Photo: dailymail.co.uk
One of the closest people to the monarchy of his generation, Lord Charles O’Hagan, one of Queen Elizabeth II’s 30 godchildren, has died in the UK. He was 79 years old. The cause of death was a severe head injury that caused a subdural haematoma. The Lord passed away at the North Devon District Hospital on 23 March, I Correspondent reports, citing Hello!
Baptised before Charles III was born
The peculiarity of Charles O’Hagan’s story is that he was baptised by the Queen before she became a mother – he received this honorary title before the birth of her first child, the current King Charles III. This fact demonstrates the monarch’s exceptional trust in the O’Hagan family. His grandfather, Maurice Towneley-O’Hagan, was the 3rd Baron O’Hagan and a well-known British politician.
Queen’s page and aristocratic MEP
Back in 1953, the young Charles performed ceremonial duties as a page during the coronation of Elizabeth II, one of the most memorable events in the history of the British monarchy. Later, his life was closely connected with politics: he was educated at Eton and Oxford, and later represented Devon in the European Parliament twice – in 1973-1975 and 1979-1994.
Personal life and royal connections
Lord O’Hagan was married three times. His first wife was the Georgian princess Tamara of Imereti, a representative of an ancient family descended from the royal Imereti dynasty. Despite the change of political eras and his own active career, Charles O’Hagan remained close to the British royal family, maintaining warm relations with the heirs to the throne.
The Queen’s godchildren are not just a tradition
Elizabeth II had 30 godchildren, and each of them symbolised an extensive network of trust, aristocratic duties and public service. O’Hagan was not just a “nominal godson” but an active participant in political and public life, an example of how monarchical connections could be combined with a public role in Europe.
His death is not only a loss for the family, but also a farewell to a part of the generation that grew up alongside the Queen, served her and embodied the idea of continuity in the British aristocracy.
