Queen Camille has managed to keep the memory of her late brother, Mark Shand, alive in a sweet way that is still the case, ten years after his death.
Mark Shand – a British travel writer and conservationist – died on April 23, 2014after he tripped and hit his head while trying to light a cigarette outside a New York hotel following a fundraising auction at the age of 62.
Camilla spoke to the Times at the time about the moment she picked up the phone to hear the devastating news, saying: 'A haunted voice on the other end of the line told me something terrible had happened to my indestructible brother.
“My charismatic and sometimes angry brother, who had survived tsunamis, shipwrecks, poisoned arrows and even the fearsome Komodo dragons, was no longer with us.”
But it seems that even after all these years since his death… the queen has worked hard to keep alive the memory of her beloved brother, with the support of her husband, King Charles.
The King and Queen are both royal presidents of the Elephant Family, Mark's wildlife charity which he co-founded in 2002.
The goal is to protect the Asian elephant from extinction in the wild.
The royal couple have taken part in many initiatives that aim to raise awareness and help conserve Asia's wildlife, including The Big Egg Hunt and the CoExistence campaign.
CoExistence saw 125 life-size lantana elephant sculptures displayed in London's Royal Parks during the summer months of 2021.
The campaign has raised awareness and raised over £3 million to help people and wildlife around the world better co-exist.
Four of these sculptures, modeled on wild elephants in India, can now be found in Highgrove House – King Charles' residence in Gloucestershire – where visitors can see them in the Orchard Room Meadow.
Highgrove's website states: “These sculptures are a source of celebration and contemplation as part of the CoExistence campaign launched in 2021 as a collaboration between The Real Elephant Collective and Elephant Family, with joint Presidents Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla. “
Last June, Charles and Camilla attended the Animal Ball, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Elephant Family, where they presented the Mark Shand Award to members of the Adivasi tribal community from the Nilgiri Mountains in India.