Michael Parker (courtier)

Parker was born in Melbourne on 23 June 1920. The son of Captain C. A. Parker, he was educated at Xavier College, Melbourne. ==Career==

Parker served in the Royal Australian Navy, and then the Royal Navy, between 1938 and 1947, reaching the rank of lieutenant-commander. He fought at the Battle of Narvik, and later was First Lieutenant of in 1942, then of in the 27th Destroyer Flotilla of the British Pacific Fleet. 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. Parker died in Melbourne, Australia, in December 2001. ==In popular culture==

Parker is portrayed by Daniel Ings in the Netflix series The Crown. ==References==