Camilla's Brother In Revolving Door Death

The Duchess of Cornwall's brother Mark Shand died after falling backwards while trying to re-enter a revolving door, New York police have said.

The 62-year-old travel writer slipped in the early hours of Wednesday outside the Gramercy Hotel's Rose Bar in Manhattan.

"At approximately 2.40 am he attempted to re-enter the hotel from the revolving door and unexpectedly fell backwards, striking his head on the pavement," a police official said.

Mr Shand was taken to hospital with serious head injuries, and was later pronounced dead.

Mr Shand, Camilla's only brother, was the chairman of Elephant Family, a charity that aims to save the endangered Asian elephant from extinction in the wild.

He was in New York for an auction at Sotheby's in aid of a charity for underprivileged children and Elephant Family.

A statement from Clarence House said: "The Duchess, The Prince of Wales and all her family members are utterly devastated by this sudden and tragic loss.

"Mark Shand was a man of extraordinary vitality, a tireless campaigner and conservationist whose incredible work through The Elephant Family and beyond remained his focus right up until his death."

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who are on a trip to Australia, also released a statement.

"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were saddened to learn this morning of the tragic death of Mark Shand. Their thoughts are with The Duchess of Cornwall and her family at this time."

Mr Shand wrote a number of books and appeared in documentaries, with elephants and India common themes.