Anne Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe

Who was Anne Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe?

Anne Emily Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe VA OBE was born Anne Emily Spencer-Churchill, and was the daughter of the seventh Duke of Marlborough, who served in Conservative governments as Lord President of the Council and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Her brother Lord Randolph Churchill was a Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer.

On the 11 June 1874, Lady Anne was married to James Henry Robert Innes-Ker, Marquess of Bowmont and Cessford, eldest son of the sixth Duke of Roxburghe. He succeeded his father as the seventh Duke of Roxburghe in 1879, and Anne became The Duchess of Roxburghe.

In 1883 she was appointed Mistress of the Robes to Queen Victoria by the Liberal Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone, and served in that capacity until 1885. In 1892, when Mr Gladstone again came to power, his policy of Home Rule for Ireland had alienated many of the upper classes, and no lady of ducal rank could be found who was willing to serve as Mistress of the Robes. The post therefore remained vacant, while the Duchess of Roxburghe and the Dowager Duchess of Atholl performed the duties of the office. In 1906 she was the Duchess of Roxburghe who christened the newest and largest ship then in the world, the Cunard Line's RMS Mauretania.