Christopher Bonham-Carter

Rear Admiral Sir Christopher Douglas Bonham-Carter, GCVO, CB (1907 – 3 June 1975) was a Royal Navy officer and Treasurer to the Duke of Edinburgh 1959-1970.

Bonham-Carter was educated at Elstree School and the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth. He entered the Royal Navy, becoming a captain in 1948, and rear-admiral in 1957.

He was mentioned in despatches in 1943. From 1949-1951 he was in command 2nd Frigate Flotilla, and then was Naval Attache in Rome 1951 to 1953. After spending 1953 to 1955 at the Admiralty he became Commanding Officer of HMS Glasgow in 1955 and 1956. His last posting was as Chief of Staff Mediterranean (1957–1959).

In 1959 Bonham-Carter joined the Household of the Duke of Edinburgh as Treasurer to the Duke of Edinburgh. In 1970 he was appointed Private Secretary, and retired from both positions at the end of that year. In 1961 during a Royal visit to Nepal he was credited with a share a tiger kill with Sir Michael Adeane in a royal tiger hunt. The tiger shooting role had fallen to him after the Queen had declined, the Duke of Edinburgh had been unable to shoot due to having his trigger finger in a splint and the then Foreign Secretary Alec Douglas-Home had missed twice. He was appointed Extra Equerry in 1970. From 1971 until his death he was also Secretary and Registrar of the Order of Merit.

Bonham-Carter was made a CB in 1959, and a CVO in 1962. He was advanced to KCVO in 1968, and GCVO in 1970.