Further Information
Later Sir Dighton achieved the rank of general. He was a councillor of the Oxford Military College in Cowley and Oxford Oxfordshire from 1876-1896.
He was in later life an ornament of the Victorian age, being Keeper of the Privy Purse, a court sinecure position as well as Secretary to the Prince of Wales and Comptroller of the Household. This was an important position as the Prince and Princess were both profligate in spending and Sir Dighton had a hard job to keep them solvent. Testimony to his success was the fact that, when the Prince acceded at last in 1901, he was in credit at the bank. Probyn continued in this role throughout the King's rule and right up to his death.
Probyn was totally devoted to the Princess, then Queen-Empress, building gardens for her at Windsor Castle and Sandringham House. The Queen returned the devotion, carrying round a knife with her to cut open his collar when he occasionally had seizures.
The 5th King Edward's Own Probyn's Horse popularly called Probyn's Horse, and now officially designated as the 5th Cavalry a regiment of the British Indian Army, now Pakistan Army was named after him. Probynabad, a town in Punjab province of Pakistan with large farmlands owned by the 5th Cavalry is also named after him.
Sir Dighton had an impressive appearance in old age with a very long white beard reaching down to his navel which concealed his VC on ceremonial occasions.
Read more about this topic: Dighton Probyn
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