Mark Shand facts for kids

Mark Roland Shand (born June 28, 1951 – died April 23, 2014) was a British travel writer and conservationist. He was also the brother of Queen Camilla. Mark Shand wrote four travel books. He also appeared in BBC documentaries about his journeys, especially those focused on saving elephants. His book Travels on My Elephant became very popular and won an award in 1992. He was the chairman of Elephant Family, a wildlife charity he helped start in 2002.

Early Life and Family

Mark Shand was born in London on June 28, 1951. His parents were Major Bruce Shand and Rosalind Cubitt. He had two sisters: Camilla, who is now Queen Camilla, and Annabel Elliot.

Education and Early Adventures

Mark went to St Ronan's School in Kent and then Milton Abbey School in Dorset. After school, he traveled a lot. His father sent him to Australia to learn to be independent. There, he worked on a farm and as a guard at an opal mine. Later, he returned to London and worked at Sotheby's, a famous auction house. He also started a business selling Cartier jewelry with a friend.

Marriage and Daughter

In 1990, Mark Shand married Clio Goldsmith, a French actress. They lived in Rome, Italy, and had a daughter named Ayesha, who was born in 1995. Mark Shand later confirmed that they had divorced.

Career and Conservation Work

Mark Shand was known for his exciting travel books and his dedication to saving wildlife.

Travel Books and Documentaries

His first travel book, Skulduggery, was published in 1987. It was based on a trip to Irian Jaya in Indonesia. He later wrote other popular books:

• Travels on My Elephant (1992)
• Queen of the Elephants (1996)
• River Dog: A Journey Down the Brahmaputra (2003)

Travels on My Elephant became a bestseller and won the Travel Writer of the Year Award in 1992. Mark Shand also appeared in many documentaries for the BBC and the National Geographic Channel. Many of these shows were about elephants, which he loved. He had a special interest in India and its culture.

Saving Elephants

Mark Shand was very active in helping to save the Asian elephant. In 2002, he helped create a charity called Elephant Family. His book Travels on My Elephant was about his journey with an elephant named Tara in India. Tara was the inspiration for starting the charity.

Mark Shand was also a supporter of Anti-Slavery International. He was a member of the Royal Geographical Society. In 2014, he was given the "Conservationist of the Year" award by The Perfect World Foundation. Sadly, he passed away before he could receive it.

Death

On April 23, 2014, Mark Shand was in New York City. He had attended a fundraising event for his charity, Elephant Family. Later that evening, he fell outside a hotel and suffered a serious head injury. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital but sadly died later that day. His nephews, Tom Parker Bowles and Ben Elliot, traveled to New York to bring his body back to the UK. A private funeral was held for him in Stourpaine, Dorset, on May 1, 2014.

Legacy

Mark Shand is remembered as a great wildlife personality. To honor him, the Balipara Foundation Awards in Assam, India, created a special award in 2014. It is called the Mark Shand Mahout Award. This award is given to someone who has done amazing work for the well-being of Asian elephants.

His former school, St Ronan's in Kent, also honored him. They named a new sports field the "Shandy-Ba" in his memory. Mark was a sporty student and captained the cricket and rugby teams when he was at the school.

After his death, the Elephant Family charity received a lot of support. They started The Mark Shand Memorial Fund to raise money to save Asian elephants. The charity also built the Mark Shand Memorial Asian Elephant Learning Centre. This is a clinic for elephants at the Kaziranga Discovery Park in India. It was opened in November 2015.

Travel books

• Skulduggery (1987). Jonathan Cape Ltd. ISBN: 978-0224025010
• Travels on My Elephant (1992). Eland Books. ISBN: 978-1906011697
• Queen of the Elephants. (1996). Vintage. ISBN: 978-0099592013
• River Dog: A Journey Down the Brahmaputra. (2003). Little, Brown ISBN: 978-0349115146

See also

In Spanish: Mark Shand para niños