Bruce George Ronald Murray, 12th Duke of Atholl OStJ (born 5/6 April 1960), is a South African-born

hereditary peer The hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. As of September 2022, there are 807 hereditary peers: 29 dukes (including five royal dukes), 34 marquesses, 190 earls, 111 viscounts, and 443 barons (disregarding subsidi ...

in the

Peerage of Scotland The Peerage of Scotland ( gd, Moraireachd na h-Alba, sco, Peerage o Scotland) is one of the five divisions of peerages in the United Kingdom and for those peers created by the King of Scots before 1707. Following that year's Treaty of Unio ...

and

Chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the bo ...

Clan Murray Clan Murray () is a Highland Scottish clan. The chief of the Clan Murray holds the title of Duke of Atholl. Their ancestors were the Morays of Bothwell who established the family in Scotland in the 12th century. In the 16th century, descendants ...

.Three Generations of the Atholl family to be on parade at Blair Castle
– website VisitScotland Perthshire As

Duke of Atholl Duke of Atholl, named for Atholl in Scotland, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland held by the head of Clan Murray. It was created by Queen Anne in 1703 for John Murray, 2nd Marquess of Atholl, with a special remainder to the heir male of ...

, he has the right to raise Europe's only legal

private army A private army (or private military) is a military or paramilitary force consisting of armed combatants who owe their allegiance to a private person, group, or organization, rather than a nation or state. History Private armies may form when ...

, the

Atholl Highlanders The Atholl Highlanders is a Scottish ceremonial infantry regiment. They are the only remaining private army in Europe, and act as the personal bodyguard to the Duke of Atholl, chieftain of the Clan Murray, a family that has thrived in Perthshire ...

, a unique privilege granted to his family by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

after visiting

Blair Atholl Blair Atholl (from the Scottish Gaelic: ''Blàr Athall'', originally ''Blàr Ath Fhodla'') is a village in Perthshire, Scotland, built about the confluence of the Rivers Tilt and Garry in one of the few areas of flat land in the midst of the Gr ...

in 1844.

Early life and career

The elder son of

John Murray, 11th Duke of Atholl John Murray, 11th Duke of Atholl (19 January 1929 – 15 May 2012), was a South African-born hereditary peer of the Peerage of Scotland, hereditary Clan Chief of Clan Murray, and Colonel-in-Chief of the Atholl Highlanders. As Duke of Atholl, h ...

, and Margaret Yvonne Leach, now styled the Dowager Duchess of Atholl,Information on Murray, Bruce George Ronald
– website Royal Genealogy Page of the Department of Computer Science,

University of Hull , mottoeng = Bearing the Torch f learning, established = 1927 – University College Hull1954 – university status , type = Public , endowment = £18.8 million (2016) , budget = £190 million ...

Charles Mosley, editor, Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 106th edition, 2 volumes (Crans, Switzerland: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 1999), volume 1, page 133. graduated from Jeppe High School for Boys Johannesburg in 1979. He was educated at Saasveld Forestry College before serving his two years' National Service with the

South African Infantry Corps The South African Army Infantry Formation supervises all infantry within the South African Army. History Origins: Union Defence Force South African Infantry originated as the ''Infantry Branch'' of the Union Defence Forces in 1913. In 1915, ...

. He is currently a volunteer member of the

Transvaal Scottish Regiment Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

, holding the rank of lieutenant. Previously he managed a tea plantation, but then ran a signage business producing signs for commercial buildings. He was commissioned into the

in 2000, being appointed as lieutenant colonel. Upon the death of his father on 15 May 2012, he succeeded to all his father's titles, becoming the 12th

Marriages and children

The Duke first married on 4 February 1984, in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a Megacity#List of megacities, megacity, and is List of urban areas by p ...

, to Lynne Elizabeth Andrew (born

, 7 June 1963), daughter of Nicholas George Andrew of

Bedfordview Bedfordview is an affluent suburb in western Ekurhuleni, sharing an administrative boundary with the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, Gauteng, South Africa. Bedfordview has been part of the City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipalit ...

, South Africa (born

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

East Sussex East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East ...

, June 1939) and wife Evelyn Donne de Villiers, and they divorced in 2003. Together they had three children, two sons and one daughter: * Michael Bruce John Murray,

Marquess of Tullibardine Duke of Atholl, named for Atholl in Scotland, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland held by the head of Clan Murray. It was created by Queen Anne in 1703 for John Murray, 2nd Marquess of Atholl, with a special remainder to the heir male of ...

(born in

Louis Trichardt Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) Louis is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Antoine Louis (1723–1792), French surgeon and physiol ...

, 5 March 1985) * Lord David Nicholas George Murray (born in

, 31 January 1986) * Lady Nicole Murray (born in

Duiwelskloof Modjadjiskloof, formerly Duiwelskloof, is a small town situated at the foot of the escarpment in the Limpopo province of South Africa. The village is 18 km north of Tzaneen. Surveyed in 1919 and proclaimed in 1920, it was administered by a ...

, 11 July 1987); married to Peter Piek He married secondly Charmaine Myrna du Toit in 2009, without issue.

References

* "Burke's Peerage and Baronetage" * http://www.van-gool.info/Leach.htm * http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/d/u/p/Amanda-M-Du-plessis/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0011.html * http://www.southafricansettlers.com/

External links

Profile
clanmurray.org
Profile
burkespeerage.com
Bruce Murray, 12th Duke of Atholl
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atholl, Bruce Murray, 12th Duke of 1960 births Bruce 112 Dukes of Rannoch Living people Officers of the Order of St John South African people of Afrikaner descent South African people of Scottish descent