While the siblings of King Charles all take on prominent positions, less is known about the brother and sister of his wife, Queen Camilla.
The Queen has an incredibly close relationship with her sister, Annabel Elliot, but sadly she lost her brother, Mark Shand, in 2014 after he sustained a major head injury. Camilla and Annabel have previously spoken about their bond, and they have been seen together on special occasions, like Wimbledon and the King's coronation.
Find out all you need to know about Camilla's siblings below…
Growing up with Camilla
© William VandersonSpeaking about growing up together, Annabel told Vanity Fair: "We had this enchanted childhood. Unlike a lot of our generation, we had this incredibly warm, easy relationship with our parents. We didn't have nannies. All our friends growing up would immediately be drawn to my mother. She was completely straightforward, and one of the warmest, kindest people."
The women were both involved with the debutante community during their youths, although this was something that appealed a lot more to Camilla than to her younger sister. "[Camilla] was a great success, but I certainly wasn't," Annabel said. "I probably wasn't quite as confident as her."
Although Camilla's brother holds a special place in her heart, the royal previously joked that during their youth he was "spoiled". Speaking to Now To Love, she shared: "I never took the lead very much, we just did things together. My brother had a very bad temper and was quite spoiled sometimes, but it was very evenly shared out."
But reflecting on their shared childhood, Camilla noted: "I had the idyllic childhood right in the country, sitting on the South Downs with my brother and my sister and our pets and our ponies. I think it was a very simple childhood. The awful thing is, I suppose I thought life was always going to be like that. It certainly gave us all a very good grounding, because we could start off with a smile on our face. As far as I remember it was perfect."
Annabel Elliot
© Patrick SmithBorn on 2 February 1949, Annabel is the younger sister of Camilla and has become a talented interior designer. After studying fine art in Florence, Italy, the creatively minded young woman set up her own antiques and interiors business, Annabel Elliot Limited, in Dorset – where her husband Simon owned land.
In 1972, Annabel married Simon Elliot, whom she remained married to until his death in 2023. The couple had three children: two daughters, Alice and Catherine, and a son, Sir Ben Elliot, who is a prominent British businessman and Conservative Party fundraiser.
Annabel and Camilla's close bond was on full display at the coronation, with Annabel playing the role as lady-in-attendance for Camilla.
Although Annabel is a private person, it is believed that she shares a very close bond with both her sister and her sister's husband. Through her work as an interior designer, Annabel and Charles have built a close working relationship, as the 74-year-old was employed several times over the years to work as the chief interior designer on his estates.
While Annabel's exact place of residence is unknown, it's believed she continues to live in the country house which she and her husband Simon shared in Stourpaine, Dorset, until his death in 2023.
Mark Shand
© Nick HarveyBorn on 28 June 1951, Mark Shand was the youngest sibling of the Shand family and was reportedly a jokester as he grew up alongside Camilla and Annabel. During his youth, he was expelled from school in Dorset for smoking cannabis. His father, Bruce Shand, thought a stint in Australia would stem his youthful rebelliousness instead he stopped off in India and bought an elephant named Tara, his experience with the elephant would shape his life and inspire his book, Travels on my Elephant.
His adventurous streak followed him into his adult life and Mark became a travel writer and conservationist, and co-founded the Elephant Family, an NGO dedicated to the protection of Asian elephants. The star ended up similar to Camilla's future husband, King Charles, with his interests involving Hinduism, Indian culture and conservation
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In 1990, the wildlife campaigner walked down the aisle with French actress Clio Goldsmith, and the pair welcomed daughter Ayesha in 1995. However, in 2010 the duo confirmed that they had parted ways. During his life, Mark has linked with Bianca Jagger, model Marie Helvin and Jackie Kennedy's sister Lee Radziwill and her daughter Caroline.
© Chirag WakaskarOn 23 April 2014, while having a cigarette outside the Gramercy Park Hotel in New York City, Mark suffered from a fall, and was rushed to hospital. He died later in the day and his funeral was held on 1 May 2014.
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