Mark Shand with great-nephew (c) Twitter

Mark Shand with great-nephew (c) Twitter

Mark Shand's nephew has paid tribute to his heroic uncle.

Ben Elliot - son of Duchess Camilla's younger sister Annabel Elliot - took to Twitter to pay tribute to the conservationist who tragically died after hitting his head on a New York City pavement on Wednesday (23.04.14).

Ben wrote: "RIP my hero and uncle Mark Shand. We loved him so much. What a life."

Ben accompanied the tweet with a picture of Mark, who was 62, proudly holding his son - Mark's great-nephew.

He added: "Here he is with his great nephew, my son."

Ben also praised his uncle for his conservation efforts with elephants.

He wrote: "Mark did so much for the plight of the Asian elephant. Elephants never forget. Nor will we. (sic)"

Mark was rushed to hospital on Tuesday night (22.04.14) after hitting his head on a sidewalk in New York and passed away the next day.

Camilla, 66, is said to be "devastated" by the death of her brother.

In a statement, Clarence House said: "It is with deep sadness that we have to confirm that the Duchess of Cornwall's brother, Mark Shand, has today passed away in New York.

"The duchess, the Prince of Wales, and all her family members are utterly devastated by this sudden and tragic loss."