Major General Sir Christopher AIry, a former aide of King Charles and Princess Diana, recently died.
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Airy died just a few months after his wife, Judith, passed away. The couple was survived by a son and two daughters.
According to The Times, the decorated British Army veteran died on April 7 at the age of 91. He first joined the military in 1954 and eventually became Major-General, commanding the Household Division and General Officer Commanding London District in 1986.
Following his military retirement, Airy was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order. He became the private secretary to King Charles, then the Prince of Wales, and his then-wife, Princess Diana, in 1990.
Christopher Airy’s obituary revealed that he was recommended for the royal aide position by British comedian Jimmy Savile, whom King Charles notably allowed to “say things to his face that other courtiers could not.”
However, less than a year into the position, Airy began to wonder if he was the person for the role.
Christopher Airy Quickly Struggled in His Role as Secretary to Prince Charles and Princess Diana
Royal expert Valentine Low wrote about how Airy approached the position in his 2022 book Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown.
“He was not attuned to Charles’ growing charitable interest,” Low pointed out. “And struggle to understand the difference between the prince’s various organizations.”
Low further stated that Airy must have been “miserable” and he was a “very bad fit” for the role, as he operated “completely on a different planet.”
“We would all talk acronyms, all this charitable, voluntary sector, government stuff,” Low shared. “Christopher was completely lost.”
Lieutenant Commander Patrick Jephson, who was Princess Diana’s assistant private secretary, previously stated he found Airy to be “almost literally disconnected.”
Jephson once recalled one occasion when Prince Charles asked his staff why Airy’s presence was needed at a state occasion. Airy told the royal that it was his duty to attend.
“The prince stiffened and there was a perceptible intake of breath around the table,” Jephson recalled. “‘Oh, is it?’ [Prince Charles] asked, with heavy sarcasm. The rest of the meeting was a distinctly chilly occasion.”
Jephson wrote about Airy’s departure from the position in his memoir, Shadows of a Princess. “In time-honored fashion, ambitious subordinates were making the most of their better access to the royal ear,” Jephson wrote. “It was typical of our happy life at St James ‘s, however, that the General was probably one of the last people to realize what was happening.”
Christopher Airy left the position in 1991, more than a year before Prince Charles and Princess Diana officially separated. The royal couple’s divorce was finalized on August 28, 1996. A little more than a year later, Princess Diana died in a car crash in Paris. She was 36 years old.