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Andrew Douglas Alexander Thomas Bruce, 11th Earl of Elgin and 15th Earl of Kincardine, KT, CD, JP, DL (born 17 February 1924), styled Lord Bruce before 1968, is a Scottish peer and Chief of Clan Bruce.

Early life and education

Elgin was born in 1924 at the family seat, Broomhall House, in Fife, the eldest son of the 10th Earl of Elgin and Katherine Elizabeth, Countess of Elgin, daughter of the 1st Baron Cochrane of Cults. The arrival of a male heir following the births of two daughters, Lady Martha and Lady Jean, created tremendous celebration at the Broomhall estate, which included a bonfire and fireworks attended by crowds of villagers from Limekilns and Charlestown. He was styled Lord Bruce from birth and christened at Broomhall on 31 March 1924 by his great-uncle Rev. Henry Holmes Stewart. His five god-parents were Field Marshal Earl Haig, his uncle the Hon. Thomas Cochrane, Sir Alexander Gibb; Lord Elgin's elder sister, Lady Elisabeth Babington Smith; and Lady Victoria Cavendish-Bentinck, daughter of the Duke of Portland.

He was educated at Eton and at Balliol College, Oxford.

Military career

On 12 September 1943, Bruce was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the 3rd (Armoured) Bn Scots Guards and was wounded during Operation Bluecoat, the breakout from Normandy in August 1944. He was invalided out of the army on 24 October 1946, with the honorary rank of lieutenant.

On 4 April 1951, he was appointed an instructor in the Army Cadet Force, with the rank of Lieutenant. In July 1963, by then the County Cadet Commandant for Fife, he was awarded the Cadet Forces Medal. He resigned his commission on 19 April 1965, retaining the honorary rank of lieutenant-colonel. Since 1970, he has been Colonel-in-Chief of the 31 Combat Engineer Regiment (The Elgins), and was Honorary Colonel of the 153 (Highland) Transport Regiment from 1976 to 1986.

Career

Elgin has held a number of business appointments, including as President of the Scottish Amicable Life Assurance Society (1975–1994), and Chairman of the National Savings Committee for Scotland. He was also President of the Royal Scottish Automobile Club.

He was appointed a Justice of the Peace in 1951, was Deputy Lieutenant of Fife 1955–1987, and Lord Lieutenant 1987–1999. In 1980, he was appointed by Queen Elizabeth II as her Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and reappointed in 1981. In 1981 HM The Queen appointed him as a Knight of the Thistle. He was awarded the Canadian Forces' Decoration in 1981. He is a former Captain of the Royal Company of Archers and a former convenor of the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs.

He was County Cadet Commandant for Fife from 1952 to 1965, Brigade President of the Boys' Brigade from 1966 to 1985, and Grand Master Mason of Scotland from 1961 to 1965.

He is a Freeman of Bridgetown, Regina, Saskatchewan, Port Elgin, Winnipeg, Manitoba, St. Thomas, Ontario, and Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Lord Elgin is a Past President of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club, and is the Life President of the Broomhall Curling Club. He skippered the Scottish curling teams that defeated the Governor-General of Canada's teams in a series of matches in Ottawa in 1982.

Lord Elgin is Chief of Clan Bruce and President of the Bruce Family Organization which is the main association for members of the Bruce family.

Honours

Country	Ribbon	Description	Notes
Scotland		Order of the Thistle (KT)	Knight 1981
United Kingdom		1939–1945 Star
United Kingdom		France and Germany Star
United Kingdom		Defence Medal
United Kingdom		War Medal
United Kingdom		Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal	1953
United Kingdom		Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal	1977 UK Version of this Medal
United Kingdom		Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal	2002 UK Version of this Medal
United Kingdom		Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal	2012 UK Version of this Medal
United Kingdom		Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal	2022 UK Version of this Medal
United Kingdom		King Charles III Coronation Medal	2023 UK Version of this Medal
United Kingdom		Cadet Forces Medal	July 1963
United Kingdom		Canadian Forces' Decoration (CD)	1981 With 4 Clasps

Honorary military appointments

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (February 2021)

Military Branch	Date	Regiment	Position
Canadian Army	1970 – present	31 Combat Engineer Regiment (The Elgins)	Colonel-in-Chief
British Army	1976–1986	153 (Highland) Transport Regiment (TA)	Honorary Colonel
Canadian Army		No. 7 (St. Thomas) Royal Canadian Army Cadets	Honorary Colonel

Family

In 1959 he married Victoria Mary Usher and they have five children:

• Lady Georgina Mary Bruce, (born 4 June 1960)
• Charles Edward Bruce, Lord Bruce DL, (born 19 October 1961); was married (29 July 1990–1996) to Amanda Leigh Grimes née Movius with three children; Antonia Jean Bruce (born 14 December 1990), James Andrew Charles Robert Bruce, Master of Bruce (born 16 November 1991) and George Benjamin Thomas Bruce (born 5 July 1993). Bruce later married Dr Alice Enders on 5 May 2001 and, following a divorce, Sheree Cosgrove on 19 August 2023
• Lady Antonia Katherine Bruce, (born 30 August 1964); married Marcel Ballot (1989–)
• The Hon. Adam Robert Bruce CStJ WS, (born 18 January 1968); married Donna Maria-Sofia Giovanna Rose Granito Pignatelli di Belmonte (17 May 2003–) with two children; Robert Frederick Angelo Bruce (born 7 January 2007) and Orlando Antonio Andrew Bruce (born 12 September 2008)
• The Hon. Alexander Victor Bruce, (born 31 March 1971); married Victoria M. Bythell on 26 September 1998

The Countess of Elgin and Kincardine was the Patron of both the Royal Caledonian Ball and Edinburgh’s Queen Margaret University. The Earl succeeded to the earldoms and other family titles on the death of his father in 1968.

The Earl celebrated his 100th birthday on the 17 February 2024. He was interviewed by the BBC as part of a project to record the memories of Second World War veterans, marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day on 6 June 2024.

On 15 November 2024, Bruce's wife of 65 years, Victoria, Countess of Elgin, died aged 85.

Notes

1. "Births". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 19 February 1924. p. 1.
2. Dewar, Peter Beauclerk (2001). Burke's Landed Gentry of Great Britain: together with members of the titled and non-titled contemporary establishment Edition 19, Burke's Peerage, ISBN 0-9711966-0-5. p. 104
3. "An Important Baby". Gentlewoman. 1 March 1924. p. 21. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
4. "Lord Elgin's Heir Christened Big Assembly at Broomhall". Dundee Courier. 1 April 1924. p. 5. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
5. "Earl of Elgin's Heir". Aberdeen Press and Journal. 2 April 1924. p. 6. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
6. "BBC - WW2 People's War - The Breakout: Part 1 (To Normandy with the 3rd Tank Battalion Scots Guards)". www.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 25 June 2006.
7. "No. 36206". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 October 1943. p. 4499.
8. "No. 37767". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 October 1946. p. 5256.
9. "No. 39274". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 June 1951. p. 3613.
10. "No. 43051". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 July 1963. p. 5882.
11. "No. 43652". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 May 1965. p. 4854.
12. "No. 43712". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 July 1965. p. 6726.
13. Video on YouTube
14. "Lord Elgin: Defender of aristocratic adventure and national treasures". The Independent. 17 January 2004. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
15. Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
16. "New appointments to the Order of the Thistle". The Royal Household of the Queen. 30 November 2003. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
17. "Conservatives at the heart of Freemasonry". The Independent. 31 October 1995. Archived from the original on 9 November 2009.
18. Video on YouTube
19. "familyofbruce.org - Family of Bruce International, Inc. - About Us". familyofbruce.org. Archived from the original on 13 August 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2011.
20. Video on YouTube
21. "Infamous fraudster Lady Bruce vows to return to Scotland". Deadline News. 28 February 2010.
22. "cracroftspeerage.co.uk". Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
23. "Patronesses". Royal Caledonian Ball. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
24. "From Scotland, 100-year-old chief of Clan Bruce hails 'swift and true' Waterloo squadron". The Record. 16 February 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
25. "'The German army blew up a cup of tea next to me'". BBC News. London. 4 June 2023. Archived from the original on 4 June 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
26. Victoria ELGIN Obituary

References

• Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990,
• "Who's Who" (2011 edition). A & C Black Publishers Ltd; 163rd Revised edition (6 December 2010)

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Earl of Elgin
• Andrew Bruce, 11th Earl of Elgin

v t e Current earls in the peerages of Britain and Ireland
Sorted by (historical) entity at time of grant
England	Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 22nd Earl of Shrewsbury Edward Stanley, 19th Earl of Derby William Hastings-Bass, 17th Earl of Huntingdon William Herbert, 18th Earl of Pembroke Charles Courtenay, 19th Earl of Devon Robert Fiennes-Clinton, 19th Earl of Lincoln Alexander Howard, 22nd Earl of Suffolk William Herbert, 15th Earl of Montgomery Alexander Feilding, 12th Earl of Denbigh Anthony Fane, 16th Earl of Westmorland Alexander Howard, 15th Earl of Berkshire Richard Bertie, 14th Earl of Lindsey Daniel Finch-Hatton, 17th Earl of Winchilsea John Montagu, 11th Earl of Sandwich Paul Capell, 11th Earl of Essex George Howard, 13th Earl of Carlisle Nicholas Ashley-Cooper, 12th Earl of Shaftesbury Daniel Finch-Hatton, 12th Earl of Nottingham Richard Bertie, 9th Earl of Abingdon Timothy Bentinck, 12th Earl of Portland Richard Lumley, 13th Earl of Scarbrough Rufus Keppel, 10th Earl of Albemarle George Coventry, 13th Earl of Coventry William Child Villiers, 10th Earl of Jersey
Scotland	Alistair Sutherland, 25th Earl of Sutherland Anthony Lindsay, 30th Earl of Crawford Margaret of Mar, 31st Countess of Mar Merlin Hay, 24th Earl of Erroll Malcolm Sinclair, 20th Earl of Caithness Stewart Douglas, 22nd Earl of Morton James Leslie, 22nd Earl of Rothes Henry Erskine, 18th Earl of Buchan Hugh Montgomerie, 19th Earl of Eglinton John Stuart, 21st Earl of Moray James Erskine, 14th Earl of Mar Michael Douglas-Home, 16th Earl of Home James David Drummond, 10th Earl of Perth Simon Bowes-Lyon, 19th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne James Erskine, 16th Earl of Kellie George Baillie-Hamilton, 14th Earl of Haddington Andrew Stewart, 14th Earl of Galloway Ian Maitland, 18th Earl of Lauderdale James Lindesay-Bethune, 16th Earl of Lindsay Simon Abney-Hastings, 15th Earl of Loudoun Charles Hay, 16th Earl of Kinnoull Andrew Bruce, 11th Earl of Elgin James Charteris, 13th Earl of Wemyss James Ramsay, 17th Earl of Dalhousie David Ogilvy, 14th Earl of Airlie Alexander Leslie-Melville, 15th Earl of Leven John Grant, 13th Earl of Dysart John Douglas-Hamilton, 12th Earl of Selkirk Patrick Carnegy, 15th Earl of Northesk Andrew Bruce, 15th Earl of Kincardine Anthony Lindsay, 13th Earl of Balcarres Filippo Rospigliosi, 12th Earl of Newburgh Alexander Scrymgeour, 12th Earl of Dundee Patrick Hope-Johnstone, 11th Earl of Annandale and Hartfell Iain Cochrane, 15th Earl of Dundonald James Keith, 14th Earl of Kintore Malcolm Murray, 12th Earl of Dunmore Alexander Leslie-Melville, 14th Earl of Melville Peter St John, 9th Earl of Orkney James Charteris, 9th Earl of March Ian Ogilvie-Grant, 13th Earl of Seafield John Dalrymple, 14th Earl of Stair Harry Primrose, 8th Earl of Rosebery Patrick Boyle, 10th Earl of Glasgow
Great Britain	Robert Shirley, 14th Earl Ferrers William Legge, 10th Earl of Dartmouth Peter Bennett, 10th Earl of Tankerville Charles Finch-Knightley, 12th Earl of Aylesford Richard Parker, 9th Earl of Macclesfield James Waldegrave, 13th Earl Waldegrave Charles Stanhope, 12th Earl of Harrington Quentin Wallop, 10th Earl of Portsmouth Guy Greville, 9th Earl Brooke George Hobart-Hampden, 10th Earl of Buckinghamshire Piers North, 10th Earl of Guilford Joseph Yorke, 10th Earl of Hardwicke Robin Fox-Strangways, 10th Earl of Ilchester Guy Greville, 9th Earl of Warwick William Sackville, 11th Earl De La Warr William Pleydell-Bouverie, 9th Earl of Radnor Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer Allen Bathurst, 9th Earl Bathurst George Villiers, 8th Earl of Clarendon Alexander Murray, 8th and 9th Earl of Mansfield Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 7th Earl Talbot Christopher Edgcumbe, 9th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe Charles Fortescue, 8th Earl Fortescue Alexander Murray, 9th Earl of Mansfield George Herbert, 8th Earl of Carnarvon Edward Cadogan, 9th Earl Cadogan James Harris, 7th Earl of Malmesbury
Ireland	Kingdom of Ireland Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 22nd Earl of Waterford John Boyle, 15th Earl of Cork William Anthony Nugent, 13th Earl of Westmeath John Brabazon, 15th Earl of Meath Alexander Feilding, 11th Earl of Desmond Roger Lambart, 13th Earl of Cavan John Boyle, 15th Earl of Orrery Derry Moore, 12th Earl of Drogheda Peter Forbes, 10th Earl of Granard Ivo Bligh, 12th Earl of Darnley Myles Ponsonby, 12th Earl of Bessborough Thomas Butler, 11th Earl of Carrick Henry Boyle, 10th Earl of Shannon Arthur Gore, 9th Earl of Arran Patrick Stopford, 9th Earl of Courtown John Savile, 8th Earl of Mexborough David Turnour, 8th Earl Winterton Robert King-Tenison, 12th Earl of Kingston Robert Jocelyn, 10th Earl of Roden David Vaughan, 9th Earl of Lisburne Patrick Meade, 8th Earl of Clanwilliam Randal McDonnell, 10th Earl of Antrim Thomas Pakenham, 8th Earl of Longford George Dawson-Damer, 7th Earl of Portarlington Charles Bourke, 11th Earl of Mayo Michael Annesley, 12th Earl Annesley Andrew Cole, 7th Earl of Enniskillen John Crichton, 7th Earl Erne George Bingham, 8th Earl of Lucan John Lowry-Corry, 8th Earl Belmore Andrew Stuart, 9th Earl Castle Stewart Nicholas Alexander, 7th Earl of Caledon Richard Hely-Hutchinson, 8th Earl of Donoughmore After 1801 Edmund Pery, 7th Earl of Limerick Nicholas Trench, 9th Earl of Clancarty Brendan Parsons, 7th Earl of Rosse Charles Acheson, 7th Earl of Gosford Shaun Agar, 6th Earl of Normanton Richard Needham, 6th Earl of Kilmorey Francis Hare, 6th Earl of Listowel Richard Graham-Toler, 7th Earl of Norbury Edward Knox, 8th Earl of Ranfurly
United Kingdom	King George III Peter St Clair-Erskine, 7th Earl of Rosslyn Benjamin Craven, 9th Earl of Craven Rupert Onslow, 8th Earl of Onslow Julian Marsham, 8th Earl of Romney John Pelham, 9th Earl of Chichester Francis Grosvenor, 8th Earl of Wilton John Herbert, 8th Earl of Powis Simon Nelson, 10th Earl Nelson Alexander Kent Grey, 8th Earl Grey William Lowther, 9th Earl of Lonsdale Conroy Ryder, 8th Earl of Harrowby Prince Regent David Lascelles, 8th Earl of Harewood Timothy Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 7th Earl of Minto Charles Cathcart, 7th Earl Cathcart John Grimston, 7th Earl of Verulam Albert Eliot, 11th Earl of St Germans Mark Parker, 7th Earl of Morley Richard Bridgeman, 7th Earl of Bradford King George IV John Scott, 6th Earl of Eldon Frederick Curzon, 7th Earl Howe Keith Rous, 6th Earl of Stradbroke James Temple-Gore-Langton, 9th Earl Temple of Stowe Colin Campbell, 7th Earl Cawdor King William IV Thomas Anson, 6th Earl of Lichfield Edward Lambton, 7th Earl of Durham Fergus Leveson-Gower, 6th Earl Granville Edward Howard, 8th Earl of Effingham David Moreton, 7th Earl of Ducie Charles Pelham, 8th Earl of Yarborough Queen Victoria Thomas Coke, 8th Earl of Leicester Anthony Noel, 6th Earl of Gainsborough William Byng, 9th Earl of Strafford Mark Pepys, 9th Earl of Cottenham Graham Wellesley, 8th Earl Cowley David Ward, 5th Earl of Dudley Hugh Montgomerie, 7th Earl of Winton John Russell, 7th Earl Russell John Mackenzie, 5th Earl of Cromartie John Wodehouse, 5th Earl of Kimberley Richard Wortley, 5th Earl of Wharncliffe Simon Cairns, 6th Earl Cairns John Lytton, 5th Earl of Lytton William Palmer, 5th Earl of Selborne John Northcote, 5th Earl of Iddesleigh Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook King Edward VII Evelyn Baring, 4th Earl of Cromer Ivor Windsor-Clive, 4th Earl of Plymouth Edward Foljambe, 5th Earl of Liverpool King George V Harry Primrose, 4th Earl of Midlothian Michael Hicks Beach, 3rd Earl St Aldwyn David Beatty, 3rd Earl Beatty Alexander Haig, 3rd Earl Haig Edward Guinness, 4th Earl of Iveagh Roderick Balfour, 5th Earl of Balfour Raymond Asquith, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Asquith Patrick Jellicoe, 3rd Earl Jellicoe Peter Mackay, 4th Earl of Inchcape William Peel, 3rd Earl Peel King George VI Simon Bowes-Lyon, 6th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne Benedict Baldwin, 5th Earl Baldwin of Bewdley Peter Wood, 3rd Earl of Halifax Brer Ruthven, 3rd Earl of Gowrie David Lloyd George, 4th Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor Norton Knatchbull, 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma Queen Elizabeth II Shane Alexander, 2nd Earl Alexander of Tunis Mark Cunliffe-Lister, 4th Earl of Swinton John Attlee, 3rd Earl Attlee Simon Marquis, 3rd Earl of Woolton David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon Alexander Macmillan, 2nd Earl of Stockton
Italics in entries mean the peer also holds a previously listed earldom of higher precedence

v t e Current members of the Order of the Thistle
Sovereign	The King
Extra Knights and Ladies	The Princess Royal The Duke of Rothesay The Queen The Duke of Edinburgh
Knights and Ladies	The Earl of Elgin and Kincardine The Lord Mackay of Clashfern The Lord Wilson of Tillyorn The Lord Steel of Aikwood The Lord Robertson of Port Ellen The Lord Cullen of Whitekirk The Lord Hope of Craighead The Lord Patel The Lord Smith of Kelvin The Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry Sir Ian Wood Lady Elish Angiolini Sir George Reid The Baroness Black of Strome The Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws Sir Geoff Palmer
Officers	David Fergusson (Dean) The Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry (Chancellor) Joseph Morrow (Lord Lyon King of Arms, ex officio) Elizabeth Roads (Secretary) Christopher Layman (Green Rod, ex officio)

• 1924 births
• Living people
• Nobility from Fife
• Earls of Elgin
• Earls of Kincardine
• Knights of the Thistle
• People educated at Eton College
• Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford
• Scots Guards officers
• British Army personnel of World War II
• Lord-lieutenants of Fife
• Boys' Brigade
• Scottish Freemasons
• Members of the Royal Company of Archers
• Lords High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
• Bruce family
• Hereditary peers removed under the House of Lords Act 1999
• British men centenarians
• Scottish men centenarians