Steve Jackson Games Forums - View Single Post - The Shadow Court of HM Queen Elizabeth II

Icelander · 01-15-2013, 03:41 PM

Searching over the lists of people close to HM and family, I came across an obscure, but delightful figure.

From 2010-2012, the Queen's Equerry was one Maj. (later Lt. Col.) Dan Rex MVO, Royal Gurkha Rifles. Now, the fact that Rex is a RMA Sandhurst graduate and a well-regarded fifteen-year veteran of the Gurkhas is perhaps not unexpected among the ranks of those chosen to serve as Equerries to the Monarch. After all, such a position for a serving officer is often regarded as a prelude to fast-track to high rank. Indeed, after his term as Equerry was up last year, he was promoted and attended the Advanced Command and Staff Course in preparation for yet higher command.

No, the interesting things are that; a) While almost all other Equerries have a very public profile on the Internet, with Wikipedia articles and plenty of mentions in the media, Dan Rex is comparatively obscure; b) About his only public claim to fame is the fact that among his many combat assignments, he commanded a six-month long defence of a fort in Afghanistan against waves of Taliban attacks in what was described as the fiercest close quarters (up to hand-to-hand) fighting British troops have seen since WWII c) Between 2008-2010, Maj. Rex had a phenomenally opaque job description, namely 'Military Liason Officer', without any listing for where he was stationed or what he was doing; d) During that time, Maj. Rex apparently attended some courses run by the London Metropolitian Police Service, including the National Hostage and Crisis Negotiation Course; and finally and most interestingly, e) His education prior to Sandhurst was in Ancient History and Archeology, graduating from the University of Birmingham with honours.

Let's see, a fighting Gurkha officer outstanding enough to land a coveted posting by the Queen's side, which represents a fast-track to command, and he just happens to have a degree in Ancient History and Archeology...

Yeah, he's a Queen's Paranormal Ranger. Probably the newest team leader, if they don't decide to allow him to reach higher rank in the regular military first. There he can influence policy and potentially steer the right course after the supernatural becomes public.

This is a good example of the kind of thing for which I'm looking. Does anyone happen to know more about Lt. Col. Dan Rex? Or have other suggestions about real people with connections to HM who are easily fictionalised into occult conspirators, supernatural planning officers, magicians or men who seek out things that go bump in the night?

01-15-2013, 03:41 PM	#39
Icelander Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Iceland*	Lt. Col. Dan Rex MVO; Queen's Paranormal Ranger Searching over the lists of people close to HM and family, I came across an obscure, but delightful figure. From 2010-2012, the Queen's Equerry was one Maj. (later Lt. Col.) Dan Rex MVO, Royal Gurkha Rifles. Now, the fact that Rex is a RMA Sandhurst graduate and a well-regarded fifteen-year veteran of the Gurkhas is perhaps not unexpected among the ranks of those chosen to serve as Equerries to the Monarch. After all, such a position for a serving officer is often regarded as a prelude to fast-track to high rank. Indeed, after his term as Equerry was up last year, he was promoted and attended the Advanced Command and Staff Course in preparation for yet higher command. No, the interesting things are that; a) While almost all other Equerries have a very public profile on the Internet, with Wikipedia articles and plenty of mentions in the media, Dan Rex is comparatively obscure; b) About his only public claim to fame is the fact that among his many combat assignments, he commanded a six-month long defence of a fort in Afghanistan against waves of Taliban attacks in what was described as the fiercest close quarters (up to hand-to-hand) fighting British troops have seen since WWII c) Between 2008-2010, Maj. Rex had a phenomenally opaque job description, namely 'Military Liason Officer', without any listing for where he was stationed or what he was doing; d) During that time, Maj. Rex apparently attended some courses run by the London Metropolitian Police Service, including the National Hostage and Crisis Negotiation Course; and finally and most interestingly, e) His education prior to Sandhurst was in Ancient History and Archeology, graduating from the University of Birmingham with honours. Let's see, a fighting Gurkha officer outstanding enough to land a coveted posting by the Queen's side, which represents a fast-track to command, and he just happens to have a degree in Ancient History and Archeology... Yeah, he's a Queen's Paranormal Ranger. Probably the newest team leader, if they don't decide to allow him to reach higher rank in the regular military first. There he can influence policy and potentially steer the right course after the supernatural becomes public. This is a good example of the kind of thing for which I'm looking. Does anyone happen to know more about Lt. Col. Dan Rex? Or have other suggestions about real people with connections to HM who are easily fictionalised into occult conspirators, supernatural planning officers, magicians or men who seek out things that go bump in the night? __________________ Za uspiekh nashevo beznadiozhnovo diela!