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King Charles and the Queen attend lavish soirée raising money for the conservation charity founded by her late brother Mark Shand

King Charles and the Queen attend lavish soirée raising money for the conservation charity founded by her late brother Mark Shand

Daily Mail​13-05-2025

The King and Queen have attended a lavish 250-guest event raising funds for a conservation charity founded by Camilla's late brother Mark Shand.
Charles, 76, and Camilla, 77, stepped out at the Wonders of the Wild event hosted by the Elephant Family at The Temperate House in Kew Gardens on Tuesday evening.
They joined a number of high profile guests, including Princess Beatrice, Lady Marina Windsor, Ed Westwick and Sophie Ellis-Bextor among others.
Elephant Family was founded in 2002 by the duchess's beloved late brother, Mark Shand, who died in New York after an accidental fall in 2014, aged 62.
The charity was founded to protect the endangered Asian Elephant. Since its inception, it has become known for using the power of art to inspire action for wildlife.
Tonight's Wonders of the Wild event was the grand finale of the charity's Big Egg Hunt, delivered in partnership with Clarence Court.
The campaign featured more than 120 giant egg sculptures designed by leading names from fashion, art and design. They were displayed across London as part of a free art trail in iconic locations including Buckingham Palace, Battersea Power Station, the Royal Albert Hall, Sloane Street and Canary Wharf.
Charles and Camilla, who are joint presidents of Elephant Family, were greeted by the Lord-Lieutenant, Kew Gardens director Richard Deverell and the British Asian Trust's chair Lord Gadhia.
On the schedule for the event were speeches from Lord Ghadia and Elephant Family CEO, Richard Hawkes.
These are set to be followed by a short film about the charity's work, and the presentation of awards.
The King is scheduled to present the Mark Shand Award, which is named after the organisation's founder Mark Shand and acknowledges those who embody his visionary spirit and dedication to protecting wildlife.
Meanwhile, Her Majesty will present the Tara Award, named after an elephant, befriended by her brother. Inspired by the sacred bond between elephants and humans, the award recognises extraordinary achievements in storytelling and advocacy for coexistence.
The Elephant Family works in partnership with conservation experts on the ground to tackle the challenges facing Asia 's wildlife and the communities that live alongside it.
Elephant Family was founded by Mark Shand in 2002 to protect the endangered Asian Elephant. Since then, the charity has become renowned for using the power of art to inspire action for wildlife. Today it works with local partners in Asia to promote conservation and coexistence so that people and animals can safely share space.
CEO Richard Hawkes said: 'Wonders of the Wild is a celebration of art and nature, which also serves to raise awareness and funds to support our critical conservation work.
'Elephant Family partners with local organisations in Asia to reduce human wildlife conflict, increase biodiversity and invest in research and education programmes.
'Our mission is to create environments where people and wildlife can thrive together.
'True to our founder, the guiding principle of Elephant Family has always been to raise awareness of wildlife conservation in the most joyful ways possible and tonight is testament to that.'
The King and Queen have been joint Presidents of Elephant Family since 2014.
His Majesty has been Patron of Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, since 2016.

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