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the 1969 groundbreaking ‘fly-on-the-wall’ documentary Royal Family. In 1972, he succeeded Adeane and remained in post until he retired in 1977, having overseen the silver jubilee celebrations and being created Baron Charteris, of Amisfield. The Queen presented him with a silver tray engraved with the words ‘Thank you for a lifetime’, to which Charteris replied, ‘The next time you see this, it will have a gin and tonic on it’.
From 1977 to 1990 he was provost at Eton, where he declared that his most productive time was Saturday morning when he wandered to the post office to collect his state pension and was waylaid by masters, families, school staff and pupils. An enthusiastic dancer, he chose Rock Around the Clock as one of his Desert Island Discs. Martin Charteris died in 1999.
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