Arthur Balfour Haig

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Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Balfour Haig, CMG, CVO (10 July 1840 – 15 April 1925) was a British Army officer, royal courtier, and Conservative political agent. A second cousin of Field-Marshal Earl Haig, he studied at Rugby School and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, and joined the Royal Engineers in 1859. He came to the notice of Queen Victoria and worked in the household of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh (later Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) from 1864 until the prince’s death in 1900.

In April 1902 Haig became an extra equerry to King Edward VII, and after the king’s death served in the same role to King George V. He was made a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in the November 1902 Birthday Honours and was invested by Edward VII at Buckingham Palace on 18 December 1902. Haig served as Conservative Party agent for Scotland for 15 years and then as Principal Agent of the Conservative Party from 1905 to 1906. He was the 28th Laird of Bemersyde and head of Clan Haig. He is buried at Dryburgh Abbey and was the father of Nigel Haig.