Royals

Queen Elizabeth’s bridesmaid Lady Elizabeth Longman has passed away

Her Majesty is in mourning following the tragic death of her longtime friend and bridesmaid, Lady Elizabeth Longman.
Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth was informed that her friend, who had been a part of the royal’s inner circle since childhood, succumbed to illness on Thursday.

It is believed that she sent a private note to Lady Elizabeth’s family.

A private funeral will take place next week at St John’s Church in Bishopstone.

Lady Elizabeth (neé Lambert) tied the knot just two years after her royal friend, in 1949, marrying publisher Mark Longman.

The Queen was joined by her mother and sister Princess Margaret to celebrate the nuptials.

Lady Elizabeth’s husband passed away in September 1972.

The couple are survived by their three children together, Caroline Elizabeth Longman, born December 1951, Jane Longman, born July 1955, and Emma Longman, born January 1959.

A then-Princess Elizabeth at her 1947 nuptials to Prince Philip.

Lady Elizabeth Longman was one of the two non-family members among the eight bridesmaids.

Just like many of the Queen’s inner circle, Lady Elizabeth was always very discreet about her friend.

She did, however, talk to Vanity Fair about Elizabeth and Philip’s engagement celebrations.

She recalled how Philip was “in charge of distributing gifts to his fiancée’s attendants: silver compacts in the Art Deco style with a gold crown above the bride’s and groom’s entwined initials and a row of five small cabochon sapphires. “

She famously mused that, “he dealt them out like playing cards.”

It is unusual for the Queen to attend the funerals of those who are not HRHs… But both Margaret and Elizabeth were very dear to the Monarch.

The 92-year-old’s death is the second significant loss Queen Elizabeth has faced in recent times.

Two weeks ago, the family was rocked by the death of Her Majesty’s dear cousin, Margaret Rhodes, who was also a royal bridesmaid.

The 90-year-old said her final goodbye to her beloved confidant at her funeral on Monday.

With the Duke of Edinburgh by her side, many members of the royal family turned up to pay their respects including the Duke of York, the Earl and Countess of Wessex and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.

Margaret Rhodes and Princess Margaret pictured on Princess Elizabeth’s wedding back in 1947.

Out of the Queen’s eight bridesmaids, only two are still alive today.

Princess Alexandra, who turns 80 on December 25, is the Queen’s first cousin and still considered to be a “working royal”, regularly carrying out royal engagements.

The Queen’s other bridesmaid, Lady Pamela Hicks, is one of Prince Philip’s first cousins.

The 87-year-old is famed author and penned the memoir, Daughter of Empire: Life as a Mountbatten.

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