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Annabel Elliot
Sonia Annabel Elliot (née Shand;[1] born 2 February 1949)[2] is a British interior designer and antiques dealer. She is the mother of British Conservative politician Sir Ben Elliot, who served as the Co-Chairman of the Conservative Party. She is also the sister of Queen Camilla.[3] Personal lifeElliot is the 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 travel writer Mark Shand (1951–2014).[4] Elliot went to Florence, Italy, to study fine art.[5] On 27 April 1972, at the age of 23, she married Simon Elliot (1940–2023), a Dorset landowner and son of Air Chief Marshal Sir William Elliot and Rosemary Chancellor. They have three children, including Sir Ben Elliot, a former Co-Chairman of the Conservative Party.[6] CareerElliot is the founder of Annabel Elliot Interior design and antiques, which is based in Dorset. The shop has been running for 30 years.[7] She is also the co-founder of Gillingham-based antiques and interiors emporium Talisman.[8] Her daughter Alice and her husband Luke Irwin are also interior designers and antiques dealers.[9][8] Elliot has been employed by her brother-in-law King Charles III. She is the chief interior designer of his estates. She first began renovating the Duchy of Cornwall estates. She has designed the interior of 12 Duchy of Cornwall cottages on the Isles of Scilly, holiday cottages at Restormel Castle and has also performed work on King Charles's estate of Llwynywermod in Wales.[7] In 2011, Elliot renovated Bovey Castle Hotel in Devon and received recognition and positive feedback as an interior designer.[10][11] Bovey Castle Hotel made the 2011 Gold List as one of the world's best places to stay.[12] The same year she helped furnish the new sustainable building of The Duchy Nursery in Lostwithiel in Cornwall.[13] Elliot furnished Dumfries Lodge House in Ayrshire, Scotland which was opened for business by Charles in 2012.[14] Elliot also furnished the Highgrove House Shops, which sells products for home and garden.[15] In 2016, Elliot helped furnish 20 bedrooms at the Duchess of Cornwall Inn pub at Poundbury village in Dorset.[16] In 2014, The Daily Telegraph ranked Elliot as the fifth most influential female interior designer in Britain.[17] Charity workElliot was a patron of British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) from 2005; it closed in 2015. She cited her mother Rosalind, who worked for an adoption agency, for influencing her to support the charity.[18] She is also a life member and patron of the Elephant Family, of which her brother Mark was chairman until his death in 2014.[19] Lady-in-attendanceAnnabel Elliot was lady-in-attendance at the couple's coronation in 2023.[20] With her son and daughter-in-law, she was invited to ride in the King's procession at Royal Ascot 2023.[21] Honours
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