Sonia Annabel Elliot (née Shand; born 2 February 1949) is a British interior designer, antiques dealer, and courtier. She is the founder of Annabel Elliot Interior Design and Antiques and has undertaken extensive design work for King Charles III, including projects for the Duchy of Cornwall and several royal estates. Elliot has been recognised within the interiors industry and ranked among Britain's most influential female designers. She has supported various charities, including the British Association for Adoption and Fostering and the Elephant Family. She is the sister of Queen Camilla, the mother of Conservative politician Sir Ben Elliot, and serves as one of the Queen's companions in the Royal Household.
Annabel Elliot | |
|---|---|
 Annabel Elliott at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships | |
| Born | Sonia Annabel Shand 2 February 1949 |
| Occupations | Interior designer, antiques dealer |
| Spouse |
Simon Elliot
(m. 1972; died 2023) |
| Children | 3, including Ben |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Queen Camilla (sister) Mark Shand (brother) King Charles III (brother-in-law) |
Personal life
editSonia Annabel Shand[1] was born on 2 February 1949,[2] the second daughter of Major Bruce Shand (1917–2006) and his wife, The Honourable Rosalind Cubitt (1921–1994), daughter of the 3rd Baron Ashcombe and Sonia Rosemary Keppel. Her elder sister is Queen Camilla (born 1947), and her brother was the travel writer Mark Shand (1951–2014).[3] Shand later studied fine art in Florence, Italy.[4]
On 27 April 1972, at the age of 23, she married Simon Elliot (1940–2023), a Dorset landowner and the son of Air Chief Marshal Sir William Elliot and Rosemary Chancellor. The couple had three children, including Sir Ben Elliot, a former Co-Chairman of the Conservative Party.[5]
Career
editElliot is the founder of Annabel Elliot Interior Design and Antiques, based in Dorset. The business has been operating for 30 years.[6] She is also the co-founder of Talisman, an antiques and interiors emporium located in Gillingham.[7] Her daughter Alice and son-in-law Luke Irwin are likewise interior designers and antiques dealers.[8][7]
Elliot has undertaken work for her brother‑in‑law, King Charles III, serving as the chief interior designer for his estates. She initially worked on the renovation of properties within the Duchy of Cornwall. Her projects have included the interiors of 12 Duchy of Cornwall cottages on the Isles of Scilly, holiday cottages at Restormel Castle, and work on the King's Welsh estate at Llwynywermod. [6]
In 2011, Elliot renovated Bovey Castle Hotel in Devon, receiving positive recognition for her work.[9][10] The hotel was included in the 2011 Gold List of the world's best places to stay.[11] That same year, she contributed to the furnishing of the new sustainable building at the Duchy Nursery in Lostwithiel, Cornwall.[12]
Elliot furnished Dumfries Lodge House in Ayrshire, Scotland, which was opened for business by Charles in 2012.[13] She also furnished the Highgrove House Shops, which sell home and garden products.[14] In 2016, she worked on the interiors of 20 bedrooms at the Duchess of Cornwall Inn in Poundbury, Dorset.[15]
In 2014, The Daily Telegraph ranked Elliot as the fifth most influential female interior designer in Britain.[16]
Charity work
editElliot was a patron of the British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) from 2005 until its closure in 2015. She cited her mother, Rosalind, who worked for an adoption agency, as the influence behind her support for the organisation.[17] She is also a life member and patron of the Elephant Family, of which her brother Mark served as chairman until his death in 2014.[18]
Lady-in-attendance
editElliot served as lady‑in‑attendance at Charles and Camilla's coronation in 2023,[19] and later that year she, along with her son and daughter‑in‑law, was invited to ride in the King's procession at Royal Ascot.[20]
Honours
edit| Country | Date | Appointment | Ribbon |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 6 May 2023 | King Charles III Coronation Medal |  |
References
edit- ↑ "Annabel Shand". findmypast.
- ↑ "Sonia Annabel Shand Elliot". Ancientfaces.com. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
- ↑ "Mark Shand: Farewell to an old-fashioned adventurer". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- ↑ "Sonia Annabel Shand". Stanford.edu. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
- ↑ Kingsley, Thomas (8 March 2023). "Queen Consort 'devastated' as brother-in-law dies after health battle". The Independent. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
- 1 2 Pierce, Andrew (4 July 2008). "The Prince of Wales last year paid the Duchess of Cornwall's sister for interior design work". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
- 1 2 "Interiors: an 18th-century cottage gets a facelift". The Daily Telegraph. 25 October 2014. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
- ↑ "Camilla attends niece wedding". Hello. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
- ↑ "Annabel Elliot, Interior designer". Duchy of Cornwall Nursery. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
- ↑ "Spotlight on...Bovey Castle". 2 April 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
- ↑ "The Gold List 2011". Cntraveler.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
- ↑ "Charles and Camilla launch new nursery". Cornish Guardian. 20 July 2011. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "Dumfries Lodge House". Furtherafield.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
- ↑ "The English Home team at Highgrove". theenglishhome.co.uk. 8 April 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "Meeting the residents and businesses owners of Poundbury". dorsetmagazine.co.uk. 27 March 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
- ↑ "Why are these Britain's most influential female designers?". The Daily Telegraph. 8 July 2014. Archived from the original on 9 July 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
- ↑ "Who we are: President and Patrons". baaf.org.uk. Archived from the original on 17 April 2011. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
- ↑ "Hon Life Patrons". elephantfamily.org. Archived from the original on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
- ↑ "Coronation order of service in full". BBC News. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
- ↑ "Ascot Racecourse on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 29 June 2023.