chief reporter in angus

Like his late father before him and his delightful mother Mary, Countess — who will keenly feel this tragic loss — the Earl of Strathmore has been unfailingly courteous, excellent company and deeply interested in The Courier’s coverage of local life since I first met him around three decades ago.

He had a knack of making people feel at ease in his company, be it within the stately grandeur of the magnificent dining room of the family seat, or over a mid-morning coffee and a slice of cake in the back shop of the renowned David Irons store in the heart of Forfar.

I recall an early encounter in the beer tent at the then Forfar Highland Games, later to move to the grounds of his Glamis Castle home and become the Strathmore Highland Games, when we shared a dram on a sunny Sunday afternoon while the Earl had time for what seemed like the entire competitive field.

And with Lord Strathmore’s enduring passion for all things automotive we shared a common interest that ensured I was forever intrigued by which particular mount from his eclectic collection he might choose to arrive on if there was a press call at Glamis.

It might be a Land Rover, even a fire engine, or the 1937 Vauxhall 25 limousine which served its working life in Alyth and was snapped up by the earl at one of the nearby Strathmore Vintage Vehicle Club’s regular auctions before being lovingly restored to its former glory in recent times.

The driver’s seat of the magnificent black seven-seater perfectly suited the larger than life character which Lord Strathmore was.

Lord Strathmore with one of his vintage cars at Glamis Castle.