Angus Douglas-Hamilton, 15th Duke of Hamilton

Angus Alan Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 15th Duke of Hamilton and 12th Duke of Brandon (13 September 1938 – 5 June 2010),[1] styled Earl of Angus until 1940 and Marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale between 1940 and 1973, was the premier peer of Scotland.[2]

The Duke of Hamilton
15th Duke of Hamilton
Portrait by Allan Warren
Tenure	30 March 1973 – 5 June 2010
Predecessor	Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton
Successor	Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, 16th Duke of Hamilton
Born	(1938-09-13)13 September 1938
Died	5 June 2010(2010-06-05) (aged 71) Dirleton, Scotland
Spouse(s)	Sarah Jane Scott Jillian Robertson Kay Carmichael
Issue Lady Eleanor Douglas-Hamilton Lady Ann Douglas-Hamilton Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, 16th Duke of Hamilton Lord John William Douglas-Hamilton
Parents	Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton Lady Elizabeth Ivy Percy

Career

The son of the 14th Duke of Hamilton and Lady Elizabeth Percy, daughter of the 8th Duke of Northumberland, he was educated at Eton College and Balliol College, Oxford (as was his father before him). One of his younger brothers is the Scottish Conservative and Unionist politician James Douglas-Hamilton, Baron Selkirk of Douglas.

He followed his father's interest in flying, becoming a flight lieutenant with the Royal Air Force until he was invalided out in 1967. He gained a commercial pilot's licence the same year and was a test pilot for Scottish Aviation Ltd, a company with which his father had been associated. He was a member of the Air Squadron.

He was a member of the Queen's Bodyguard for Scotland, an honorary member of the Royal Scottish Pipers Society and Patron of the British Airways Pipe Band. He was a Knight of St John. He was Hereditary Keeper of the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

By right of his subsidiary title of Lord Abernethy, he was hereditary bearer of the Crown of Scotland to the Parliament of Scotland. The Duke of Hamilton fulfilled that duty by carrying the Crown in front of Her Majesty The Queen at the opening ceremony of the Scottish Parliament.

He was a campaigner for animal welfare, together with his third wife Kay.[3]

Marriages and children

The 15th Duke married three times:[4]

He married firstly Sarah Jane Scott, daughter of Major Sir Walter Scott, 4th Bt, of Beauclerc, on 23 June 1972 (divorced 1987). They had four children and have nineteen grand children:

• Lady Eleanor Douglas-Hamilton (born 10 August 1973)
• Lady Ann Douglas-Hamilton (born 14 May 1976)
• Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, 16th Duke of Hamilton (born 31 March 1978)
• Lord John William Douglas-Hamilton (born 2 October 1979)

He married secondly Jillian Robertson in 1988 (divorced 1995). No issue. She was previously married to Martin Page and Edward A. S. Hulton and died in 2018.[5]

He married thirdly Kay Carmichael, now the Dowager Duchess of Hamilton, in 1998. No issue. A qualified nurse, she serves as Chairperson of Scottish Staffordshire Bull Terrier Rescue and as a patron of OneKind and Alzheimer Scotland.[6]

The 15th Duke died on 5 June 2010 at the age of 71. He was succeeded in the dukedom and his other titles and privileges by his elder son, Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, 16th Duke of Hamilton.

References

1. "Senior Scottish nobleman the Duke of Hamilton dies". BBC News. 7 June 2010. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
2. "The Independent". www.Independent.co.uk. 9 June 2010. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
3. Lyst, Catherine (23 January 2006). "UK | Scotland | A noble fight for animal rights". BBC News. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
4. The Peerage, entry for 15th Duke of Hamilton
5. HAMILTON, Jill, Duchess of (Jillian V nee ROBERTSON) 1940-2018
6. "Kay Hamilton (Duchess of Hamilton)". Linkedin.

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Duke of Hamilton

Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by Douglas Douglas-Hamilton	Duke of Hamilton 1973–2010	Succeeded by Alexander Douglas-Hamilton
Peerage of Great Britain
Preceded by Douglas Douglas-Hamilton	Duke of Brandon 1973–2010	Succeeded by Alexander Douglas-Hamilton