Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles are set to host the Elephant Family’s Animal Ball tonight, which will see some of the world’s greatest fashion houses dress the great and the good in a theatrical tribute to Truman Capote’s legendary Black and White Dance. The extravagant evening aims to raise millions for the Elephant Family charity, which was co-founded by Camilla’s brother Mark Shand. However, the Duchess’ royal patronage of the charity comes after a heartbreaking family tragedy.
Mark founded the charity in 2002, after dedicating decades of his life to saving the Asian elephant, however he died atthe age of 61 after a shock accident in 2014.
Penny Junor, in her 2017 biography “The Duchess” recounts the sudden accident and how it affected the Duchess of Cornwall.
She writes: “Mark died at the end of an evening in which he had raised $1.7million for his beloved elephants.”
After auctioning off elephant statues by famous artists such as Jeff Koons at Sotheby’s in New York, Mark celebrated the charity’s stunning fundraising total with colleagues.
The Duchess of Cornwall (Image: Getty)
Camilla pictured with her brother (Image: Getty)
Prince Charles views the elephant sculptures with Mark Shand in 2012 (Image: Getty)
Later that night, on the way back in to the Gramercy Hotel after
