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Mark DuBois is humbled by his memories of family connection to the Royal Family

September 15, 2022   ·   0 Comments

By Constance Scrafield 

It is with considerable humility that Mark DuBois sat down with the Citizen to recount his and his family’s paths crossing with members of the Royal Family.

“It was an early beginning,” he remarked.

His mother and father had stopped in London, England on their way to Canada on June 6, 1953 at the time of Queen Elizabeth’s coronation. Although his mother was four months pregnant [with Mark], they waited all night at the gates of Buckingham Palace, close to the gate 

“I don’t remember much about it,” he joked. “Mom and dad were royalists. They were about three months and a year older than the Queen.”

He noted that when his parents were in India, his father had gone to a private boys’ school and the DuBois family lived within a part of Indian society that was “very English.”

They left England in August, 1953 for Canada and Mr. DuBois was born here.

While he was at Upper Canada College, at age 16, young Mark DuBois enrolled in the Duke of Edinburgh Awards which stressed, as he saw it, mathematics, music, sports, little theatre and Battalion.

“We were the Queen’s Own Rifle,” Mr. DuBois told us about the battalion category.

Historically, Upper Canada College was the only school that was involved in the rebellion of 1837; student members of the College Company of the Queens Own Rifle volunteered to help put down the rebellion: “… in 1837, College boys were not behind in offering their services,” says a snippet from a history of Upper Canada College from 1829 to1892 by Rev. T. F. Fotheringham.

Mr. DuBois reminisced, “We had to march from UCC every Remembrance Day all the way to St. Paul’s Cathedral. We had these rifles [no rounds] and were in full uniform (dark blue jacket, beautiful brass button – tattersalls around the boots and a blue beret.) I was a Lance Corporal.” 

That year, 1968, for the Edinburgh Awards, “I got one of them,” he was happy to say. Award aspirations demanded excellence in all the categories of music (he was leading the college choir); little theatre (he was involved in Gilbert and Sullivan productions) and in sports (he was captain of the soccer, cricket teams and gymnastics.)

He described the scene, “The Duke came to the school and he awarded us the medals. I was amazed because he was so tall and shook our hands and talked to each one of us. He said, ‘I hear you’re quite the musician and you love cricket.’” 

In 1972, the DuBois family property, called at the time Inshallah, in Hockley Valley was home to the only private cricket grounds in North America. Once a year his parents hosted a cricket game for students from a number of private schools around the province. That year Prince Andrew who was at Lakefield College came with his team.

Said Mr. DuBois, “We weren’t supposed to beat them but we did. It was very nice that he came and played and had tea with all of us.”

Then there was a call in 1984, asking Mr. DuBois if he would come to a Royal Gala to sing “Maria” [Westside Story] to honour the Queen at Roy Thompson Hall.

“You have to meet her too,” they informed him.

“They told us how we should bow from the stage and then not to grab her hand when we were introduced.

“She said, ‘You have a beautiful voice and I hope I will hear you again.’”

He was so thrilled, “She was sitting in the Royal Balcony during the concert and I could see her. That was wonderful.”

For Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee, there was another event at Roy Thompson Hall.

“It was a big deal,” he commented. “They didn’t have room for all the people. So, they had us each record and would bring up these videos for her, on the Golden Jubilee. I was filmed and speaking to her on film, wishing her best wishes. 

“I never saw her again but I had met her. I sang for her with a full symphony behind me and I was deeply thankful for that.”

Mr. DuBois assured us, “It’s a humbling experience to be in their presence – the Duke, the Queen and have them to talk to you.”

After the concert in 1984 whenever Mark DuBois’ parents came to his concerts, they sat in those same seats, in the Royal Box where Queen Elizabeth II sat.

He said, “The complementary tickets I got for them were always for those seats.”

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