Obituary: Major Bruce Shand | News | The Guardian Major Bruce Shand Camilla's father, cool under fire - military and matrimonial Tom Corby Share on Messenger Close Major Bruce Shand, who has died aged 89, was famous for keeping his cool: this earned him two military crosses in the second world war and, half a century later, the gratitude of the Prince of Wales for keeping quiet - in public, though not in private - when Charles began an illicit affair with Shand's daughter Camilla, now the Duchess of Cornwall. During more than a decade of lurid headlines, there were rumours of confrontations between Shand and Charles over Camilla's status, before the couple married in April 2005. As one long-standing friend put it: "I think [Shand] was completely frank with him, but they never came to blows." There was a strong bond between father and daughter, and Shand could not tolerate Camilla being treated shoddily. One reported instance of his intervention was in 1993, after the disclosure of intimate taped phone calls between the lovers. At a private meeting, Shand reportedly reproached Charles for ruining his daughter's life, reducing the prince to tears.

Conversely, throughout the divorce from Princess Diana, he was said to have been a tower of strength to both Charles and Camilla. Charles grew "very fond" of his father-in-law, admiring his courage, wit and impeccable manners. Shand's father, Philip Morton Shand, was an architectural writer and critic, and an authority on food and wine. His company imported Alvar Aalto's furniture to Britain, and he counted among his circle such leading architects as Walter Gropius, Le Corbusier and Wells Coates. His marriage to Edith Marguerite Harrington ended in divorce when Bruce was three. Philip went on to acquire three more wives; his youngest child grew up to be Elspeth Howe (Baroness Howe of Idlicote), though Bruce met his half sister only when she was 16, and, indeed, 15 years were to pass after his parents' divorce before he again encountered his father. He had a peripatetic childhood, being raised partly by his mother and stepfather, and by his Shand grandmother, to whom he was devoted. He was sent to Rugby school, which he found oppressive, but developed a love of horses and riding.

He went on to Sandhurst, was commissioned in the 12th Lancers as a second lieutenant in 1937, and indulged his interest in hunting and polo. In his self-deprecating memoir, Previous Engagements (1990), Shand recalled how he went to war in 1939 wishing he could have emulated a young officer from his regiment who had set off to fight the Boers in a hansom cab, having been at a splendid party in London the night before. The reality was very different. Seven months after mobilisation, he was in St Omar, northern France, facing the Germans in their drive towards the sea. He pulled back with his men to the coast, and narrowly avoided capture before evacuation from Dunkirk. Typically, his memoir does not mention the MC, though the citation spoke of his "skill and great daring" and how, by "the fearless manoeuvring of his troop, he covered the withdrawal of a column in the face of fire from four enemy tanks". By 1942 Shand was in North Africa.

The battle of El Alamein was raging and, promoted to major, he was ordered to slip through the enemy's retreating frontline on a reconnoitre. Heading down an escarpment, he was confronted by a German motorised column, which engaged his men in heavy fire. He managed to withdraw a group of the 6th Rajputana Rifles and organised the evacuation of 20 armoured cars, which would otherwise have fallen into enemy hands. The citation to his second MC said he had constantly proved himself a cavalry leader of "the first order". Wounded, he was taken prisoner and spent the rest of the war as a PoW. Shand returned to Britain in 1945 to marry Rosalind Cubitt, the daughter of Lord Ashcombe, whose builder ancestors had created large swathes of central London, including Belgravia and Pimlico. After dabbling in various enterprises, Shand settled into a comfortable life as a partner in a firm of Mayfair wine merchants. He was vice lord lieutenant of East Sussex (1974-92), a deputy lieutenant of the former county of Sussex and joint master of the Southdown fox hounds (1956-75).

His wife died in 1994; he is survived by two daughters and a son. · Bruce Middleton Hope Shand, soldier, born January 22 1917; died June 11 2006 Major Bruce Shand - Telegraph Major Bruce Shand 12:02AM BST 12 Jun 2006 Major Bruce Shand, who has died aged 89, was a gallant soldier, a wine merchant, a master of foxhounds and a discreet member of the Royal Household; late in life, however, he found himself thrust towards the public limelight as the father of the Duchess of Cornwall. A bluff yet shy man who had a Wodehousian penchant for ending sentences with the word "what?", Shand proved adept at sidestepping attempts to question him about his daughter's relationship with the Prince of Wales, and advised friends to keep their mouths shut. But there were periodic rumours that Major Shand was becoming exasperated with the hostile publicity his daughter was receiving as the royal marriage drew to a close and after Diana Princess of Wales died.

Some soldierly blunt words were said to have been offered to the Prince on several occasions before he married Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005, an event at which Shand was discreetly present. In March the Duchess repaid his stalwart support by carrying out an errand for him when she accompanied the Prince to the battlefield of El Alamein. This was to lay posies and cards at the graves of the two soldiers, who were killed by his side in his armoured car. The message declared: "The gallantry and sacrifice of two fellow 12th Lancers on 6th November 1942 will never be forgotten by me. Bruce Shand." Bruce Middleton Hope Shand was born on January 22 1917, the son of Philip Morton Shand, a wine writer and architect whose family owned a Glasgow calico business. Morton Shand first married Bruce's mother, the daughter of an accountant in Hammersmith. When this marriage quickly broke up, he went on to wed again three more times, giving the boy two half-sisters, one of whom was the future Lady Howe of Idlicote, wife of the Tory politician Lord Howe of Aberavon.

Young Bruce was sent to Rugby, which he cordially disliked, and from which he emerged having demonstrated few talents beyond an enthusiasm for riding. After being sent to France to learn the language, he passed into Sandhurst with high grades, despite becoming imprudently drunk on the second night of the exams. The sergeant-major used to bellow at the cadets: "I have had men through my hands from the bogs of Ireland, the moors of Scotland and the claypits of Staffordshire - but none so idle as you gentlemen." Shand thrived on this, and was commissioned into the 12th Royal Lancers, to become a troop leader with "A" Squadron. Related Articles Mark Shand 24 Apr 2014 On the outbreak of the Second World War, the regiment landed in France as part of the British Expeditionary Force. Equipped with armoured cars, it was stationed at Fouquevilliers for six months, and moved up to the neutral Belgian frontier three times in response to threatening enemy troop movements before finally entering the country when the Germans invaded on May 10 1940.

During the next 18 days Shand led patrols to Hazebrouck and St Omer to gather intelligence of enemy dispositions. By skilful and daring manoeuvre, he covered the withdrawal of a column of new lorries and guns under fire from four German tanks, and was awarded an immediate MC. On being assigned the crucial task of covering the withdrawal at Dunkirk, Shand and comrades took their share of the heavy casualties while acting as embarkation officers during the bombing. In his dispatches, Field Marshal Viscount Gort wrote that without the 12th Lancers only a small part of the BEF would have reached the port, where Shand finally boarded a cement ship for Margate on May 31. After the regiment reformed at Poole, Dorset, Shand went to Northern Ireland for a spell to help with training the North Irish Horse, then spent Christmas in command of HQ Squadron near Reigate, Surrey. In September 1941 he set off with the regiment's armoured cars and a tea-chest of books as part of 7th Armoured Division in Libya.

The following January the Eighth Army had advanced more than 300 miles in three weeks, and was at the extremity of its lines of communication when Rommel went on the counter-offensive. As the Germans advanced in considerable strength on Msus, Libya, the 1st/6th Rajputana Rifles was ordered to destroy the supply dumps there and withdraw. Temporary Captain Shand was in command of a half squadron of 12th Lancers ordered to watch the threatened flank. The enemy advance was so rapid that the situation of the Rajputanas and about 100 soldiers of the Indian Pioneer Company became extremely precarious. Shand's small force came under heavy fire, but he handled it with great skill and coolness, and succeeded in covering the Rajputnas' withdrawal and in evacuating 20 armoured cars. Loading the Indian Pioneers into his cars and two lorries he just managed to slip through the gap to the north before the Germans closed it. The recommendation that he be awarded a Bar to his MC described him as a cavalry leader of the first order.

Shand commanded "C" Squadron in the three days of fierce fighting at the battle of Knightsbridge, when the Lancers' task was to move behind the advancing armour, infiltrate the enemy lines and destroy their transport. Before the second battle of Alamein, Shand found himself being introduced to Winston Churchill, who prodded his medal ribbon with approval, commented on how thin he was, and asked if he were getting enough food and drink, before moving on. A few days after the Germans started to retreat on November 2, 7th Armoured Division was ordered to move to Kalda, south of Mersa Matruh. Shand's squadron arrived ahead of the rest, encumbered with some 100 prisoners. As darkness fell and a slight mist rose on November 7, he was just able to make out a large body of vehicles approaching along the escarpment. By the time he realised that it was an enemy convoy, he was under fire. His radio operator, Sergeant Charles Francis, slumped dead to the bottom of the car after being hit by a bullet that passed through Shand's cheek.

With his mouth filling with blood, Shand ordered his driver, Corporal Edward Plant, to turn the car around, which then received a second blow, killing Plant. As he climbed out of the burning vehicle, Shand remembered being urged to jump on to another car, then he was hit in the knee and fell off. He awakened to a buzz of German voices. After his wounds were dressed, a German officer pointed out Rommel, a figure in a long overcoat who was walking towards a plane. Shand was driven first to Tobruk and later evacuated in an elegant hospital ship which had once been the Tsar's Black Sea yacht. After a month in hospital in Athens, he was told that he had suffered no permanent damage and wastaken by train to Spangenburg Castle, near Kassel, where he joined some 300 British officers as PoWs. On emerging from the sick bay he found that General Eisenhower had absolved officers from the duty of escaping because the Germans were unlikely to respect the rules of war. Shand took on such responsiblities as laundry officer and taking down BBC radio broadcasts.

The camp was short of food in the later months of the war, but Shand received monthly parcels of books sent out from a shop in Piccadilly, and was able to devote several hours a day to reading history and biography as well as Thackeray and Trollope, for whom he developed a lifelong affection. As the Allied forces approached in March 1945, Shand and his comrades were moved out of the castle and were marched for two days. Their guards, however, were elderly and tired easily, and he escaped from the column. He hid in woods for two days and nights, "dodging the hair-trigger adolescents of the Hitler Youth", as he said afterwards, until joining up with the American forces. After being debriefed in Paris he flew back to England, where, in 1946, he married Rosalind Cubitt, the daughter of the 3rd Lord Ashcombe and a descendant of Thomas Cubitt, the builder of Mayfair and Belgravia and Bloomsbury; she was also (as their daughter Camilla was to be reminded, at least by newspapers) the granddaughter of Alice Keppel, mistress of King Edward VII.

Like many young men just out of the Army, Shand took some time to find a suitable job, working first for an educational films company then going into the wine business. With a friend, he first took over Block, Grey and Block in South Audley Street, a firm of old-fashioned wine merchants which supplied Oxford and Cambridge colleges. The firm eventually ran into difficulties, and he joined Ellis, Son and Vidler, of Hastings and London, with which he remained until his retirement. In time he had a house in Kensington and another at the Sussex village of Plumpton, close to the racecourse, where he and his wife brought up their son, Mark, and two daughters, Camilla and Annabel. This gave him plenty of opportunity to indulge his passion for hunting. As joint master of the Southdown Hunt in the early 1970s he was driven to declare that some of the people who went out with the hounds were distinctly unkempt. "Nobody can be expected to have a vast wardrobe by Christian Dior, but if they can afford to buy a horse they can afford to keep it and themselves clean. It's offensive to the farmers, you know.

One or two have said to me: 'We welcome the hunt, major, but can't you tell some of those blighters to be less scruffy'." At the same Shand served as Vice Lord-Lieutenant of East Sussex and worked his way up the Queen's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard to become Clerk of the Cheque. It was a career, he joked, that involved dressing as if to fight the battle of Waterloo. In his latter years Bruce Shand devoted much of his energy to nursing his wife; she died of the bone-wasting disease osteoporosis in 1994. He also produced Previous Engagements, a slim volume of war memoirs spiced with shafts of humour, and reviewed military books for Country Life. Sir John Keegan writes: Bruce Shand, among his many talents, was a gifted writer of style and erudition. His memoir of his service in the Second World War is a brilliant picture of the experience of a regular cavalry officer in the campaign of 1940 and in the Western Desert. It is also extremely funny, as Bruce so effortlessly was.

As a convalescent in 1940, he was sent to a rest home for officers in the south of France run by a rich Englishwoman, one of whose companions was the widow of Marshal Joffre. She kept a small dog called Chamberlain and took great pleasure in hearing the British nationals ordering it about - "Viens ici Chamberlain. Ne fais pas ça Chamberlain." Bruce enjoyed the joke. So did all who heard his imitation. How greatly his friends will miss him. BBC NEWS | UK | Obituary: Bruce Shand Obituary: Bruce Shand Major Bruce Shand: War hero who was Camilla's 'rock' Major Bruce Shand, father of the Duchess of Cornwall, had a long and eventful life, winning two Military Crosses in World War II before becoming a respected wine merchant and huntsman. Major Shand's response when news of his daughter's affair with the Prince of Wales became public in 1992, says much about the man: "The best policy," he quipped, "is to keep our traps shut". And that policy remained unchanged right up to his death.

No public comment was ever forthcoming from him about Camilla Parker Bowles' romance with, and eventual marriage to, Prince Charles, save for congratulations at the news of their impending wedding. Attack Bruce Middleton Hope Shand's childhood was less than auspicious. Born in January 1917, he was abandoned by his parents aged just three and raised by his grandmother. Educated at Rugby, he joined the Army, initially serving as a second lieutenant in the 12th Royal Lancers and winning a Military Cross in 1940 followed by a second two years later. The same year, Shand met Winston Churchill, who toured North Africa in the run-up to the battle of El Alamein. Upon meeting such a youthful officer wearing the ribbon and bar of the Military Cross, Churchill quipped, "You're a very young man. How splendid." Father and daughter: Major Shand and the Duchess of Cornwall But during the rout of German forces which ended the battle, Shand, leading his men forward, came under sustained attack from Afrika Korps troops.

What happened next was recalled in his memoirs, Previous Engagements: "Something like a whiplash stung my cheek and Sergeant Francis beside me slumped to the bottom of the car with a large hole in his chest, killed instantly." Shortly after, his vehicle destroyed and his driver dead, Shand was hit a second time: "I do not remember hitting the ground," he wrote. "A buzz of German voices greeted my return to consciousness." Hunting man In 2006, the Duchess visited the site of the engagement and the graves of her father's comrades. After laying a wreath on his behalf, she could barely control her emotions, commenting: "I've got a huge lump in my throat. It's quite hard to speak. I'm so pleased that I've done it for my father." Captured, Major Shand spent the remainder of the war in the picturesque prisoner of war camp at Spangenberg Castle, situated near Kassel in the west of Germany. At the war's end, he returned to Britain and married Rosalind Cubitt, daughter of the wealthy Lord Ashcombe. Their first child, a daughter named Camilla, was born in 1947.

The Duchess of Cornwall weeps during a visit to El Alamein in 2006 Shand became a partner at the noted wine merchants Block, Grey and Block. With houses in Kensington and East Sussex, he was able to indulge his real passion, hunting, introducing his daughter to it when she was aged just nine. Father and daughter remained close and it was to him she turned throughout her turbulent marriage to Andrew Parker Bowles and her romance with the heir to the throne. Major Shand, whose wife died in 1994 after having had osteoporosis for many years, moved into an apartment in Clarence House in 2003. And, at his daughter's wedding reception two years later, Prince Charles praised the man who had stood steadfastly by his new wife through some of the monarchy's most turbulent years as "the gallant major".

bruce shand | Tumblr bruce shand Camilla’s 2006 ♥ The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall share a handkerchief after laying a posy of cream roses on behalf of The Duchess’s father, Major Bruce Shand, beneath the headstones of Sgt Charles Francis and Cpl Edward Plant, who fought with him and died on Nov 6, 1942, two days after the battle at El Alamein in Egypt; 24.03.2006 6th October 1971 “What, so rapid?” “Yeah,” Charles nodded, and Camilla could almost hear the wide grin upon his face. “What’s wrong? Have you already planned something that weekend?” Camilla bit her lip. “Actually I’ve promised to help mummy and daddy with the apples, we have to reap them, you know, but I can cancel. I will call them later.” “No, no! I can help you! I’d be more than pleased to reap apples with you and you’re parents, really. I mean I’ve never reaped apples, but I’m sure it’s wonderful.

Everything I do with you is wonderful,” Charles bubbled lively, but blushed. “Alright,” Camilla chuckled enamoured, “I’m sure mum and dad will be very pleased as well,” she smiled, both her parents doted on Charles, no wonder, Camilla thought blissful. They hadn’t seen for two weeks now as Charles had to spend 6 weeks at the naval college in Dartmouth, and two weeks seemed like aeons to the young lovers. Even calling wasn’t that easy as Charles did not have a private telephone at college, but did have to use a public one, which was busy most of the time. Not talking to each other was a real torture as well, after all they had developed the habit of talking to each other at least once a day when they couldn’t see each other. But now Charles had the weekend off spontaneously and the prospect of seeing each other again, made everything a lot more bearable. X 9th October 1971, Plumpton Bruce looked on proudly as his eldest child climbed on the ladder, the highest step, and reached for the beautiful, reddish yellow apple in the treetop. Sometimes he couldn’t believe that his little girl had turned into a beautiful young lady.

A little boisterous from time to time, very bubbly, considerably frank and incredibly funny, Camilla had inherited all the good qualities from both her parents. Though, Bruce knew, his wife sometimes wished their daughter wouldn’t have inherited his pig head. In the end, however, they both knew it had already helped Camilla through a lot of things, and surely it would continue to help her throughout her life. “Of course you have already reaped the prettiest apple, darling nugget!” He had just returned from work and hadn’t seen his daughter in a while, so he had looked forward to today a lot.” Like the whirlwind she was, Camilla jumped down from the ladder and almost flew into her father’s arms. Meanwhile a blue Aston Martin rolled over the gritty court of The Laines and with an excited smile upon his face Charles jumped out and before he could ring the door bell Rosalind flung the door open. With excited, beaming eyes she sunk down in a perfect in form curtsey, as usual under Charles’ veto, and then felt the princely lips on her flushed cheeks.

Still a little shy she asked him about college and offered him a cup of tea, but she felt and knew that though he loved talking with her, all he longed for was to see Camilla again. “She’s in the garden,” Rosalind said mid-sentenced with the most beautiful benignant smile Charles could think of. Charles gave Rosalind a thankful smile that almost knocked her off and she only saw him disappearing through the next door. She still couldn’t believe that her daughter dated the Prince of Wales, that she, Rosalind, had hugged and kissed him already, and that Charles seemed to be besotted with Camilla. Charles hadn’t fully reached the garden when he heard the most gorgeous laughter he had ever heard. The expectant smile upon his face got even wider and his steps became even quicker and more determined. The Shand’s garden was huge, but Charles just followed the noise and finally spotted his girlfriend having a lively chat with her father while reaping the apples. Bruce spotted Charles, but quickly Charles gave him a sign to keep quiet. Trying to suppress a grin, Bruce tried to concentrate on his daughter again. But of course Camilla had noticed the change in her father’s face and turned around.

And suddenly she began to squeal, a more than rapt smile upon her face, “Chaaaaarles!,” and run into her boyfriend’s wide-spread arms. “Darling,” Charles breathed, pressing Camilla strongly against his body before he felt her yearning kiss. He felt like flying. Two weeks without Camilla were way more than he could actually bear. “Hello beautiful one,” he breathed enchanted after he’d pulled away from her. He kissed her nose with tenderness. “Let me say hello to your dad,” Charles grinned and turned to Bruce who had discreetly disappeared behind the old apple tree. Actually he didn’t want to let loose of her, but if there was one character trait that was extraordinarily strong, it was Charles’ sense of duty. With a warm handshake the two men greeted each other and Bruce gave Charles a warm pat on the shoulder. Quickly the Shand’s had become the family Charles had always wanted to have, and he hoped that he would have them in his life for a very long time, ideally forever.

“I’ve heard you want to help Milla and me with the apples?” Bruce asked and Charles nodded eagerly while Camilla embraced him from behind, her hands on his stomach and her face buried in his neck. “Hopefully not in those clothes?” Bruce grinned and looked down on Charles who was wearing a fine tweed suit and a satin tie. “Have you got something with you?” Of course Charles had. And so Camilla sent him to her room alone, being fully aware that if she went upstairs with him now, the apples surely wouldn’t be reaped by tomorrow. As fast as possible Charles changed his clothes and went back outside. Though allegedly he hadn’t reaped apples before, Charles turned out to be a natural- he just was with everything that had to do with plants and gardens, as Camilla remarked proudly. The garden had the most beautiful autumnal colours and the sun sent almost burning rays down to earth on that golden October day. Charles wasn’t sure what smelled more wonderful, the scent of apples, fallen leaves and asters or Camilla’s hair that scented of violets. Her beauty, however, beat the pants off nature.

And though Charles loved talking with Bruce and having him around, he couldn’t wait to be alone with his girlfriend. But the tree was full with apples and they all wanted to be reaped, just like in one of the fairy tales Charles remembered from his childhood, Mother Hulda. Under giggles Camilla threw an apple to each her father and Charles and, sitting on a very thick branch right in the middle of the tree- Charles wondered how she’d even gotten there-, bit into an apple with a crackling noise. Both, Bruce and Charles, hoped that Camilla would never change. “They’re delicious, aren’t they?” she grinned and hopped down. Charles still stared at the apple he had caught, unsure if he should and could dare a bite or not. Camilla just snuggled against his chest and held her apple with the bite mark against Charles’ mouth, almost forcing him to taste it. “Delicious!” Charles smacked with an almost boyish face. Sinking down in his girlfriend’s eyes he forgot everything around him for a while, until Rosalind suddenly called for dinner and the sun began to disappear.

Happily Charles munched Rosalind’s stew, definitely the best food he’d had since at least three weeks, while he held Camilla’s hand all of the time. Only once he took his gaze away from her when Rosalind cleared her throat: “Are you… are you staying the night? Because I’d prepare the guestroom for you, Charles.” Before Charles could reply Camilla giggled heartily. “Charles is going to sleep in my bed, mummy, we don’t need the guestroom.” Charles blushed heavily, but it endeared him a lot to Rosalind, whose face had flushed as well. “Oh,” she replied, “I see…” It wouldn’t have happened in her days, and actually she wasn’t very fond of that lifestyle, but she knew it were different times, and besides she knew how close the prince and her daughter were. Once they had finished dinner, it was Charles who cleared his throat. He had brought his new camera along and with a serious expression upon his face asked for a photograph with all of them. The self-timer should make that possible, he insisted.

Rosalind was a bit unsure about it at first as she feared she didn’t look neat enough to take a picture with the Prince of Wales, but was finally convinced from Charles’ flattering compliments. He and Bruce and Camilla were still wearing their gardening clothes anyway. Charles was sure he’d never taken such happy family photographs before as there was fun and laughter all the way through. Proudly he held Camilla in his arm, but had Rosalind in the other and smiled brightly, while Bruce had an arm around his wife as well. After they’d taken a few, just to make sure there would be some really good ones, Rosalind insisted on taking some of the young couple alone. She hadn’t to ask twice, at least not Charles. He couldn’t hide the pride and joy to finally hold Camilla in his arms again. X The wind had started to blow cold and some of the crisp fallen leaves rustled as the young couple stepped outside for a short walk. The moon had already risen and was the only light that guided their way. Somewhere far away the church bell sounded nine o’clock, but neither Charles nor Camilla really noticed it. Arm in arm they strolled through their dark silence.

“And, darling, what have you learned at college already?” Camilla asked after some time, bopping Charles’ waist playfully. “Despite trying to survive without you?” Charles stopped walking and embraced Camilla tightly, determined to never let loose of her. “It’s the hardest lesson, lovey.” “Shush,” Camilla placed her index finger on his lips, “I love you.” She moved forward to kiss him on the lips. “And,” she poked him in the ribs, “at least I’m not having the blue funk when you’re on a ship, quite in contrast to when you’re with the RAF…” Charles shook his head, he would never understand her immense fear of flying. He loved flying so much, it was one of the rare occasions when he actually felt free, though he always did when Camilla was with him. Yet, he took her phobia serious. “If you’d fly with me I’d take us to the moon, darling, and there would be no need to be afraid. We could play among the stars. And be sure I’d give my life to save you, my precious.” With gentle lips he kissed Camilla’s forehead and she shivered.

“Shall we go back, right into your cosy bed?” Charles asked when he felt it. Spending almost a whole day outside had made him tired, though he actually didn’t want to sleep, not right now… “Mhmh,” Camilla nodded and pressed Charles against her during their walk, their fingers so strongly intertwined that not even a fallen leaf would have found space between them. X Being dressed in one of Charles’ old shirts she had dispossessed of him a while ago, Camilla flopped down on her comfy bed and patted on the free space on her right side, giving Charles a sign with her index finger to come over. If she only knew how beautiful and seductive she looked, Charles thought, even more as they hadn’t seen for such a long time now. With a slightly shy smile he tilted his head and hopped on the bed; it began to wobble and Camilla giggled, and after a second Charles joined her. Camilla always looked beautiful, Charles mused, but she looked the prettiest when she laughed. It was like aunt Margo always said, happy girls were the prettiest, and if there was one girl on this planet who was genuinely happy, it was Camilla.

He would always love her happy face, Charles knew, and he would love her sad face, though he hoped that he never would see it, that there would only be sunshine on Camilla’s way. Charles wanted to make her as happy as she made him. Lost in thoughts Charles touched her face and tenderly stroked her outlines; from her temples down on her ear, her check bones, her jaw. Charles could look at Camilla for hours, for days, even for years… His face neared hers, but stopped a few millimetres before he touched her lips. “Love can really screw you up before you figure out how to live with it,” he whispered and paused for a while, “and once you do, you wonder how the hell you ever lived without it…” Camilla kept silent for a while. “I want you more than I should,” she heard herself say then, not knowing what exactly she actually wanted to say. “And I love you,” she added with one of those kisses that made Charles’ world turn upside down. Reblog A Rather Different Day Lovingly Bruce watered the flowers arranged round the picture of Rosalind, sighed and remained a short moment to watch her smiling at him.

Now and then he talked to her, told her some news or just mumbled that he missed her. But there wasn´t anything exciting to tell today. Half an hour ago his eldest daughter had called him from Clarence House for a short chat. Charles was out for some engagements and she wanted to use the day for doing early Christmas shopping and asked for Bruce´s wish. Actually he had no wishes beside health, peace and happiness in the family. And Christmas was still weeks ahead. But life of his daughter had changed that much that she couldn´t live without an exactly planning. Meanwhile she run an own small office with two secretaries, was patron of a few charities and often accompanied Charles to official events. But she seemed to enjoy it and Bruce even dared to believe that she was happy. His life in contrast was rather quiet by now. He would go out to check the garden and to water some plants in his glasshouse. Then he will have a small lunch, enjoy a nap and wait for the call of his daughter Annabel later. In the afternoon he would read a book, while the TV sounds in the background. Slowly the day would smooth into the night and he would scuffle into his bedroom until he´d get up in the early morning again.

Moaning Bruce slipped into his worn out Wellington´s, his back and his knees had really seen better days. His daughters tried to convince him to have a gardener, and he easily could afford one. But gardening was one of the things that kept him alive. As long as he was able to go down on his knees he would make his hands dirty. He tried to angle his gardening jacket down from the coat rack as the telephone rung. Bruce was confused. It was too early for Annabel, Mark was elsewhere on this planet, his friends would just call him in the evening, so it was probably just someone trying to sell him stupid things. In his boots Bruce walked over to the phone and determined took the receiver. None of this bloody call centre operators would ever have a chance here! “Hello!,” he almost barked into the phone. “Yes, hello Major Shand?,” it sounded friendly obviously out of a driving car. Bruce was still confused, but the caller introduced himself as the private secretary of The Prince of Wales. And if he was ready to take on the call from His Royal Highness. Bruce was unsure if this guy just wanted to send him up.

He could count on ten fingers how often Charles had called him in his life without Camilla to be first in the line. But then he really could make out Charles´s voice in the background impatient waiting for an answer. And he entirely was sure as Charles obviously had grabbed the mobile and confused asked if he had some buttons to press now. But suddenly it started to panic inside Bruce. Why on earth Charles should call him out of the blue!? Maybe there is something wrong with….Bruce didn´t dare to think further, but excited called: “Charles? Charles? Hello?” Charles´s voice came nearer until it clearly sounded in Bruce ear: “Yes, hello. It´s Charles here.” Bruce had a slightly dry mouth: “Yes, Charles. Hello! What´s wrong?” Charles frowned: “Nothing is wrong! I just wanted to call you!” Bruce wasn´t convinced: “Is something wrong with Camilla?” “No! She is fine!,” Charles wondered. Bruce exhaled relieved: “Alright. So what´s really up, Charles?” “Uumm…I just wanted to ask…I have a few engagements in your surrounding area. And, maybe…,” Bruce didn´t know that Charles´s heart suddenly heavy bumped.

“Mmhh…?,” he just asked into the break. Charles behaviour was a bit strange today. Charles grabbed the mobile tighter: “So, I just wanted to ask if I…if I can come to visit afterwards.” Of course he could, but why? He always was so busy, Bruce really couldn´t imagine the reason, as not even Camilla was by his side. “Yes, of course you can come along. Isn´t there really something wrong, Charles?” Charles lightly stuttered: “No, no. Not at all. I just wanted to…ask…,” he exhaled, “I just wanted to talk to you.” Bruce confusion got more: “Yes, it´s fine. But you can tell me now as well.” “No, no!,” Charles hastily answered, “not now…it´s better if we…,” he paused. Bruce had absolutely no idea what Charles wanted to ask or tell him, but: “Alright, Charles. When will you be here?” Charles´s voice sounded somehow relieved now: “I guess in the early afternoon. Shall we call again?” “No, just come along. I´m home.

What else should I do.” Indeed, somehow Bruce looked forward to a little variation in his daily routine. And he was curious now what Charles just could have on his mind. Some hours later a caravan of a few cars arrived and wildly parked on Bruce´s driveway, making some noise. Charles immediately jumped out and went over to the main door. Bruce had noticed them already and chuckled as Charles unnecessarily rung the bell. He scuffled over to the door in his slippers, shouting: “I´m coming, I´m coming!” He turned around the huge key in the lock, opened the door and looked into Charles´s face that somehow excited stared at him. Charles said nothing, just smiling nodded at him. Bruce reached out his hand and as always, still, was surprised about the strong and manly handshake he got then. “Come in, Charles. How are you?” Charles just nodded again: “Sorry for my invasion here. But…Thank you.” Bruce smiled and made a head movement to his staff outside with asking eyes. Charles hastily answered: “No, no! They will wait!” Bruce shrugged shoulders and shut the door. Charles has stepped more into the house but had turned to Bruce and watched him while kneading his hands.

Obviously something was going round in his head, but now as he was to visit Bruce wouldn´t let him go so fast. He would ask a little later. He patted Charles´s back and asked: “Some tea?,” while already walking towards the kitchen. Charles still fiddled at his hands and his eyes followed Bruce, his feet still glued on the ground. “Yeess, yeess…,” he finally answered and almost jumped behind now. “Let me help you!,” he spluttered while looking around in the kitchen for the ingredients. Bruce chuckled, Charles really isn´t known in the family for his kitchen skills. But to his very surprise Charles found all the things he needed for making tea, while Bruce boiled the water. “I clearly see the good impact of my daughter!,” Bruce roared. Charles blushed immediately und almost let fall down a cup of porcelain. But his eyes gleamed in such a happy way now, Bruce was speechless. It still hit him like a hammer how deep the feelings of Charles for his daughter were, and actually had deepened more and more through the years. But Charles felt a bit awkward now and turned away from Bruce, biting his lips and trying to stay calm.

They carried the tray into the living room now and Bruce moaning let fall into his huge arm chair. “Old crock,” he mumbled to himself. Charles waited, fumbling at his signet ring, until Bruce sat comfortable. His face was a bit strained, but his eyes were adorned with a somewhat expecting glance and he constantly chewed is lower lip. He poured some tea into Bruce´s cup and into his own and was about to hand over the tea as Bruce quickly snapped away his cup: “That´s just what I needed! To be served from His Royal Highness!” Charles jaw sagged but he watched into Bruce´s amused face and earned a teasingly hit from him. Usually Charles always laughed about Bruce´s wicked humour, but today his brain needed ages to work out that it was a joke. Under Bruce´s alert eyes he took his own cup and placed down in the opposite chair. Quiet he nodded to him and for a little while they both listened to the ticking of the grandfather clock. “Really nothing wrong, Charles?,” Bruce tilted his head. “No, no, no…everything is fine. Really.,” Charles hastily answered and gulped down a sip of tea.

Bruce didn´t let him out of sight as he sipped his one. But as obviously nothing was to get out of Charles he tried with chitchat: “So, how was your event here? Really friendly people around, aren´t they?” Charles was somehow lost in thoughts, his eyes were focussed on the Persian carpet and he reacted just seconds later with a confused: “Yes, yes, yes…very friendly!” He smiled to Bruce again, a bit exaggerated and his lips formed some words. But he said nothing. Bruce could really feel his strain now, but still he had no idea what was going on inside Charles. Maybe he had worries with his family again, like so often. Or with his staff, or one of his charities. Or maybe a bad article was published and Bruce had missed it. But why he should ask for his, Bruce´s, advice then? Camilla was always the first person he turned to… Suddenly Charles pushed back his cup of tea, cleared his throat and looked down on the carpet again. “I…I….” he looked up with kneading hands to Bruce again, “I wanted to ask you something.” He looked very serious, but very agitated as well.

His eyes again were adorned with a mixture of positive expectation, absolutely nervousness but determination. Bruce pushed aside his cup of tea also and straightened up in his chair, kneaded his hands on his lap and very serious looked back at Charles. Today he really gave him a riddle. Charles got even more nervous and wriggled about on his arm chair. Bruce said nothing and so Charles started to stutter: “Yes, it is…a very…very important thing. Very, very…” Somehow Charles resembled the young, a bit insecure man now he got to know about thirty years ago, Bruce mused. And suddenly Charles deep exhaled, squared his shoulders and jumped up. If the arm chair weren´t so heavy it for sure had slide away. As straight as a pole, almost in navy style, Charles stood in front of Bruce´s chair, his eyes glued on his face and with a strong and steady voice he pressed out: “I want you to ask for your daughter´s hand!” No single breath sounded in the living room for a moment. Charles, remaining in his position, stared down to Bruce and Bruce, with a light open mouth, stared up to Charles. He had heard his words, yes, but somehow he couldn´t work out them.

“Wwhhaattt?,” Bruce just stuttered while still looking up. But very slowly something in the back of his head started to work now. Inside Charles the strain started to fade, his brain had finally noticed that it was done. The scene he had imagined since years, the question his heart had longed so much for, it was done. Charles started to breathe again and his body relaxed. Even his face changed, into a soft and relaxed smile, but his eyes were still expectant. Charles exhaled again, made a mini step forward to Bruce and asked anew. His voice was calm now, but still determined and full of the knowledge that he did it right. “I ask you for your daughter´s hand.” He lovingly smiled to Bruce and watched him how he leaned back in his chair, fiddled at his fingers and finally got up, with weak knees. He just embraced Charles very tightly, his excited breathing sounded in Charles´s ear and he mumbled: “What does she say?!” Charles shook his head and grabbed Bruce´s shoulders to look at him. Somehow this situation was so unreal for him, though it was exactly what he badly had wished for.

And…slowly his feet lost ground, slowly everything inside him was enlightened from a new kind of happiness, his body felt so light as if tons of stones were loosened from him. With the happiest and most beaming smile Bruce had ever watched on Charles he answered, while his eyes flooded over with all his heart: “I haven´t ask her yet. I wanted to do it this way. I wanted to do it right, in the way she earns it. I wanted to ask her father for his permission first.” Bruce was more than speechless. He was totally overwhelmed and confused but his heart told him that something very wonderful was just going on. There just could be one answer. With tears in his eyes and an emotional voice Bruce patted Charles´s back: “Yes. Yes! Of course, my dear chap!” Charles face just exploded now in happiness and relieve and he just embraced Bruce, as tight as he was able too. “Thank you, thank you…,” he whispered before he helped him down into his arm chair again. Bruce was really, really moved and rumbled around for a handkerchief.

Eventually he had found what he looked for, tried to dry his flow of tears now and made a hand movement that Charles should sit down again. Bruce still couldn´t believe it. He actually was more than content with the way his daughter had arranged to be the consort of The Prince of Wales. A marriage was totally out of his mind, he never had expected this to be happen. And that his daughter would say “Yes” to Charles was without any question. She had endured so very much to be on his side, much more as most people could bear, Bruce adored her for this. But…”Is there really no one you had talked about it, Charles? Are you sure it is possible at all?,” Bruce frowned suddenly. But Charles beamed to him with an almost boyish face, Bruce had the feeling he could explode each second with his happiness. “Yes, of course, I talked to my mother. And she was alright with it. What else!,” he chuckled as if it was the most easiest thing to marry in his position. Bruce wasn´t convinced: “Yes, well. But the church?! Or the law?!” Charles leaned back confident in his chair: “Be sure, I did everything to left no doubt.

And I would go till the end of the world, and beyond, to marry her!” Charles gaze was determined, in fact Bruce had never seen him more determined. Still wiping his tears he answered Charles with a low voice: “You always had this on your mind, hadn´t you? Since ever?” Charles serious looked back at him, leaned forward a bit and almost whispered with eyes locked at Bruce: “I always wanted to marry her. Always. I never gave up hope. Never.” Bruce´s spine run down a shiver and his tears flooded more again. His heart felt so light now, full of confidence that his daughter would be entirely happy now. More or less silent they drunk their tea now, lost in their thoughts. Charles with a happy and confident smile and the lightest heart while looking into his future that he ever had. Bruce smiling as well, but with a slice of melancholy. He thought of Rosalind and how much he had loved her to be here just right now… Before he opened the main door he embraced Charles again. He was calm again, but happy.

And with his found again mischief he whispered into his ear: “And if she isn´t entirely happy for just one day, then you´ll have me to contend with!” He teasingly boxed Charles´s shoulder and Charles knew, it was as much fun as it was meant in earnest. But Charles determined looked at him: “There won´t be one single second!” Bruce brightly grinned, he knew Charles would care for her in the way he always did and much more, if still possible. Patting Charles´s shoulder he opened the door, but Charles turned around. And out of his heart he said: “I will be very proud to be your son-in-law.” Bruce smiled and watched Charles for a last second. And the young man that hold his daughter so tightly in his arms in the garden of The Laines during his first visit appeared again… ”Go now! Make her happy!” Bruce waved Charles out before the tears in his eyes would be back again. He scuffled back into the living room, to the photo of Rosalind on the cupboard. His index finger gently slipped over her face: “We´ve got good news, darling…”… Loading...

Show more notes Reblog I firmly believe in the importance of igniting a passion for reading in the next generation. My father was a fervent bibliophile, and brilliant storyteller too. Every night, he would read to us children – Enid Blyton and Lewis Carroll, Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope and Baroness Orczy. And we would sit transfixed, disappearing up Faraway trees, down rabbit holes, across Romney Marshes, through the stalls of Barchester Cathedral and into the depths of the Bastille. The power of a captivating story – a well-honed sentence – or a beautifully crafted character is immense, not only taking the reader – or listener – to different worlds, but broadening and stimulating the mind too. — Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall Loading...

Show more notes Reblog As the proud daughter of a 12th Lancer, Major Bruce Shand, who fought with the regiment in France and North Africa alongside the Desert Rats and was awarded the Military Cross in both campaigns, I grew up with the history and traditions of the 12th and subsequently the 9th/12th Lancers and have always felt a deep affinity to the regiment, which is hardly surprising as you are, after all, the ‘Prince of Wales’s own’. I know that wherever my (papa) is tonight he will be drinking a toast to the 9th/12th Royal Lancers, a regiment in which he was so proud to have served. I feel very proud of my connection to this regimental family, and it is with enormous pride that I put on my 9/12th Lancers brooch, which I intend to wear for many years to come.

— The Duchess of Cornwall, 26.02.2015 Major Bruce Shand | The Times Major Bruce Shand January 22, 1917 - June 11, 2006 Published at 12:00AM, June 12 2006 Father of the Duchess of Cornwall, decorated for gallantry during the withrawal from Dunkirk BRUCE SHAND had a calmly philosophical approach to life, even when subjected to extremes of discomfort and danger during the Second World War, but the constant media attention and consequent stress on his family arising from the relationship between the Prince of Wales and his daughter, Camilla, tried his patience. He was a man given to speaking his mind in a straightforward, albeit courteous, manner and there was a story circulated that he eventually suggested to the heir to the throne that the situation required some clarification, as his daughter’s position was being compromised. This is not to suggest that Subscribe now Camilla Parker Bowles - Camilla Parker Bowles Net Worth Camilla Parker Bowles Read more... Camilla Parker Bowles Camilla Parker Bowles Net Worth is ..

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall GCVO CSM (Camilla Rosemary; nA(C)e Shand, previously Parker Bowles; born 17 July 1947), is the second wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, who is the eldest child and heir apparent of Queen Elizabeth II. Instead o... Camilla Parker Bowles Net Worth is . Camilla Parker Bowles Net Worth is . Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall GCVO CSM e Shand, previously Parker Bowles; born 17 July 1947), is the second wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, who is the eldest child and heir apparent of Queen Elizabeth II. Instead of using the title "Princess of Wales", she is styled through her husband's secondary designations as "Duchess of Cornwall" and, in Scotland, "Duchess of Rothesay". These were adopted because of the strong association of the primary title with his first wife, Diana, Princess of Wales. Camilla is the eldest child of Major Bruce Shand and his wife, The Honourable Rosalind Cubitt, the daughter of British aristocrat the 3rd Baron Ashcombe.

She was raised in East Sussex, a county in South East England, and was educated in England, Switzerland and France. Subsequently, she worked for different firms based in central London, most notably the decorating firm Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler. In 1973, Camilla married British Army officer Andrew Parker Bowles, ... Sealed with an air kiss Congratulations are in order for the couple. The good doctor IssacMathai, the Bangalore-based holistic and integrated medicine expert sought after by the likes of Sting and Camilla Parker Bowles, was in town recently, and told this diarist that he is on ... Posted: January 16, 2017, 12:22 pm Kate Middleton, Prince William Divorce Rumors: Camilla Parker-Bowles Tearing The Couple Apart? [VIDEO] It looks like there's a good reason why you never see Kate Middleton standing next to Camilla Parker Bowles in pictures, even at royal family functions. There's a new rumor that says Prince Charles' wife supposedly tried to tear things apart between the ...

Posted: April 17, 2016, 2:37 pm Related PostsPrincess Charlotte’s 2016 Best PictureHow Much Did Catherine Duchess of Cambridge’s Wardrobe Cost For Royal... HOT SALE!!! FREE SHIPPING!!! TOP FASHION EARRINGS DRILLING WITH CRYSTAL GREEN FREE SHIPPING HOT SALE!!! FREE SHIPPING! Posted: January 11, 2017, 12:00 am The Jump 2017 trailer sees the line up of celebrities flying through the air Rounding off the line up are model Vogue Williams and Camilla Parker Bowles’ niece Emma Parker Bowles. However, it's not yet clear which will make the starting line up, with some stars usually training on standby in case one of the main cast is injured. Posted: January 18, 2017, 5:15 am Born on July 17, 1947 CONTACT INFO MORE INFO About This is just a fan page!!! I do not own the rights of the pictures and contents I post. Biography The Duchess of Cornwall supports her husband, The Prince of Wales, in carrying out his work and duties as Heir to The Throne.

She also undertakes public engagem...ents on behalf of her own charities. Since her marriage to The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall has become Patron or President of a number of charities and attends events to support them on a regular basis. Her Royal Highness is a devoted grandmother and spends time with her five grandchildren whenever she can. On 9th April 2012, Buckingham Palace announced that Her Majesty The Queen had appointed The Duchess of Cornwall to be a Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO). The Duchess of Cornwall is the daughter of Major Bruce Middleton Hope Shand and the Hon Rosalind Maud Shand (nee Cubitt). She was born Camilla Rosemary Shand on 17th July 1947 at King’s College Hospital, London, the eldest of three children. Her Royal Highness has a sister, Annabel Elliot, and a brother, Mark Shand. The Duchess is the great-great-great-granddaughter of Sir Allan MacNab, who was prime minister of the Province of Canada before Confederation and the builder of Dundurn Castle in Hamilton.

The Prince and Duchess made their first visit to Canada together in 2009 and visited Dundurn Castle which is a National Historic Site. Following the visit, Her Royal Highness agreed to become Patron of the Dundurn National Historic Site. Her parents, Major Shand and the Hon Rosalind Cubitt, the daughter of the 3rd Baron Ashcombe, married on 2nd January 1946 at St Paul’s, Knightsbridge. After the birth of their children, the Shand family lived in East Sussex from 1951 onwards. Major Shand, MC and Bar, was Vice Lord Lieutenant of East Sussex and Master of the South Down Hounds for 19 years. He died on Sunday 11th June 2006 aged 89 at his home in Dorset. Mrs Rosalind Shand was 72 when she died in 1994 as a result of osteoporosis. The Duchess's grandmother had died from the same condition eight years earlier. The Duchess was first educated at Dumbrells School, a co-ed school in Sussex, and then attended Queen’s Gate School in South Kensington.

She also attended Mon Fertile finishing school in Switzerland and studied at the Institut Britannique in Paris. Her Royal Highness married Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles at the Guards Chapel, Wellington Barracks on 4th July 1973. The couple had two children, Thomas Henry and Laura Rose, born in 1974 and 1978 respectively. The marriage was dissolved in 1995. On 9th April 2005 The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall married at the Guildhall in Windsor in a civil ceremony. Afterwards, there was a Service of Prayer and Dedication at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, presided over by the Archbishop of Canterbury, followed by a wedding reception at Windsor Castle hosted by Her Majesty The Queen. In September 2005, The Duchess of Cornwall, accompanied by The Prince of Wales, Prince William and Prince Harry, attended the wedding of her son Tom Parker Bowles and Sara Buys at St Nicholas Church, Rotherfield Greys near Henley, Oxfordshire. The Prince of Wales is godfather to Tom Parker Bowles.

In May 2006, The Duchess of Cornwall, accompanied by The Prince of Wales, Prince William and Prince Harry, attended the wedding of her daughter Laura Parker Bowles to Harry Lopes at St Cyriac's Church in Lacock, Wiltshire. In June 2006, The Duchess of Cornwall, accompanied by The Prince of Wales, attended the private family funeral of her father Major Bruce Shand at Holy Trinity Church in Stourpaine, Dorset. Princes William and Harry also attended the Major's funeral. Her Royal Highness has five grandchildren. It is intended that The Duchess of Cornwall will use the title HRH The Princess Consort when The Prince of Wales accedes to the Throne. All possibly lead conversations are fictional. See More Gender CAMILLA SUPPORTED BY FAMILY AT FATHER'S FUNERAL CAMILLA SUPPORTED BY FAMILY AT FATHER'S FUNERAL SEND TO A FRIEND 16 JUNE 2006 A visibly heartbroken Camilla bid farewell to her beloved father Major Bruce Shand at his funeral on Friday. The Duchess of Cornwall was joined by 150 mourners including Prince Charles and his sons at the private service held in Dorset.

Major Bruce, a decorated war veteran of El Alemain, passed away last Sunday with his family at his bedside after a long illness. The 89-year-old lived with his daughter Annabelle in Stourpaine, Dorset, in his later years. As the mourners left the 45-minute service at Holy Trinity Church, Camilla's daughter Laura was comforted by her new husband Harry Lopes. The Duchess' son, Tom, had earlier read the moving poem When I Am Dead by Christina Rossetti, and the congregation sang hymns including Jerusalem and I Vow To Thee My Country. Others paying their respects included Camilla's former husband Andrew Parker Bowles, former chancellor Lord Howe and the actor Edward Fox. In March this year Camilla travelled to El Alemain to pay tribute on her father's behalf at the graves of two of his fallen comrades.

Question: Who is the most famous daughter of Major Bruce Shand
Answer: Camilla Parker Bowles