her lifelong commitment to cultural life on both sides of the Atlantic.
John Senex (1678-1740) was a publisher of scientific tracts and a prolific map and globe maker in London during the first part of the 18th century. His globes range from 2 3/4in. to 27in. diameter and he was elected a Fellow of Royal Society in 1728 and subsequently his globes then bear the initials FRS in the cartouche. Following Senex's death the copper plates were used by other globe makers and they were revised to show California as a peninsular and George Anson's circumnavigation of 1744. George Adams (1709-1772), instrument maker to King George II, purchased the copper plates from Senex's widow in the 1750's.
On 1 January 1973, she was appointed Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth II—the first American ever to hold the role. Remarkably, her husband’s grandmother, Mabell, Countess of Airlie, had also served in the same position to Queen Mary, making Virginia’s appointment a continuation of family tradition. Over the next five decades, she became one of the Queen’s most trusted companions, accompanying her on official overseas tours, engagements across the UK, and high-profile state occasions, including visits from U.S. presidents.
In 1984, her husband joined her in royal service when he was appointed Lord Chamberlain, overseeing the workings of the royal household. Together, they embodied loyalty and discretion at the heart of the monarchy.
Henry Stacy Marks studied at the Royal Academy Schools from 1851 and subsequently in Paris. Between 1874 and 1880 Marks worked on the decorations at Eaton Hall for his most important patron Hugh Grosvenor, Duke of Westminster including twelve panels of birds for the drawing-room. Marks was a frequent and regular visitor to London Zoo to study the birds at first hand and his Diploma work of 1879 ‘Science is measurement’ depicted a scientist with the skeleton of a stork.
Despite her noble marriage and high standing, Lady Airlie was widely admired for her warmth, wit, and lack of pretension. The legendary photographer Cecil Beaton once described her as “a paragon of gaiety and dignity,” a sentiment that captured her grace both in royal circles and in private life.
She was appointed Dame Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (DCVO) in 1995 in recognition of her service. Following the death of her husband in 2023, Lady Airlie remained at Cortachy Castle until her own passing in August 2024 at the age of 91. Upon her death, King Charles III paid tribute, noting her “immense devotion and dedicated service” to his late mother.
Illustrated:
Top - Derek Hill (British 1916-2000) The Countess of Airlie (Lot 159 in Five Centuries on 3rd September 2025)
Grid from left - Lady Airlie's Sloane Court Apartment, Image John D Wood / The 13th Earl And Countess of Airlie In London - Image The Fincher Files Popperfoto / The Drawing Room of Airlie House, Image Savills