| Andrew Stephenson Ritchie | |
|---|---|
| Born | 30 July 1953 |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1973–2006 |
| Rank | Major-General |
| Commands held | 1st Royal Horse Artillery 4th Division RMA Sandhurst |
| Awards | Commander of the Order of the British Empire |
Major-General Andrew Stephenson Ritchie CBE (born 30 July 1953) is a British soldier, formerly Commandant of the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, now Director of Goodenough College, London. His early career was with the Royal Artillery, and he commanded the 1st Regiment the Royal Horse Artillery for two years.
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The elder son of Canon David Caldwell Ritchie, by his marriage to Dilys Stephenson, Ritchie was born in 1953 and educated at Harrow County Boys' School, then at Sandhurst and the University of Durham.[1]
Commissioned the Royal Artillery as a regular officer in 1973, Ritchie saw service in Belize, Rhodesia, Northern Ireland and West Germany from 1974 to 1984, then was posted to the Ministry of Defence in 1986–1987 before joining the 3rd Regiment the Royal Horse Artillery, with which he served in Germany, Cyprus, and the United Kingdom from 1988 to 1990. He was Director of Army Plans from 1990 to 1992, then commanded the 1st Regiment the Royal Horse Artillery from 1992 to 1995 and saw service in Bosnia in 1995–1996, before taking a Higher Command and Staff Course in 1997. He was Director of Personal Services (Army) from 1998 to 2000 and was at the Royal College of Defence Studies in 2001, then was Director of Corporate Communications (Army) in 2001–2002 and General Officer Commanding the 4th Division from 2002 to 2003 before taking up his final post as Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst from 2003 to 2006.[1]
Ritchie's tenure as Commandant of Sandhurst coincided with the attendance of Princes William and Harry at the academy, but was marred by a series of high-profile security breaches by journalists. In June 2005, a tabloid reporter successfully smuggled a fake bomb into the academy, and also claimed to have filmed footage of Prince Harry in the supposedly secure military compound.[2] The incident prompted a full security review by Defence Secretary John Reid. In August 2005, a journalist for another tabloid was successfully offered a job at Sandhurst despite using obviously fake credentials.[2] A further security incident occured in January 2006, when the entire camp went into alert over a bomb; it later turned out to be a false alarm caused by a fake bomb made for cadet exercises, which had been fallen off a vehicle and then been found.[2] It was reported in the Daily Telegraph in January 2006 that in the ensuing controversy, Ritchie was saved from being sacked by a personal intervention from Prince Charles, with the Prince of Wales reported to have made "'high-level' phone calls of support" to government ministers and senior officals, and issuing "a hand-written letter" of support for Ritchie.[3] Ritchie resigned as Commandant of Sandhurst in April 2006, resigning from the army shortly thereafter.[2]
Ritchie also gave a controversial Daily Telegraph interview during his Sandhurst tenure, in which he discussed suitable placements for army officers with the words, "Clearly, if say a regiment plays a lot of polo and you are a rugby player, you probably won't want to go to the polo-playing regiment", before conceding in the same interview, "I rather regret using that example", and stressed that the army was far more accessible today than when he first joined in the 1970s.[4]
After leaving Sandhurst, Ritchie instructed media law firm Harbottle & Lewis, who successfully sued the Daily Mirror on his behalf over a front-page story (subsequently repeated in the Daily Express and The Times) headlined, "Harry's Army Chief quits 'over stress'", and "Fall Out! Exclusive: Sandhurst chief quits job after stress of looking after Princes". The Mirror offered a full retraction, paid an undisclosed sum in damages (Ritchie's writ had been for £100,000 in damages), plus legal costs, and accepted that as an army officer, Ritchie, "has been trained to deal with stress."[5][6][7][8][9]
After retiring from the service, he was appointed as Director of Goodenough College in London, a residential college for postgraduate students, taking his post in July 2006.[1][10]
In 1981, Ritchie married Camilla Trollope, and they have one son and two daughters.[1] His Who's Who entry lists his hobbies as hunting, opera, tennis and golf.[1]
Ritchie has been Honorary Colonel of the 100th (Yeomanry) Regiment, Royal Artillery, since 2000, a Trustee of the British Forces Foundation since 2003, President of the Royal Artillery Hunt, a Member of the Council of Marlborough College, and a Governor of Princess Helena College since 2006, and a director of Larkhill Racecourse since 2008.[1]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Holmes |
General Officer Commanding the 4th Division 2002–2003 |
Succeeded by David Judd |
| Preceded by Philip Trousdell |
Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst 2003–2006 |
Succeeded by David Rutherford-Jones |
| Preceded by Major-General Timothy Toyne-Sewell |
Director of Goodenough College 2006–present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |