Group Captain Adam Nugent Wise, (1 August 1943 – 14 February 2008) was a pilot, Equerry to

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during h ...

, and Private Secretary and Equerry to

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 younger brother of King Charles III and the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince ...

and Prince Edward from 1983 to 1987.

Early life

Born on 1 August 1943, Wise was the son of Conservative MP

Roy Wise Alfred Roy Wise (7 July 1901 – 21 August 1974) was a British Conservative Party politician and was the Member of Parliament for the constituencies of Rugby and Smethwick . Biography He was born on 7 July 1901 to Alfred Gascoyne Wise and Aug ...

. He was educated at university (receiving a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

), and the

RAF College Cranwell The Royal Air Force College (RAFC) is the Royal Air Force military academy which provides initial training to all RAF personnel who are preparing to become commissioned officers. The College also provides initial training to aircrew cadets and ...

from late 1964.

Royal Air Force service

Wise was a

flight cadet A flight cadet is a military or civilian occupational title that is held by someone who is in training to perform aircrew duties in an airplane. The trainee does not need to become a pilot, as flight cadets may also learn to serve as a bombardi ...

RAF Cranwell Royal Air Force Cranwell or more simply RAF Cranwell is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England, close to the village of Cranwell, near Sleaford. Among other functions, it is home to the Royal Air Force College (RAFC), which tra ...

when he was commissioned pilot officer on 17 December 1965. He qualified as a pilot and was promoted to flying officer on 17 June 1966, and then flight lieutenant on 1 July 1968. He served with No. 21 Squadron RAF flying from

RAF Khormaksar Royal Air Force Khormaksar or more simply RAF Khormaksar was a Royal Air Force (RAF) station in Aden, Yemen. Its motto was "Into the Remote Places". During the 1960s, it was the base for nine squadrons and became the RAF's busiest-ever station ...

until 1968. He was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in January 1977. Wise qualified as a First Class Interpreter, and attended the

Joint Service Defence College The Joint Service Defence College (JSDC) was a training academy for British military personnel from 1983 to 1997. It has since been amalgamated into the Joint Services Command and Staff College. History The college was established as the Combined ...

. He was promoted

squadron leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is als ...

on 1 January 1978, and posted to command the

University of Wales , latin_name = , image = , caption = Coat of Arms , motto = cy, Goreu Awen Gwirionedd , mottoeng = The Best Inspiration is Truth , established = , , type = Confederal, non-member ...

Air Squadron until 1983, flying

Scottish Aviation Bulldog The Scottish Aviation Bulldog is a British two-seat side-by-side (with optional third seat) training aircraft designed by Beagle Aircraft as the B.125 Bulldog. The prototype Bulldog flew on 19 May 1969 at Shoreham Airport. The first order for ...

s. As a

, Wise was Equerry to

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), ...

from 1980 to 21 October 1983. Following his service, he was appointed a

Lieutenant 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, o ...

in October 1983. He was then appointed

Private Secretary A private secretary (PS) is a civil servant in a governmental department or ministry, responsible to a secretary of state or minister; or a public servant in a royal household, responsible to a member of the royal family. The role exists in ...

and Equerry to Prince Andrew and Prince Edward from 21 October 1983, until 1 August 1987. On 1 July 1984 he was promoted to

wing commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...

. On 16 December 1983 he married Jill Amabel Alington, daughter of Cyril Geoffrey Marmaduke Alington of Swinhope (in

West Lindsey West Lindsey is a local government district in Lincolnshire, England. Its council is based in Gainsborough. History The district was formed on 1 April 1974, from the urban districts of Gainsborough, Market Rasen, along with Caistor Rural Dis ...

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...

), and Helen Amabel née Westmacott, with whom he had two children, Sophia Katherine Cassandra and Alexander Geoffrey Roy. From 30 March 1988 he was on the staff of the RAF College, Cranwell, and on 17 November 1989 he became Director of the

University Air Squadrons University Air Squadrons are training units under the command of No. 6 Flying Training School RAF of the Royal Air Force and their main role is to attract students into careers as RAF officers. Primarily its goal is achieved through offering b ...

. He was promoted to group captain on 1 July 1990, and was Station Commander of

RAF Benson Royal Air Force Benson or RAF Benson is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located at Benson, near Wallingford, in South Oxfordshire, England. It is a front-line station and home to the RAF's fleet of Westland Puma HC2 support helicopters, us ...

from 1992 to 1994. On 18 November 1991, he was appointed Aide-de-Camp to

a role he fulfilled until 10 December 1993. He served as a company director at 16 SUTHERLAND STREET LIMITED from 31 January 1992 to 14 February 2008. Wise served as Military and Air Attaché at the British Embassy in Madrid, Spain, from 1993 to 1997 and retired on 1 August 1998.

Later years

Wise died on 14 February 2008 at Royal Hampshire County Hospital. Old Reptionian Obituary – A N Wise

References

External links

Obituary in the Old Reptonian Newsletter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wise, Adam 1943 births 2008 deaths Graduates of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell Lieutenants of the Royal Victorian Order Members of the Order of the British Empire Military personnel from London Private secretaries to Prince Andrew, Duke of York Royal Air Force officers