Past and present members of the Irish Guards packed the Brompton Oratory in South Kensington yesterday to pay tribute to a dearly respected former boss, friend and Regimental Colonel.
The Requiem Mass for Major General Sir Sebastian John Lechmere Roberts (7 Jan 1954 – 9 Mar 2023) attracted mourners from across the world.
Representing The King was General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith KCB, CBE; Mr James Lowther-Pinkerton LVI MBE represented The Prince and Princess of Wales; The Princess Royal was represented by Major General Christopher Ghika CBE.
The service was conducted by Father Ambrose Headley. The coffin bearer party was formed by serving members of the 1st Battalion Irish Guards. Also attending was His Serene Highness, Prince Josef-Emmanuel of Liechtenstein, representing His Royal Highness The Grand Duke of Luxembourg.
Sebastian Roberts, the eldest of ten children, was educated at Ampleforth College and Balliol College, Oxford, before commissioning into the Irish Guards in 1977. He went on to be the Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion of the Irish Guards in London and Northern Ireland. He was appointed Major-General commanding the Household Division and General Officer Commanding London District in 2003 and was appointed the Senior Army Representative at the Royal College of Defence Studies in 2007 before retiring from the Army in 2010.
He was a well known figure outside the Army too – his tenure as Head of Army Public Relations meant he was often the first person journalists would call for a salient quote or sensitive commentary.
Sir Sebastian also served as Colonel of the Irish Guards from 2008 to 2011, being succeeded by the Prince of Wales, then Prince William of Wales, on 10 February 2011 and the Princess of Wales in December 2022.
He served as Honorary Colonel of the Media Operations Group (Volunteers), of 256 (City of London) Field Hospital (Volunteers) and of the London Irish Rifles
