John Miller (equerry)
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Lieutenant Colonel Sir John Mansel Miller, (4 February 1919 – 17 May 2006) was a
British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
officer and equestrian who served as
Crown Equerry The Crown Equerry is the operational head of the Royal Mews of the Royal Household of the Monarch, Sovereign of the United Kingdom. As executive head of the Royal Mews Department, he is responsible for the provision of vehicular transport for the ...
to Queen
Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
from 1961 to 1987.


Early life and education

Miller was born in 1919 at the family estate of
Shotover Park Shotover Park (also called Shotover House) is an 18th-century country house and park near Wheatley, Oxfordshire, England. The house, garden and parkland are Grade I-listed with English Heritage, and 18 additional structures on the property are a ...
in Wheatley, Oxfordshire, the third son of Brigadier General Alfred Douglas Miller and Ella Geraldine (''née'' Fletcher). His mother was a descendant of political writer Andrew Fletcher, and of the Earls of Wemyss and March. His maternal great-grandfather
Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot FRS (10 May 1803 – 17 January 1890) was a Welsh landowner, industrialist and Liberal politician. He developed his estate at Margam near Swansea as an extensive ironworks, served by railways and a port, which ...
was Member of Parliament for
Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...
for 60 years and
Father of the House Father of the House is a title that has been traditionally bestowed, unofficially, on certain members of some legislatures, most notably the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. In some legislatures the title refers to the longest continuously ...
. His great-great grandfather was Richard Butler, 1st Earl of Glengall. Miller grew up at Shotover Park, which had been purchased by his father in late 19th century. He was educated at
Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...
, followed by the
Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC) was a United Kingdom, British military academy for training infantry and cavalry Officer (armed forces), officers of the British Army, British and British Indian Army, Indian Armies. It was founded in 1801 at Gre ...
.


Career


Military service

On 26 January 1939, Miller was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the
Welsh Guards The Welsh Guards (WLSH GDS; ), part of the Guards and Parachute Division, Guards Division, is one of the Foot guards, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. It was founded in 1915 as a single-battalion regiment, during the World War I, First ...
, and was given the
service number A service number or roll number is an identification code used to identify a person within a large group. Service numbers are most often associated with the military; however, they also may be used in civilian organizations. National identificati ...
of 85599. He served with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) after the outbreak of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
that September. Serving with the regiment's 1st Battalion, part of the 32nd Guards Brigade of Major General Allan Adair's
Guards Armoured Division The Guards Armoured Division was an armoured division of the British Army during the Second World War. The division was created in the United Kingdom on 17 June 1941 during the Second World War from elements of the Guards units, the Grenadie ...
, he was a courageous soldier who distinguished himself during the war, and was honoured for his bravery during and after the Allied
invasion of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 ( D-Day) with the ...
in June 1944. He was awarded the
Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...
(MC) in December 1944, while serving as a major commanding a company in the 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards, with the citation noting, "that in the North Western Europe theatre of operations, after
D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...
, in the face of heavy shelling, he kept his beleaguered men together, continually exposing himself to enemy fire, with complete disregard for his survival." In March 1945, Miller was awarded the
Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...
for "re-establishing, again at great risk to himself, two companies of his regiment, scattered after a fierce enemy tank attack." Also same month, he commanded the first British troops to enter
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
when it was liberated in September. Followed the war, Miller served as ''aide-de-camp'' from 1945 to 1947 to Field Marshal Lord Wilson, head of the British Joint Staff Mission in Washington, D.C. From 1958 to 1961, Miller commanded the 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards.


Equestrian and crown equerry

Horses formed an integral part of Miller's childhood at the family estate, Shotover House, where he rode with the South Oxfordshire Hunt. Miller was a contender to make the United Kingdom's equestrian
eventing Eventing (also known as three-day eventing or horse trials) is an equestrian event where the same horse and rider combination compete against other competitors across the three disciplines of dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. This ...
team for the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, but he suffered a fractured vertebra in a fall that prevented him from making the team. In 1972, he was a member of the first-place British team at the Equestrian World Driving Championships in
Münster Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...
, where he also claimed an individual silver medal. He won a second gold medal with the British team at the 1974 World Championships in
Frauenfeld Frauenfeld (Alemannic German, Alemannic: ''Frauefäld'') is the capital of the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Canton of Thurgau, Thurgau in Switzerland. The official language of Frauenfeld is (the Swiss variety of Standard) Swiss Standard Ge ...
, Switzerland. In April 1961, Queen Elizabeth appointed Miller as
Crown Equerry The Crown Equerry is the operational head of the Royal Mews of the Royal Household of the Monarch, Sovereign of the United Kingdom. As executive head of the Royal Mews Department, he is responsible for the provision of vehicular transport for the ...
, a post he held for 26 years. As equerry, he took care of all of the Queen's horses, excluding her racehorses, and also looked after the fleet of royal cars. He was a key figure concerning all the coach and horses element of royal pageantry during his tenure, including
Trooping the Colour Trooping the Colour is a ceremonial event performed every year on Horse Guards Parade in London, United Kingdom, by regiments of Household Division, to celebrate the King's Official Birthday, official birthday of the British sovereign, though t ...
, the opening of parliament, visits by foreign heads of state, royal weddings and the procession down the course at
Royal Ascot Ascot Racecourse is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, about 25 miles west of London. Ascot is used for thoroughbred horse racing, and it hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 races and three Gra ...
. Miller led four royal wedding processions: those of
Princess Alexandra of Kent Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy (Alexandra Helen Elizabeth Olga Christabel; born 25 December 1936) is a member of the British royal family and the only daughter of Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Princess Marina of Greece and D ...
to
Angus Ogilvy Sir Angus James Bruce Ogilvy (14 September 1928 – 26 December 2004) was a British businessman. He is best known as the husband of Princess Alexandra of Kent, a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. Ogilvy is also remembered for his role in a bu ...
in 1963,
Princess Anne Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950) is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of King ...
to Captain
Mark Phillips Mark Anthony Peter Phillips (born 22 September 1948) is an English Olympic gold medal-winning horseman for Great Britain and the first husband of Anne, Princess Royal, with whom he has two children. He remains a leading figure in British equ ...
in 1973,
Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...
to
Lady Diana Spencer Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William ...
in 1981 and
Prince Andrew Prince Andrew, Duke of York (Andrew Albert Christian Edward; born 19 February 1960) is a member of the British royal family. He is the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and a younger broth ...
to Sarah Ferguson in 1986. His expertise with horses rivalled that of the Queen herself, to whom he became both an adviser on all things horses and a loyal friend. During his tenure, he helped foster the royal family's interests in equine sports, including
Prince Philip Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...
's competition and coach driving; Prince Charles' polo; and Princess Anne's equestrian career. The princess royal's eventing career began with the horse Purple Star, a foal among seven born to Stella, Miller's favourite mare. Miller helped oversee the princess's progress when she began riding Doublet, her partner in winning the 1971
European Eventing Championships The European Eventing Championships, like most other European Championships, is held every two years. Today it is a Concours Complet International, four star eventing competition. A four star event is one step down from the grand slam which consist ...
. In addition to his duties supervising the royal horses and motor transport from the
Royal Mews The Royal Mews is a mews, or collection of equestrian stables, of the British royal family. In London these stables and stable-hands' quarters have occupied two main sites in turn, being located at first on the north side of Charing Cross, and ...
, Miller worked to ensure that the Mews remained London's centre for equestrian life. The mews' indoor riding school was opened for disabled children and members of riding clubs, and equine societies and charities held meetings there. Over the years, Miller served as president of many equine-relation organisations, including the British Show Jumping Association, the British Driving Society, the Coaching Club, the National Light Horse Breeding Society, the Horse Rangers Association, the Cleveland Bay Horse Society, and the Royal Windsor Horse Show Club. He retired as crown equerry in August 1987, but remained an extra equerry to the Queen.


Personal life

Miller was appointed a
Commander of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the ...
(CVO) in the
1966 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1966 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate ...
. He was knighted as a Knight Commander in the same order (KCVO) in
1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...
, and further honoured as Knight Grand Cross (GCVO) in
1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...
. Miller never married. He died in Oxfordshire in 2006.


References


External links


British Army Officers 1939–1945
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, John 1919 births 2006 deaths British Army personnel of World War II Companions of the Distinguished Service Order English male equestrians Equerries Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order People educated at Eton College People from South Oxfordshire District Recipients of the Military Cross Welsh Guards officers 20th-century English sportsmen