Lieutenant-Colonel Sir John Miller Crown Equerry whose skill with horses enriched the equestrian life of the Royal Family L LIEUTENANT-COLONEL SIR JOHN SRDJA DJUKANOVIC from Badminton on a drizzly February day. MILLER, who died on Wednesday aged 87, The Prince was soaked to the skin, and the was Crown Equerry to the Queen from 1961 next day the Duke of Beaufort telephoned to to 1987; besides his court duties, he was an find out if he was stiff, observing later: “I was excellent horseman in his own right, and not surprised to hear that he did not wish to introduced the Prince of Wales to hunting be disturbed.” One of Miller’s battles was to and Prince Philip to carriage driving. overcome a certain reluctance on the part of Born on February 4 1919, John Mansel the Prince of Wales to spend money on Miller was the third son of Brigadier-General hunters of merit. Alfred Douglas Miller, CBE, DSO, of Shotover It was Miller who created Prince Charles’s House, Wheatley, Oxfordshire. His mother, distinctive hunting coat; dark blue with Ella, was a descendant of Andrew Fletcher, crimson collars and cuffs, it was based on the the distinguished 17th-century political writer, Windsor uniform. Miller himself hunted in a and of the Earls of Wemyss and March. silk top hat, resisting the new view that a hard John was educated at Eton and Sandhurst, hat should be worn. and served in the Welsh Guards during the After Prince Philip decided to give up Second World War. He was a courageous playing polo, Miller introduced him to the soldier, distinguishing himself in particular sport of carriage driving, and in 1971 the after the Allied landings in Normandy in 1944. Prince went to Budapest to watch Miller As a company commander in August that compete, with the Queen’s grey Oldenburgs, year he rallied his men under intense shell fire in the first European Championship for and was awarded an MC. Only a month later carriage driving. he received the DSO for re-establishing two Miller’s interests outside his role at the companies that had been dispersed during a Palace were almost exclusively equestrian. fierce onslaught by enemy tanks. In Injury ruled him out of Britain’s eventing September he commanded the first British team for the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, but two troops to enter Brussels after that city’s decades later he was in the gold-medal- liberation. winning British team at the World Driving After the war Miller was ADC to Field Championships in Germany; and in 1974 he Marshal Lord Wilson of Libya, head of the was a member of the team that won a gold British Joint Staff Mission in Washington, medal in Switzerland. from 1945 to 1947. He commanded the 1st He was President of the Coaching Club Battalion Welsh Guards from 1958 to 1961. from 1975 to 1982; of the Hackney Horse Miller joined the Royal Household as Society from 1979 to 1980; the National Light Crown Equerry in 1961, running the Royal Horse Breeding Society (1981-82); the British Mews and till attendant equestrian and Driving Society from 1982; the Royal Windsor ceremonial affairs until his retirement in 1987, Horse Show Club from 1985; and of the when he was appointed an Extra Equerry to British Show Jumping Association from 1989. the Queen. He was Patron of the Side Saddle Association, The Crown Equerry is the man who does all and of tine Coloured Horse and Pony Society. the work under the auspices of the Master of Miller enjoyed hunting, shooting and polo the Horse. He is in charge of all the- as well as carriage driving. His courage on the 'monarch’s transport with the exception of hunting field was a byword. aircraft and ships: in other words, horses, A courtier through and through, Miller was carriages and cars. effortlessly polite and wholly devoted to his Miller took part in more than 64 birthday Sovereign - though he was rather less genial to parades and rehearsals. Most of these those whose social position was unclear to occasions passed off flawlessly, but the him. Queen’s official birthday celebration on June Miller in retirement: a courtier through and through, he was devoted to his Sovereign John Miller was appointed CVO in 1966, 13 1981 was an exception. and advanced to KCVO in 1974 and GCVO in Miller was already nervous for superstitious cars. A number of these emerged under training of horses, and rehearsals for large 1987. reasons, on account of the date. And in the Miller’s command at royal weddings and ceremonies - these often took place at 4.30 in He never married. event the Queen was shot at in The Mall; the funerals, Trooping the Colour, Royal Ascot (at the morning, while London slept. Queen Mother slipped on a staircase, injuring which he was a familiar’ figure opening Miller did a great deal to promote public her leg, as she left the Duke of Wellington’s carriage doors), the Garter ceremony, the interest in the Royal Mews, encouraging • office from which she had been watching the State Opening of Parliament and at television coverage, better guide books, and ceremony; Prince Philip’s charger went lame, ceremonies at which foreign heads of state visits from tourists. and his groom was; injured in an accident. were received. The Royal Mews staff moved to Inevitably his duties brought him into close Miller and his staff of 30 ex-servicemen Windsor for the Easter court, and to Holyrood contact with the Royal Family. He blew the oversaw tire 30 carriage horses on active House in the summer. They were particularly hunting horn at Balmoral to welcome the duty at the Royal Mews in London. There active in 1977 (Silver Jubilee year), when the Waleses home from their honeymoon, and were other, younger horses in training, since Queen took part in a number of regional was responsible for mounting members of the the animals had to be four years old before carriage processions, attended by Miller in his family when they expressed an interest in they took part in processions. Guards’ tunic and distinctive cocked hat riding. There were also numerous carriages and sprouting red and white plumes. In 1975, when Prince Charles was 26, Miller horse-drawn vehicles, and a fleet of motor His other duties included the exercising and introduced him to hunting, taking him out