James Lowther-Pinkerton
Encyclopedia
Anthony James Moxon "Jamie" Lowther-Pinkerton MVO
, MBE
(b. 28 September 1960) is Private Secretary
to Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Henry of Wales, in the Household of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Henry of Wales. He was appointed 2 May 2005. The Household shares facilities with the larger Household of The Prince of Wales.
Lowther-Pinkerton is married with four children, currently residing in Suffolk
. He is descended from the Lowther landed gentry family, not the Earls of Lonsdale
, but shares a descent from the 1st Earl of Bessborough
with his royal employers.
He trained at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst in 1979, and joined the Irish Guards
. Lowther-Pinkerton served with the 1st Battalion
Irish Guards
, but was attached to the Special Air Service
(SAS) throughout his 20 year army career, where he was described as an especially capable officer.http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1510151,00.html He retired from the British Army
in 1998.
He served as Equerry
to HM Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother
1984-1986, and was promoted to Captain
, 8 June 1986. He was a troop
commander of the SAS as a Captain. He served in the first Gulf War
in 1990-1991 as Special Forces
Liaison Officer with United States
forces.http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=166&id=455762005, http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1510151,00.html
He was promoted to the rank of Major
on 30 September 1992, and was in charge of two 20-man SAS counter-narcotics operations in Colombia
for two years in the early 1990s. He attended the Staff College, Camberley
, and qualified as a staff officer (psc). Lowther-Pinkerton was Commanding Officer of G Squadron
SAS. In the mid-to-late 1990s he was in the Balkans
for the strategic policy review by the Ministry of Defence
; reportedly in 1994 as part of a four-man SAS "Joint Communication Organisation" in Bosnia
.http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=166&id=455762005, http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1510151,00.html
In 2001 he co-founded and has since been a director of Objective Travel Safety, which provides risk assessment training for young travellers and journalists. He also trained Ewan McGregor
and Charley Boorman
for their Long Way Round
and Long Way Down
TV series.
He is a part-time consultant to Kroll Risk Management, London
. http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=166&id=455762005, http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1510151,00.html
Lowther-Pinkerton was appointed Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO
) for his service as Equerry to The Queen Mother in 1986, and appointed a military Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE
), in 1990 for service with the special forces in Colombia
.
His ten year old son, William Lowther-Pinkerton, and Tom Pettifer, the eight-year old son of Princes William and Harry's former nanny, "Tiggy" Pettifer
, were pageboys at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
in April 2011.
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
, MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(b. 28 September 1960) is Private Secretary
Private Secretary to the Sovereign
The Private Secretary to the Sovereign is the senior operational member of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, as distinct from the Great Officers of the Household. The Private Secretary is the principal channel of communication with Her Majesty's Government and the...
to Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Henry of Wales, in the Household of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Henry of Wales. He was appointed 2 May 2005. The Household shares facilities with the larger Household of The Prince of Wales.
Lowther-Pinkerton is married with four children, currently residing in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. He is descended from the Lowther landed gentry family, not the Earls of Lonsdale
Earl of Lonsdale
Earl of Lonsdale is a title that has been created twice in British history, firstly in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1784 , and then in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1807, both times for members of the Lowther family....
, but shares a descent from the 1st Earl of Bessborough
Earl of Bessborough
Earl of Bessborough is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1739 for Brabazon Ponsonby, 2nd Viscount Duncannon, who had previously represented Newtownards and County Kildare in the Irish House of Commons...
with his royal employers.
He trained at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst in 1979, and joined the Irish Guards
Irish Guards
The Irish Guards , part of the Guards Division, is a Foot Guards regiment of the British Army.Along with the Royal Irish Regiment, it is one of the two Irish regiments remaining in the British Army. The Irish Guards recruit in Northern Ireland and the Irish neighbourhoods of major British cities...
. Lowther-Pinkerton served with the 1st Battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
Irish Guards
Irish Guards
The Irish Guards , part of the Guards Division, is a Foot Guards regiment of the British Army.Along with the Royal Irish Regiment, it is one of the two Irish regiments remaining in the British Army. The Irish Guards recruit in Northern Ireland and the Irish neighbourhoods of major British cities...
, but was attached to the Special Air Service
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
(SAS) throughout his 20 year army career, where he was described as an especially capable officer.http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1510151,00.html He retired from the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
in 1998.
He served as Equerry
Equerry
An equerry , and related to the French word "écuyer" ) is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attendant, usually upon a Sovereign, a member of a Royal Family, or a national...
to HM Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
1984-1986, and was promoted to Captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
, 8 June 1986. He was a troop
Troop
A troop is a military unit, originally a small force of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron and headed by the troop leader. In many armies a troop is the equivalent unit to the infantry section or platoon...
commander of the SAS as a Captain. He served in the first Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
in 1990-1991 as Special Forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
Liaison Officer with United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
forces.http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=166&id=455762005, http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1510151,00.html
He was promoted to the rank of Major
Major (UK)
In the British military, major is a military rank which is used by both the British Army and Royal Marines. The rank insignia for a major is a crown...
on 30 September 1992, and was in charge of two 20-man SAS counter-narcotics operations in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
for two years in the early 1990s. He attended the Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army from 1802 to 1997, with periods of closure during major wars. In 1997 it was merged into the new Joint Services Command and Staff College.-Origins:...
, and qualified as a staff officer (psc). Lowther-Pinkerton was Commanding Officer of G Squadron
Squadron (aviation)
A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...
SAS. In the mid-to-late 1990s he was in the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
for the strategic policy review by the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
; reportedly in 1994 as part of a four-man SAS "Joint Communication Organisation" in Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
.http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=166&id=455762005, http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1510151,00.html
In 2001 he co-founded and has since been a director of Objective Travel Safety, which provides risk assessment training for young travellers and journalists. He also trained Ewan McGregor
Ewan McGregor
Ewan Gordon McGregor is a Scottish actor. He has had success in mainstream, indie, and art house films. McGregor is perhaps best known for his roles as heroin addict Mark Renton in the drama Trainspotting , young Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy , and poet Christian in the...
and Charley Boorman
Charley Boorman
Charley Boorman is an English TV adventurer, travel writer and actor. He is well known for his association with motorcycles and enthusiasm for biking.-Education:...
for their Long Way Round
Long Way Round
Long Way Round is a documentary television series, DVD set and book documenting the journey of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman from London to New York on motorcycles...
and Long Way Down
Long Way Down
"Long Way Down" is a single by the Goo Goo Dolls from their breakthrough album, 1995's A Boy Named Goo. This song is often overshadowed by the low-key ballad "Name", which launched the band to household names...
TV series.
He is a part-time consultant to Kroll Risk Management, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=166&id=455762005, http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1510151,00.html
Lowther-Pinkerton was appointed Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
) for his service as Equerry to The Queen Mother in 1986, and appointed a military Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
), in 1990 for service with the special forces in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
.
His ten year old son, William Lowther-Pinkerton, and Tom Pettifer, the eight-year old son of Princes William and Harry's former nanny, "Tiggy" Pettifer
Tiggy Legge-Bourke
Alexandra Shân "Tiggy" Legge-Bourke MVO was nanny, later companion, to Prince William of Wales and his brother Prince Harry, and a personal assistant to Charles, Prince of Wales, between 1993 and 1999...
, were pageboys at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
Duke of Cambridge
Duke of Cambridge is a title which has been conferred upon members of the British royal family several times. It was first used as a designation for Charles Stuart , the eldest son of James, Duke of York , though he was never formally created Duke of Cambridge...
in April 2011.