| Lady Abel Smith | |
| Birth Name: | Henriette Alice Cadogan |
| Birth Date: | 1914 6, df=y |
| Birth Place: | Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England |
| Death Place: | Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England |
| Spouse: | |
| Children: | 4; including Sir Mark Palmer, 5th Baronet |
| Occupation: | Lady-in-Waiting, Justice of the Peace |
| Relatives: | Henry Cadogan, 4th Earl Cadogan (great-grandfather) Stafford Howard (grandfather) |
Dame Henriette Alice, Lady Abel Smith, (Cadogan; 6 June 1914 – 3 May 2005) was a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth II from 1949 to 1987.
Henriette Alice Cadogan was the daughter of Commander Francis Charles Cadogan, a Royal Navy officer of Quenington Old Rectory, Cirencester, Gloucestershire,[1] (a grandson of Henry Charles Cadogan, 4th Earl Cadogan)[2] by his wife Ruth Evelyn Howard, a daughter of Sir Edward Stafford Howard, a great-nephew of Bernard Howard, 12th Duke of Norfolk.[3]
She held the office of a Lady-in-Waiting to Queen Elizabeth II from 1949 to 1987. In 1987 she became an Extra Lady-in-Waiting.[4] She served as a Justice of the Peace (JP) for Tunbridge Wells in 1955, and for Gloucestershire in 1971. She was invested as a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in the 1964 New Year Honours, and was elevated to Dame Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 1977.[5]
She married twice:
| Country | Date | Appointment | Ribbon | Post-nominal letters | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 31 December 1963 | Commander of the Royal Victorian Order | CVO | Promoted to DCVO in 1977 | ||
| United Kingdom | 1977 | Dame Commander of the Royal Victorian Order | DCVO | |||
| United Kingdom | 2 June 1953 | Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal | ||||
| United Kingdom | 6 February 1977 | Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal | ||||
| United Kingdom | 6 February 2002 | Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal |
Abel Smith died on 3 May 2005 at The Garden House, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, aged 90.