Miles Fitzalan-Howard, 17th Duke of Norfolk 1915 – 2002

Biography

A towering figure in post-war Britain, Miles Fitzalan-Howard commanded respect both in military dress and ancestral halls. As a decorated British Army general, he shaped Cold War strategy during decades of service that would define a generation of military leadership. Born into one of England’s most storied Catholic families, he inherited the Norfolk dukedom and wielded considerable influence across political and ecclesiastical circles.

His legacy stretched far beyond barracks and battlefields. Fitzalan-Howard embodied the old guard of British nobility—a man who bridged centuries of tradition with modern military necessity. His tenure in uniform coincided with Britain’s transformation from empire to modern power, and he navigated those turbulent waters with the gravitas expected of his rank and station.

When he passed at age 86, Britain lost a link to its grand past. Laid to rest in the Fitzalan Chapel at Arundel, he remains a monument to an era when dukes still mattered in the corridors of power, and honor meant something beyond words.