In 1952, Parker was in Kenya with the royal couple and broke the news initially to the Duke, who then told his wife, of King George VI's death.[1][2] Parker became full-time Private Secretary to the Duke.[1] Parker was created Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO) in 1953, and Commander (CVO) in 1957.[1] He accompanied the Duke on his 1956 five-month world tour aboard HMY Britannia.[4]
Parker's divorce in 1958, reported on extensively in the media, forced him to resign as the Duke's Private Secretary. He was succeeded in that role by James Orr.[5] Parker remained in contact with the Duke until the end of his life.[1][4] Parker worked for aircraft builder Lockheed Corporation and advertising agency Leo Burnett Worldwide. He returned to live in Australia in the late 1960s. He became chairman of Australian Dredging and General Services, and was a director of Sperry Australia.[1]
Parker married Eileen Allan in 1942, with whom he had a son and a daughter. The marriage was dissolved in 1958. Eileen wrote a 1982 book called Step Aside for Royalty in which she claimed her husband and the Duke of Edinburgh used the pseudonyms Murgatroyd and Winterbottom to "gallivant out of the palace".[7][8] Parker denied the claim.[7]
