The 95-year-old monarch’s longstanding lady-in-waiting Diana Maxwell, Lady Farnham died at age 90 on December 29, according toThe Telegraph. Lady Farnham served as the Queen’s lady of the bedchamber for 34 years, and she rode alongside the Queen on the way to the Diamond Jubilee service in 2012 afterPrince Philipwas hospitalized.
“It is very sad for the Queen,” a royal source told the outlet. “Everyone loved Lady Farnham, she was always so good-humored. She was also a very glamorous and attractive woman.”
“She was always very generous to new people joining the household,” the insider added.
Lady Farnham’s death comes just weeks after another one of the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting — Ann Fortune FitzRoy, the Duchess of Grafton — died on December 3. The Duchess of Grafton served as the monarch’s Mistress of the Robes from 1967 until her death at age 101.
Despite her recent losses, the monarch has a close-knit crew of friends and loyal staffers that she can call on.
An insider told PEOPLERoyals: “Those who are in it cherish their place. They are a support for the Queen and someone that she can have a laugh with and with whom she can talk about the issues of the day.”
Adds a close insider, “Whatever her private grief is, she wants to get on in as cheerful a way as possible.”
Queen Elizabeth during a walkabout after a church service.Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty
Queen Elizabeth’s husband of 73 years,Prince Philip, died in April just weeks short of his 100th birthday.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions,Philip’s funeralwas a scaled-down affair at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. The Queen memorably sat alone due to social distancing practices, wearing all black and a face mask during the service.
In addition, the Queen’s close friend and longtime horse racing advisor Sir Michael Oswald died on April 20, the day ofPrince Philip’s funeral, and Lord Samuel Vestey, who shared the Queen’s love of horses and served as her Master of the Horse from 1999 to 2018, died in February 2021.
Queen Elizabeth sits alone at Prince Philip’s funeral.PA
She remembered her husbandPrince Philip, who died in April at age 99, in herChristmas Day broadcast.
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“Although it’s a time of great happiness and good cheer for many, Christmas can be hard for those who have lost loved ones. This year, especially, I understand why,” she said in her traditional holiday speech.
“But for me, in the months since the death of my beloved Philip, I have drawn great comfort from the warmth and affection of the many tributes to his life and work — from around the country, the Commonwealth and the world,” she continued. “His sense of service, intellectual curiosity and capacity to squeeze fun out of any situation — were all irrepressible. That mischievous, enquiring twinkle was as bright at the end as when I first set eyes on him.”
source: people.com
