Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

Sir Simon Christie Cooper, (born 1936) is a retired

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

officer who served as

Major-General commanding the Household Division The Major-General commanding the Household Division commands the Household Division of the British Army and is also the General Officer Commanding London District. In British Army parlance, "The Major-General" always refers to the Major-Genera ...

and General Officer Commanding London District and later

Master of the Household The Master of the Household is the operational head (see Chief operating officer) of the "below stairs" elements of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom. The role has charge of the domestic staff, from the Royal Kitchens, the pages and foot ...

to the Sovereign.

Military career

Born the son of Major General Kenneth Cooper and educated at

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of ...

and at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Cooper was commissioned into the Life Guards in 1956. He served in Aden, then in London, and in the

British Army of the Rhine There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War and the other after the Second World War. Both formations had areas of responsibility located ...

from 1957 to 1963 when he became Adjutant of the Household Cavalry Regiment. He next became Aide-de-Camp to the

Chief of the General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) is a post in many armed forces (militaries), the head of the military staff. List * Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ( United States) * Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia) * Chief of General Staff (Af ...

in 1965. In 1966 and 1967 he served in

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and ea ...

during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation and Malaya during the Malayan Emergency. Cooper attended the Staff College, Camberley in 1968, and qualified as a staff officer. From 1969 to 1975 he was in the British Army of the Rhine, and was commanding officer of the Life Guards from 1974 to 1976. He then served as a General Staff Officer at the Staff College from 1976 to 1978 when he became officer commanding the

Household Cavalry The Household Cavalry (HCav) is made up of the two most senior regiments of the British Army, the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons). These regiments are divided between the Household Cavalry Regiment sta ...

and

Silver Stick The Gold Stick and the Silver Stick are bodyguard positions in the British Royal Household, personal attendants to the Sovereign on ceremonial occasions. Gold Stick Although now only in evidence on ceremonial and state occasions, the offi ...

to Her Majesty

The Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

. In 1981 and 1982 he was officer commanding the

Royal Armoured Corps The Royal Armoured Corps is the component of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 Tank and the Scimitar Reconnaissance Vehicle. It includes most of the ...

Centre. In 1983 Cooper attended the

Royal College of Defence Studies The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest lev ...

. He was promoted to major general on 20 October 1983, and was Director of the

from 1984 to 1987 when he was appointed Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.Royal Armouries
From 1989 to 1991 he was

and General Officer Commanding London District. He retired on 26 August 1991. He was

to the Sovereign from 1992 to 2000. He was also made an Extra Equerry in 1992. He was also made Honorary

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

of the

Royal Yeomanry The Royal Yeomanry (RY) is the senior reserve light cavalry regiment of the British Army. Equipped with Supacat Jackal variants, their role is to conduct mounted and dismounted formation reconnaissance. The Regimental Headquarters is located in ...

(Westminster Dragoons) in 1987. Cooper was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 1991 on completion of his term commanding the Household Division, and was advanced to

Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

on his retirement as Master of the Household in 2000.

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Simon 1936 births Living people British Army major generals British Army personnel of the Malayan Emergency Equerries Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order British Life Guards officers Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst People educated at Winchester College Masters of the Household University of Toronto alumni Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley Commandants of Sandhurst Academics of the Staff College, Camberley