How Queen Camilla’s hero father Major Bruce Shand earned his spurs with the Lancers

It was an emotional day for Queen Camilla, who earlier today visited The Royal Lancers – the regiment where her future father served – in North Yorkshire for the first time since her appointment as Colonel-in-Chief.

Despite winning a Military Cross for bravery, Major Bruce Shand was a modest and self-effacing man who chose not to talk about his war exploits until his grandchildren were born.

It took his daughter, now the king’s wife, to persuade him to write a book, Previous Engagements, about his time in uniform.

It was published in 1990 and she said it was “a huge weight off his mind to be able to tell people about it.”

Major Shand, who died in June 2006, was commissioned into the 12th Royal Lancers in 1937 after graduating from Sandhurst.

In 1940 he found himself in France facing the Germans on their journey to the sea. He withdrew to the coast with his men and narrowly avoided capture before being evacuated from Dunkirk.

The citation for his Military Cross speaks of Shand’s ‘skill and great daring’ and how, through ‘the fearless maneuvering of his troops, he covered the withdrawal of a column under fire from four enemy tanks’.

Major Shand also saw action in North Africa and was ordered to slip through enemy lines on a reconnaissance mission at the Battle of El Alamein.

Faced with a German motorized column that pounded his men with heavy fire, he covered the withdrawal of the 1st/6th Rajputana Rifles and organized the evacuation of twenty armored personnel carriers, which would otherwise have fallen into enemy hands.

Once again his tremendous bravery was recognized by others, this time with the recommendation that he be awarded a bar to his MC. According to the citation, he had proven himself to be a cavalry leader of ‘the first order’.

He was later introduced to Winston Churchill, who admired Major Shand’s medal – and commented on how thin it was.

In November 1942, his luck finally ran out when he was captured by retreating German troops.

His radio operator was killed along with his driver as they tried to flee. And as he stepped out of their burning vehicle, Major Shand himself was shot in the knee.

He was taken to Germany and spent the rest of the war as a prisoner in Spangenberg Castle, Hesse.

After returning home he married Rosalind Cubitt, daughter of Lord Ashcombe. Camilla was the first of their three children.

The Queen was reintroduced to some of her father’s history when she sweetly met young children of soldiers during her visit.

On her way to the barracks on Monday, Her Majesty, dressed in a striking military-inspired outfit with chain mail on the shoulders, met young people who were very excited to meet the Queen.

Five-year-old Edie Pritchard spent days perfecting her bows before meeting the Queen for the first time on Monday, but quickly became overwhelmed by the gravity of the situation.

Shortly after presenting Camilla with a beautiful bouquet of flowers, the little boy jumped up and down on the spot before quickly running after her mother, Georgie Pritchard, who continued to talk to the Queen about the weather.

Mrs Pritchard, whose husband is Major Tom Pritchard, the officer commanding B Squadron, said: ‘She has been so excited for a week that she has been practicing her swear words at home.

“I only told her today that she was going to hand over the flowers to her because I thought it would be too much for her.

“She was absolutely thrilled, it’s every girl’s dream to meet the Queen.”

She went on to say that the Queen’s visit meant so much to the regiment, saying: ‘Being connected to the regiment through her family, it not only feels like a day job when she is here, it feels like she wants to be . here. You really get that feeling when you talk to her. She’s interested and she cares, and that’s really nice.”

Other little ones bowed to the royal family, with one boy saying: ‘It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty’ before being praised for his ‘great bow’.

The young fans then shook hands with Camilla, before she commented: “You have cold fingers, you’ll have to warm them up.”

Her Majesty, who accepted the appointment last June, wore a blue Fiona Clare dress modeled on the Lancers uniform with a red mandarin collar and a cheerful beret containing the regimental brooch that belonged to the late Queen Elizabeth II, who was the previous holder . of the position.

Interestingly, the designer’s son is also a captain in the Lancers and was present at the event.

The Queen was greeted by Lord Lieutenant, Jo Ropner, and Colonel of the Regiment, Colonel Richard Charrington at Cambrai Lines in the Munster Barracks at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire.

She was then received with a royal salute before braving the rain to inspect some of the 152 Lancers on parade.

Camilla then gave a very personal speech, recalling her father’s first impression of the regiment as relaxed and friendly – ​​especially the senior NCOs who he later wrote: ‘took my training in hand and tactfully but firmly guided my plodding steps. They were very skilled sitters with a decidedly un-sitter-like capacity for beer.”

Eight-seven years later, she added, the atmosphere was thankfully unchanged, but she joked, “Although I won’t ask about the NCOs’ beer capacity!”

Referring to upcoming deployments to Poland, Kosovo and Cyprus, she said: “The Lancers have always struck me for their family spirit, whose comfort and support I have experienced as a daughter of the regiment, and I am happy to see so many families and members of the Old Comrades Association here today. Especially now, when so many of your loved ones want to go abroad.

‘During the retreat of the British Expeditionary Force to Dunkirk, battling treacherous fatigue, poor mapping and an ever-advancing enemy force, my father reflected: ‘My troops were great’ and ‘I know as a troop leader how much I owe to these troops have. …soldiers”.

“As you look forward to a deployment of challenge and complexity, I know this fierce camaraderie of the Lancers will be repeated as you strive to make our world a safer place.

“I wish you all the best in the coming months, good luck and a very safe return.”