Lord Michael Fitzalan-Howard

Major General Lord Michael Fitzalan-Howard, (22 October 1916 – 2 November 2007) was a senior officer in the British Army. He later served as Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps in the British Royal Household for ten years until 1982, and Gold Stick-in-Waiting and Colonel of The Life Guards for 20 years, finally retiring in 1999. Early life Fitzalan-Howard was the second son of Bernard Fitzalan-Howard, 3rd Baron Howard of Glossop and Mona Fitzalan-Howard, 11th Baroness Beaumont. He was 15 months younger than the eldest sibling, Miles, 17th Duke of Norfolk. He had two other brothers and four sisters, all with first names beginning with the letter "M". He grew up at his mother's family seat, Carlton Towers in North Yorkshire. Fitzalan-Howard and his elder brother, Miles, followed parallel courses in their education and career. Both were educated at Ampleforth College, before Oxford and Cambridge – Michael at Trinity College, Cambridge from 1935 to 1938, and Miles at Christ Church, Oxford. Both then took a commission in the British Army – Michael in the Scots Guards in 1938 and Miles in the Grenadier Guards. Michael joined the 3rd Battalion of the Scots Guards when it was formed in April 1944. Army career As majors, the brothers both fought in tanks in the Guards Armoured Division in the Second World War, fighting in the breakout from Caen after D-Day: Michael commanded a squadron of the 3rd Scots Guards, while Miles was brigade major of 5th Guards Armoured Brigade. A third brother, Martin, commanded a tank in the 2nd Grenadier Guards. Michael and Miles both won the Military Cross (MC) in 1944. Michael's MC was awarded for leading several attacks in the bocage near Estry and Chênedollé. He then became brigade major of the 32nd Guards Brigade, beating his brother in the race to Brussels. Their brigades then leapfrogged each other on the advance through Eindhoven to the Rhine and the Elbe. Michael was mentioned in despatches.