Andrew 'Vern' Stokes

Andrew 'Vern' Stokes boasts a decorated military career, having first joined the British Army in June 1988 at the age of just 16 years old. Following basic infantry training at the Guards Depot in Pirbright, Surrey Andrew joined the 2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards in Episkopi Garrison, Cyprus. When the Battalion returned to the United Kingdom in 1990, they were posted to Chelsea Barracks, London - where Andrew got his first taste of State Ceremonial and Public Duties (SCPD) at the Royal Palaces. Renowned for having organised and delivered the State funerals of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and H.M Queen Elizabeth II, Andrew is now highly sought after as a keynote speaker to share the inside story of orchestrating such high-profile national events. 

Andrew's military career has been one of great success. After a tour of Northern Ireland and overseas exercises in Belize and Kenya, in 1993 the 2nd Battalion amalgamated with the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards under ‘Options for Change’ and deployed to Gornji Vakuf, Bosnia for a six-month operational tour with the United Nations. Andrew was a Section Commander Instructor at the Infantry Battle School, and completed further operational tours of Northern Ireland, Al Amarah and Basrah in Iraq, Afghanistan and overseas exercises in Canada. He trained future Officers at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as a Colour Sergeant Instructor and then as Company Sergeant Major. In 2010 he was promoted to be the Regimental Sergeant Major of the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, the pinnacle of regimental service as a soldier.

In December 2011 Andrew was appointed as the Academy Sergeant Major of Sandhurst. In addition to duties associated with the post at Sandhurst, his role included advising both the Chief of Defence Staff and the Chief of General Staff and briefing other NATO countries in the development of Leadership. In recognition of his distinguished military service, Andrew was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal in 2013. He joined the team in Horse Guards in 2014 to begin a year of shadowing the previous Garrison Sergeant Major, 'Billy' Mott, on the annual cycle of State Ceremonial events as part of their handover and takeover programme. During this period he also worked within the Civil Engagement cell at HQ London District, his focus in particular being Youth Engagement (16 – 24 years old). He set up initiatives linking the Army in London with other youth engagement organisations, charities, colleges and associations - establishing links with the Department for Work and Pensions and Job Centre Plus.

GSM Stokes' first Queen's Birthday Parade, Trooping the Colour, was for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth's 90th Birthday in June 2016. In June 2021, he was awarded the honour of Member of The Royal Victorian Order (MVO) as part of a rare set of awards, to mark what would have been The Queen's late husband’s 100th birthday, following his key role in the challenge of creating and delivering from scratch a COVID compliant world-class military ceremonial funeral for HRH The Duke of Edinburgh in Windsor. In June 2023, he was awarded the honour of Officer of The British Empire (OBE) for his key role in creating and delivering the State military ceremonial aspects of H.M. Queen Elizabeth's Funeral and The Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla. In 2024, Andrew's commitment was further honoured when he was appointed Deputy Lieutenant (DL) of Shropshire. Having made a truly significant impact in both military and royal duties, hire Andrew 'Vern' Stokes today to learn the inside strategies of organising a national State event.