Andrew Parker Bowles
Encyclopedia
Brigadier
Andrew Henry Parker Bowles OBE
(born 27 December 1939) is a retired British Army
officer. He is the former husband of the Duchess of Cornwall (who is known as the Duchess of Rothesay
in Scotland
), who is now married to the Prince of Wales
.
and Dame Ann Parker Bowles
DCVO
, daughter of multimillionaire racehorse owner Sir Humphrey de Trafford
. The de Traffords are notable recusants, that is, an old English family who have been Roman Catholic for hundreds of years. His christening announcement in The Times
listed his godparents as Sir Humphrey de Trafford, the Marquess of Hartington
, Miss Mary de Trafford and Miss Swinnerton-Dyer. Ann Parker Bowles was named a Dame Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
.
Ampleforth College
and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
. He was commissioned into the Royal Horse Guards
(The Blues) in 1960. He was aide-de-camp
to the Governor-General of New Zealand
, Sir Bernard Fergusson
, in about 1965. He was then Adjutant
Royal Horse Guards (The Blues) 1967–1969. The regiment became The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons) 1969, and he was the Adjutant of The Blues and Royals 1969–1970. Parker Bowles was promoted to major 31 December 1971.
He was squadron leader
of "B" squadron in 1972 on Exercise "Motorman" in Ulster
. Later he was Senior Military Liaison Officer to Christopher Soames, Baron Soames
, when he was Governor of Rhodesia
during its transition to the majority rule
state of Zimbabwe
in 1979–1980. He was staff qualified (sq), and became a Lieutenant-Colonel 30 June 1980.
In 1981–1983 he was Commanding Officer of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment
. From 1987 to 1990 he was Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding the Household Cavalry
and Silver Stick in Waiting to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
. On 30 June 1990 he was promoted to brigadier
, and was director of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps
1991–1994. He retired in 1994.
Parker Bowles held the following ranks:
in about 1970. He married Camilla Rosemary Shand in a Roman Catholic ceremony in 1973; formerly, she was a girlfriend of the Prince of Wales, so they had both dated royal siblings. They have two children, Tom
and Laura
, who were raised nominally Roman Catholic. Laura attended St. Mary's, Shaftesbury, a Catholic girls school in Dorset
, while Tom attended Eton College
. Camilla and Andrew Parker Bowles divorced in 1995. A year later he married his longtime companion, Rosemary Pitman. Rosemary (née Dickinson) was first married to Lieutenant-Colonel (John) Hugh Pitman, a descendant of Sir Isaac Pitman, inventor of the Pitman system of shorthand (stenography), and also the brother-in-law of Edmund Fermoy (5th Baron Fermoy
), an uncle of Diana, Princess of Wales
. Andrew and Rosemary Parker Bowles attended the marriage of Camilla and the Prince of Wales
, which took place on 9 April 2005. Rosemary Parker Bowles died on Sunday 10 January 2010, aged 69, after having suffered from cancer for years.
His godchildren include his stepson Thomas Pitman and the circus trapeze artist Lady Emma Herbert
; they were respectively a pageboy and bridesmaid at his first marriage in July 1973. He is in the line of succession to the Earldom of Macclesfield
.
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
Andrew Henry Parker Bowles OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 27 December 1939) is a retired British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer. He is the former husband of the Duchess of Cornwall (who is known as the Duchess of Rothesay
Duchess of Rothesay
Duchess of Rothesay is a Scottish courtesy title. It is held by the wife of The Dukes of Rothesay since the first Duke in 1398. Due to the mortality rate and the fact that very few Dukes of Rothesay were of majority or married prior to ascending the throne , there have in fact been only eight...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
), who is now married to the Prince of Wales
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
.
Biography
Andrew Parker Bowles was born 27 December 1939 to Derek Henry Parker Bowles, a great-grandson of the 6th Earl of MacclesfieldEarl of Macclesfield
Earl of Macclesfield is a title that has been created twice. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1679 in favour of the soldier and politician Charles Gerard, 1st Baron Gerard...
and Dame Ann Parker Bowles
Ann Parker Bowles
Dame Ann de Trafford Parker Bowles, DCVO was a British aristocrat and Girl Guides leader.Her eldest son is Andrew Parker Bowles,The former husband of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall,who was enmeshed in the scandals surrounding the divorce of Diana, Princess of Wales and Prince Charles, Prince of...
DCVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
, daughter of multimillionaire racehorse owner Sir Humphrey de Trafford
Sir Humphrey de Trafford, 4th Baronet
Sir Humphrey Edmund de Trafford, 4th Baronet MC, DL was a prominent English racehorse owner, and the grandfather of Brigadier Andrew Henry Parker Bowles. He was the son of Sir Humphrey de Trafford, 3rd Baronet, and Violet Alice Maud Franklin.-Early life:Humphrey was educated at The Oratory School...
. The de Traffords are notable recusants, that is, an old English family who have been Roman Catholic for hundreds of years. His christening announcement in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
listed his godparents as Sir Humphrey de Trafford, the Marquess of Hartington
William John Robert Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington
William John Robert Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington was the eldest son of Edward Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire and Mary Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire. He was the husband of Kathleen Agnes Kennedy, sister of future U.S. President John F. Kennedy.-Politics:Lord Hartington was a member of...
, Miss Mary de Trafford and Miss Swinnerton-Dyer. Ann Parker Bowles was named a Dame Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
.
Military career
Parker Bowles was educated at the BenedictineBenedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
Ampleforth College
Ampleforth College
Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire, England, is the largest Roman Catholic co-educational boarding independent school in the United Kingdom. It opened in 1802, as a boys' school, and is run by the Benedictine monks and lay staff of Ampleforth Abbey...
and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
. He was commissioned into the Royal Horse Guards
Royal Horse Guards
The Royal Horse Guards was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry.Founded August 1650 in Newcastle Upon Tyne by Sir Arthur Haselrig on the orders of Oliver Cromwell as the Regiment of Cuirassiers, the regiment became the Earl of Oxford's Regiment during the reign of...
(The Blues) in 1960. He was aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to the Governor-General of New Zealand
Governor-General of New Zealand
The Governor-General of New Zealand is the representative of the monarch of New Zealand . The Governor-General acts as the Queen's vice-regal representative in New Zealand and is often viewed as the de facto head of state....
, Sir Bernard Fergusson
Bernard Fergusson, Baron Ballantrae
Bernard Edward Fergusson, Baron Ballantrae, KT, GCMG, GCVO, DSO, OBE was a brigadier in the British Army, military historian and the last British-born Governor-General of New Zealand.- Military service :...
, in about 1965. He was then Adjutant
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
Royal Horse Guards (The Blues) 1967–1969. The regiment became The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons) 1969, and he was the Adjutant of The Blues and Royals 1969–1970. Parker Bowles was promoted to major 31 December 1971.
He was squadron leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
of "B" squadron in 1972 on Exercise "Motorman" in Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
. Later he was Senior Military Liaison Officer to Christopher Soames, Baron Soames
Christopher Soames, Baron Soames
Arthur Christopher John Soames, Baron Soames, GCMG, GCVO, CH, CBE, PC was a British politician belonging to the Conservative Party and the son-in-law of Winston Churchill. A European Commissioner and the last Governor of Southern Rhodesia, he had previously been the longtime Member of Parliament...
, when he was Governor of Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
during its transition to the majority rule
Majority rule
Majority rule is a decision rule that selects alternatives which have a majority, that is, more than half the votes. It is the binary decision rule used most often in influential decision-making bodies, including the legislatures of democratic nations...
state of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
in 1979–1980. He was staff qualified (sq), and became a Lieutenant-Colonel 30 June 1980.
In 1981–1983 he was Commanding Officer of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment
Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment
The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment is a ceremonial cavalry regiment of the British Army. It is classed as a regiment of guards, and carries out mounted ceremonial duties on State and Royal occasions. These include the provision of the Sovereign's Escort, most commonly seen at the present...
. From 1987 to 1990 he was Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding the Household Cavalry
Household Cavalry
The term Household Cavalry is used across the Commonwealth to describe the cavalry of the Household Divisions, a country’s most elite or historically senior military groupings or those military groupings that provide functions associated directly with the Head of state.Canada's Governor General's...
and Silver Stick in Waiting to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
. On 30 June 1990 he was promoted to brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
, and was director of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps
Royal Army Veterinary Corps
The Royal Army Veterinary Corps is an administrative and operational branch of the British Army responsible for the provision, training and care of animals. It is a small but technically competent corps forming part of the Army Medical Services...
1991–1994. He retired in 1994.
Parker Bowles held the following ranks:
- 23 January 1962, Lieutenant
- 23 July 1966, CaptainCaptain (British Army and Royal Marines)Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
- 31 December 1971, Major
- 1 December 1980, seniority backdated to 30 June 1980, Lieutenant Colonel
- 30 June 1987, Colonel
- 31 December 1990, seniority backdated to 30 June 1990, BrigadierBrigadier (United Kingdom)Brigadier is a senior rank in the British Army and the Royal Marines.Brigadier is the superior rank to Colonel, but subordinate to Major-General....
- 27 December 1994, retired
Personal life
Parker Bowles had a brief relationship with Princess AnneAnne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
in about 1970. He married Camilla Rosemary Shand in a Roman Catholic ceremony in 1973; formerly, she was a girlfriend of the Prince of Wales, so they had both dated royal siblings. They have two children, Tom
Tom Parker Bowles
Thomas Henry Parker Bowles is the son of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Andrew Parker Bowles. His stepfather and godfather is Prince Charles, Prince of Wales. His younger sister is Laura Lopes....
and Laura
Laura Lopes
Laura Rose Lopes, née Parker Bowles, is the daughter of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Andrew Parker Bowles, OBE. Her mother's remarriage in 2005 made HRH the Prince of Wales her stepfather. She has one elder brother, Tom Parker Bowles....
, who were raised nominally Roman Catholic. Laura attended St. Mary's, Shaftesbury, a Catholic girls school in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, while Tom attended Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
. Camilla and Andrew Parker Bowles divorced in 1995. A year later he married his longtime companion, Rosemary Pitman. Rosemary (née Dickinson) was first married to Lieutenant-Colonel (John) Hugh Pitman, a descendant of Sir Isaac Pitman, inventor of the Pitman system of shorthand (stenography), and also the brother-in-law of Edmund Fermoy (5th Baron Fermoy
Baron Fermoy
Baron Fermoy is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1856 for Edmond Roche, who represented County Cork and Marylebone in the House of Commons and also served as Lord Lieutenant of County Cork. His younger son, the third Baron, sat as Member of Parliament for Kerry East. He was...
), an uncle of Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
. Andrew and Rosemary Parker Bowles attended the marriage of Camilla and the Prince of Wales
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
, which took place on 9 April 2005. Rosemary Parker Bowles died on Sunday 10 January 2010, aged 69, after having suffered from cancer for years.
His godchildren include his stepson Thomas Pitman and the circus trapeze artist Lady Emma Herbert
Lady Emma Herbert
Lady Emma Herbert , married name Lady Emma Vickers, is a British circus trapeze artist, stuntwoman, and teacher of circus arts.-Early life:...
; they were respectively a pageboy and bridesmaid at his first marriage in July 1973. He is in the line of succession to the Earldom of Macclesfield
Earl of Macclesfield
Earl of Macclesfield is a title that has been created twice. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1679 in favour of the soldier and politician Charles Gerard, 1st Baron Gerard...
.