AMP in the post
Last week, Camilla read to a group of school children among a herd of 100 life-sized elephant structures. The storytelling event in St. James’ Park was done to celebrate the opening of an elephant “story trail” created by the National Literacy Trust, of which Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, is a patron.
The giant elephant structures themselves are part of a collaborative work by CoExistence Campaign sponsored by the conservationist charity Elephant Family, which was co-founded by Camilla’s late brother Mark, and The Real Elephant Collective.
Mark Shane’s Work To Preserve And Protect Elephants Continues
Camilla’s younger brother, Mark Shand, unfortunately died as a result of an accident in New York at the age of 62.
One of his charities, Elephant Family, now co-headed by his sister Duchess Camilla, was founded in 2002 and is dedicated to ensuring the continued survival of the African elephants and to keep them from going extinct.
AMP in the post
At the time of his death, he had been attending a fundraising auction at Sotheby’s in aid of Elephant Family on April 23, which raised $1.7million (£1.2million) for the charity. He then went to an after-party at the Rose Bar of the Gramercy Park Hotel, stepping out for a cigarette at one point.
According to reports, Mark accidentally slipped and fell over outside the bar, hitting his head on the pavement and sustaining a serious head injury.
He was rushed to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan but was reported dead within a few hours. His family was consulted and they made the heartbreaking decision to pull his life support after learning that over 99% of his brain had died.
The royal family released a statement, saying, “The Duchess, the Prince of Wales and all her family members are utterly devastated by this sudden and tragic loss.”
His “incredible work through the Elephant Family and beyond remained his focus right up until his death,” the statement added.
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His body was escorted back to the U.K. by Camilla’s son Tom Parker Bowles and another of Mark’s nephews.
A private funeral service was held at the Holy Trinity Church in Stourpaine, Dorset, the same grounds where his father’s funeral service was held eight years ago.
Mark was described as a man Of “Extraordinary Vitality, A Tireless Campaigner And Conservationist”. After his death, Camilla and her husband Prince Charles became joint presidents and have supported the charity in order to keep Mark’s legacy alive.
Camilla Parker Bowles Reaction To Her Brother’s Sudden Death
In Penny Junor’s biography of the Duchess, she disclosed that the death of her only brother deeply affected her, writing, “A post-mortem revealed that his skull had been unusually thin in places. Had it been thicker, he may have survived. The whole family was devastated. Camilla found it particularly difficult.”
The royal biographer added: “Her family still worry for her. Amongst other things, they worry that she hasn’t properly processed the grief of her brother’s death and that she is still living in her nerves.”
“She and Charles have become joint presidents of the Elephant Family and secured £20million to preserve 100 elephant corridors across India by 2021. She is furthering Mark’s dream but she can’t talk to him.”
The biography about the Duchess was written by Penny Junor and published by William Collins in 2017.
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