An archive of British Royal Family and related ephemera acquired by Lt Col Robert Owen

An archive of British Royal Family and related ephemera
Including: A trumpet silk used during the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer, 50cm sq. with accompanying photograph; ceremony service books for the Royal Wedding, 29 July 1981; two duty passes allocated to Robert Owen for the Royal Wedding, 1981; Order of Service book for the funeral of Diana Princess of Wales, 6 September 1997; programmes for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo 2002 Queen's Golden Jubilee and 2006; a boxed satin presentation menu for the luncheon at The Guildhall to celebrate the centennial year of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother; letters to Lt.Col. Robert Owen from colleagues and dignitaries on his retirement from the post of Director of Music for the Household Division, Scots Guards, including one from Margaret Thatcher, signed.

The collection of Lt Col Robert Owen, thence by descent to the vendor.

Lt Col Robert Owen enlisted into the Army as a musician in 1971. After basic training and riding school he joined the Band of The Life Guards in Knightsbridge, London as a tuba player, where he participated in many of the State and Ceremonial occasions. He was selected to attend the Student Bandmasters course at The Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall, Twickenham in 1979 where he won prizes for conducting and composition. One of the highlights of this period was performing as a member of the Fanfare Team at Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer's wedding in St Paul's Cathedral. After graduating in 1983 he was appointed as Bandmaster of The Queen's Lancashire Regiment, serving five years, during which time he toured widely in Europe, Cyprus and Canada. He was then posted to the Army Junior School of Music as an Instructor. In September 1989 he became Bandmaster at Kneller Hall, which is the most senior appointment for an Army bandmaster. He was commissioned in 1992 into the position of Director of Music Infantry (South) in Warminster, and in 1994 he was appointed as the first Director of Music of the newly formed Light Division Band in Winchester. In November 1997 he returned to the saddle in London becoming Director of Music of the Band of The Blues and Royals. He was fortunate to have been selected to become Director of Music of the Scots Guards Band in March 1999, following in the footsteps of a succession of distinguished Bandmasters/Directors of Music, dating back over Two Hundred years. During this time, as well as taking the band on tour in many overseas countries, he was also musical director of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo on several occasions. In June 2005 he became Senior Director of Music, Household Division, which made him responsible for some of the most prestigious ceremonial events in the capital including Trooping the Colour, Cenotaph Parade and the Festival of Remembrance from the Royal Albert Hall. He retired from the Army in 2008, having served for thirty seven years but continued to be involved with major national ceremonial events, by being a member of the BBC commentary team for the Trooping the Colour and as music advisor for the British Olympic Association as well as conductor of the Aberdeen University Concert Band.