How The Tragic Passing Of Queen Camilla’s Younger Brother In An Untimely Accident Affected Her Deeply

Jul 19, 2024

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Even before King Charles III’s accession to the throne, the public kept its eyes focused on Queen Camilla. She had become one of the most controversial figures to join the British royal family. Before marrying King Charles III on April 9, 2005, Charles and Camilla met in 1970 at a polo match. According to Britannica, many people in their circle of friends assumed that Charles would propose to Camilla. But after they broke up, in 1973 the then-25-year-old Camilla wed British Army officer Andrew Parker Bowles.

The couple had two children together, but eventually divorced in 1995. Throughout the course of their first marriages, King Charles III and Camilla continued their romantic connection. According to NBC News, in the 1990s, the public blamed Camilla for the devastating end of Princess Diana and Charles’s marriage. The British tabloids often referred to Camilla as the "third person" in Diana and Charles' relationship. She was even regarded as one of, if not the, "most hated woman in Britain."

Amid the controversy that surrounded Camilla’s marriage to Charles, she had plenty of support in the form of her siblings: her sister Annabel Elliot and brother Mark Shand.

Born Camilla Rosemary Shand on July 17, 1947, the now queen is the daughter of Major Bruce Middleton Hope Shand and the Hon. Rosalind Maud Shand. The three Shand children reportedly grew up in an unusually down-to-earth environment, despite their parents being part of the elite in Britain. Camilla’s father was Vice Lord Lieutenant of East Sussex and a wine merchant while her mother came from a wealthy family. They lived in a seven-bedroom country estate home in Plumpton, Sussex, called The Laines. Camilla studied at a prestigious local school before attending finishing school in Switzerland and France.

Read on to learn more about her childhood and how she was badly affected by the untimely passing of one of her beloved siblings.

According to Camilla, she and her sister, Annabel, who is two years younger, and their brother, Mark, who was born in 1951 and is the youngest of the three, spent their younger days in picturesque bliss.

“I was one of the very lucky ones. I had the idyllic childhood right in the country, sitting on the South Downs with my brother and my sister and our pets and our ponies. I think it was a very simple childhood,” she recalled. 

“Life was very laid-back. The awful thing is, I suppose I thought life was always going to be like that … It certainly gave us all a very good grounding, because we could start off with a smile on our face. As far as I remember it was perfect,” she added.

However, even the Shand children weren’t spared from the usual sibling rivalry and childhood sparring. “My brother had a very bad temper and was quite spoiled sometimes, but it was very evenly shared out,” Camilla recounted.

This sentiment was echoed by Mark in another interview, in which he described Camilla as “everybody’s favorite.”

“She could do no wrong, and when she did I was blamed,” he added. 

Annabel, too, remembered an “enchanted” and loving childhood:

“Unlike a lot of our generation, we had this incredibly warm, easy relationship with our parents. We didn’t have nannies. All our friends growing up would immediately be drawn to my mother. She was completely straightforward, and one of the warmest, kindest people.” 

A family friend, interior decorator Jane Churchill, said the siblings’ childhood was “odd” because “they were brought up in a completely unsnobbish way. That’s where Camilla has the edge. It’s no different to her to talk to a duke or a dustman. And Mark was the same.”

The Shand children’s happy childhood allowed the trio to form tight bonds with one another into adulthood. Annabel and Camilla have stayed close well into their 70s. As an interior designer, Annabel has renovated a handful of King Charles III and Camilla’s estates. She also served as one of Camilla’s Ladies in Attendance during the king’s coronation. Annabel is also often seen accompanying her sister at public events.

The two sisters were also very close to their little brother, Mark, whom they always saw as the coddled youngest son. Mark also had a rebellious streak and was once expelled from Milton Abbey School for smoking cannabis. Mark, who developed a deep love for wildlife and adventure from a young age, went on to become a renowned travel writer and conservationist. Mark was best known for his dedication to elephant conservation. He co-founded the charity Elephant Family in 2002, aiming to save the endangered Asian elephant and its habitat.

Mark tragically passed away on April 23, 2014. After attending a fundraising auction at Sotheby’s in New York City the night before, he attended an after-party at The Diamond Horseshoe nightclub. While stepping outside the club to smoke a cigarette, he lost his balance and fell, striking his head on the pavement. Despite being rushed to the hospital and the medical team's efforts, Mark succumbed to his injuries and passed away at the age of 62. 

Camilla was “utterly devastated” by Mark’s “sudden and tragic loss,” according to an official statement. At Mark’s funeral in the Holy Trinity Church in Dorset, Camilla appeared visibly upset, with tears in her eyes, as Charles held her hand and Annabel followed behind them.

It’s clear Camilla shared a close bond with her brother bolstered by their idyllic childhood and that her memories of him will forever remain close to her heart.

Are you surprised to hear about Camilla’s idyllic childhood and her close relationships with her brother and sister? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to friends and family, too.