Michael Willcocks

Education

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Career

Willcocks was commissioned into the Royal Regiment of Artillery in 1964. He was appointed Commanding Officer of 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery in 1983. His last appointments were as Deputy Commander (Operations) for the Stabilization Force (SFOR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1999 and as United Kingdom military representative to North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union from 2000 until his retirement in 2001.

Willcocks was appointed Gentleman Usher of the on 9 May 2001.

After seven years in this post, he announced in late 2008 that he was stepping down from the role, and relinquished the post on 29 April 2009. At Willcocks" last State Opening of Parliament, Dennis Skinner, Member of Parliament, who is famous for interrupting with a traditional "Queen"s Speech Joke", asked, "any Tory moles at the Palace?" This was in reference to the controversial then-recent arrest of Conservative Member of Parliament Damian Green in connection with an investigation about receiving confidential information from a civil servant at the Home Office who had been a former Conservative Party candidate.

In a mild but highly memorable breach of protocol, Willcocks responded (interruptions are supposed to be ignored) "I shall miss you, Dennis", receiving laughter from other MPs. As, Willcocks oversaw the Queen Mother"s lying-in-state at Westminster Hall.

Willcocks was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the New Year Honours 2000.

He is also a Knight Commander of Merit with Star of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Street George. Sir Michael is also the current Charter Commissioner for the Press Complaints Commission. 1944-2000: Mr Michael Alan Willcocks

2000-2009: Sir Michael Alan Willcocks Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath

2009-: Sir Michael Alan Willcocks Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Royal Victorian Order.

Achievements

• He became Deputy Assistant Chief Of Staff at Headquarters United Kingdom Land Forces in 1985, Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence/Operations at Headquarters United Kingdom Land Forces in 1988 and Commander Royal Artillery for the 4th Armoured Division in 1989. He went on to be Assistant Chief of Staff for Land Operations at the Joint War Headquarters for the Gulf War in 1991, Director of Army Plans and Programme at the Ministry of Defence in 1991 and Director-General Land Warfare at the Ministry of Defence in 1993. He was then appointed Chief of Staff for the Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps in 1994, Chief of Staff for the Land Component of the Peace Implementation Force (Implementation Force ) in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1995 and Assistant Chief of the General Staff in 1996. The Queen invested him with the insignia of a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order on his retirement as on 29 April 2009.