Michael Parker

Lieutenant-Commander John Michael Avison Parker, (23 June 1920 – 29 December 2001) was an Australian who served as an officer of the Royal Navy (RN) during World War II, and was Private Secretary to Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, from 1947 to 1957.

Early life and education Parker was born in Melbourne on 23 June 1920. The son of Captain C. A. Parker, he was educated at Xavier College, Melbourne.

In 1952, Parker was in Kenya with the royal couple and broke the news initially to the Duke, who then told his wife, of King George VI's death. Parker remained in contact with the Duke until the end of his life.

Personal life Parker married Eileen Allan in 1942, with whom he had a son and a daughter. The marriage was dissolved in 1958. Eileen wrote a 1982 book called Step Aside for Royalty in which she claimed her husband and the Duke of Edinburgh used the pseudonyms Murgatroyd and Winterbottom to "gallivant out of the palace". Parker denied the claim. They had a daughter and son; the marriage was dissolved. In 1976, he married Jean Ramsay.