Born Belgium. The family moved to London in 1842 and his father established De Keyser's Royal Hotel on the site of what is now Unilever House. The son joined the business and the hotel became the largest hotel in the City. More on this hotel at A London Inheritance. 1887 Master of the Company of Spectacle Makers. 1888 the first Catholic Lord Mayor of London since the Reformation. A founder of the Guildhall School of Music. Lived at Cornwall Gardens, Earl's Court.
2017: A London Inheritance has returned to de Keyser and provides a full post.
