The Home Of Princess Diana’s Grandmother & The Queen Mother’s Lady-In-Waiting Is For Sale

If The Crown is anything to go by, then Lady Fermoy cut a formidable figure during her time. Portrayed by Georgie Glen in season 4 of the show, we see Lady Fermoy (aka, Ruth Roche) take on the role of Diana’s royal etiquette coach. And she is less than warm in her approach – a strategy that may be expected if it wasn’t for the fact that Lady Fermoy was also Diana’s maternal grandmother.

She teaches Diana who to curtsey to and in which order, the correct titles to use, and how to appear composed during a speech – a lesson taught in the series by tying Diana’s hands together with rope. On top of her ‘How To Be A Princess 101’ classes, we also see Lady Fermoy accompanying Diana on her dates with Prince Charles in the run-up to their engagement; before Diana’s first trip to Balmoral, she warns her that this is ‘the most important weekend of [Diana’s] life’.

While we don’t know for certain whether Lady Fermoy gave Diana such structured ‘royal lessons’ in reality, she would’ve certainly provided some coaching and guidance. And as the lady-in-waiting and close friend to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, she definitely had the right credentials for the job. The pair were so close, in fact, that the Queen Mother stayed over at Lady Fermoy’s home while Sandringham was undergoing renovation work in the 1970s. And now that very same home once lived in by this royal figure is up on the market.

Discover Uphall: Lady Fermoy’s Former Home

Who Was Lady Fermoy?

Born Ruth Sylvia Gill in 1908, Lady Fermoy’s parents were Colonel William Smith Gill and Ruth Gill. In 1931 she married into her title when she took Maurice Roche the 4th Baron Fermoy as her husband, going on to have three children with him, including Diana’s eventual mother Frances Shand Kydd.

If you thought her portrayal in The Crown was harsh, then prepare yourself for reality. When Frances tried to divorce from her husband Viscount Althorp John Spencer in 1969, Lady Fermoy testified against her own daughter – leaving Althorp with custody of the children. The Telegraph wrote of the incident: ‘By siding with Norfolk aristocracy rather than her own flesh and blood, she changed Diana’s life forever.’

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However, Lady Fermoy was more than a strict matriarch and loyal royalist. Before her marriage to Maurice Roche she trained as a pianist under the tutelage of Alfred Cortort at the Paris Conservatoire. Though her background prevented her from ever going professional, she did continue to occasionally play in public – most notably with Josef Krips at the Royal Albert Hall in 1950 and with Sir John Barbirolli plus the Hallé Orchestra at King’s Lynn in 1966.

The King’s Lynn Festival had after all been founded by Lady Fermoy a few years earlier in 1951 – a project she remained closely involved with for 25 years and persuaded the Queen Mother to become patron of. Upon her husband’s death, Lady Fermoy was appointed as an Extra Woman of the Bedchamber in 1956 and promoted to Woman of the Bedchamber four years later. She died on 6 July 1993 at the age of 84.

Inside Uphall

Dating back to the late 18th century, this 11-bedroom Georgian residence is located in the rural Norfolk countryside, just a stone’s throw from the royal Sandringham Estate.

With the main residence and coach house spanning over 8,000 sqft, this Grade II listed home boasts a stable block, tennis court and Victorian swimming pond, ideal for wild swimming enthusiasts. Behind its peachy pink facade, many period features remain, including sash windows, original mantlepieces and soaring ceilings. Ongoing restoration and careful stewardship ensure this historic home is fit for modern living, combining features such as original fireplaces and wood burners with a remote controlled thermostat system.

Split across four floors, highlights include the grandly proportioned reception rooms, characterful kitchen/breakfast room, a charming snug and wine cellar, plus a recent extension which introduced a fitness room, dog room and storage space.

Outside, the five acres or so of grounds are approached via a long private gravelled drive. Across the grounds are formal lawns, landscaped gardens, a kitchen garden, herb potager, mature woodland and rolling countryside views, while a paved terrace designed for al fresco dining and entertaining sits to the south and west, surrounded by climbing roses and herbaceous borders.

Where Is Uphall?

Located in Hillington, this small village is situated just a few miles outside of King’s Lynn and sits on the edge of the Royal Estate of Sandringham with Sandringham House, woods and other royal villages such as West Newton and Anmer just a short drive away.

Uphall is on the market for £2.25 million. Find out more at sowerbys.com