John Miller (equerry)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
Sir John Mansel Miller, (4 February 1919 – 17 May 2006) was a
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 and equestrian who served as
Crown Equerry The Crown Equerry is the operational head of the Royal Mews of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. He is responsible for the provision of vehicular transport for the Sovereign, both cars and horse-drawn carriages. Train tr ...
to 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 ...
from 1961 to 1987.


Early life and education

Miller was born in
Wheatley, Oxfordshire Wheatley is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about east of Oxford. The parish includes the hamlet of Littleworth, which is immediately to the west of Wheatley village. The 2011 census recorded the parish population as 3,913. Archae ...
, 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 ...
was Member of Parliament for
Glamorgan , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Motto ...
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 The Rt Hon. Richard Butler, 1st Earl of Glengall (13 November 1775 – 30 January 1819), known as The 10th Baron Cahir before 1816, was an Irish peer. He was the son and heir of James Butler, 9th Baron Cahir, and Sarah Nicholls. In July 1788, he ...
. Miller grew up 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 al ...
. He was educated at
Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...
, followed by the
Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infantry a ...
.


Career


Military service

On 26 January 1939, Miller was commissioned as a
second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
into the
Welsh Guards The Welsh Guards (WG; cy, Gwarchodlu Cymreig), part of the Guards Division, is one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. It was founded in 1915 as a single-battalion regiment, during the First World War, by Royal Warrant of George V ...
, and was given the
service number A service 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 may be used in civilian organizations as well. National identification numbers may ...
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, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
that September. Serving with the regiment's 1st Battalion, part of the 32nd Guards Brigade of Major General
Allan Adair Major General Sir Allan Henry Shafto Adair, 6th Baronet, (3 November 1897 – 4 August 1988) was a senior officer of the British Army who served in both World wars; as a company commander in the Grenadier Guards in the First World War, and as ...
'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 Grenadier G ...
, he was a courageous soldier who distinguished himself during the war, and was honoured for his bravery during and after the
Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
invasion of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...
in June 1944. He was awarded the
Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...
(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 Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...
, 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 decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...
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 (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
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 British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
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 a single horse and rider combine and compete against other competitors across the three disciplines of dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. Thi ...
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 (; nds, Mönster) is an 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 state distr ...
, 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: ''Frauefäld'') is the capital of the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. The official language of Frauenfeld is (the Swiss variety of Standard) German, but the main spoken language is the local variant of the Alemannic Sw ...
, 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 Sovereign of the United Kingdom. He is responsible for the provision of vehicular transport for the Sovereign, both cars and horse-drawn carriages. Train tr ...
, 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 ceremony performed every year in London, United Kingdom, by regiments of the British Army. Similar events are held in other countries of the Commonwealth. Trooping the Colour has been a tradition of British infantry regi ...
, the opening of parliament, visits by foreign heads of state, royal weddings and the procession down the course at
Royal Ascot Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races and ...
. 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. Queen Elizabeth II and Alexandra were first cousins through their fathers, King George V ...
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 b ...
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 K ...
to Captain
Mark Phillips Captain 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 Britis ...
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. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...
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 King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...
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 younger brother of King Charles III and the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince ...
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 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...
'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 three star eventing Eventing (also known as three day eventing or horse trials) is an equestrian event where a single horse ...
. 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, an ...
, 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 (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, Monarchy of Canada, Canadian monarch, Mon ...
(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 Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those co ...
. 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; f ...
, and further honoured as Knight Grand Cross (GCVO) in
1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...
. 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