Heartbreak for Prince William and Harry as their uncle Lord Robert Fellowes dies aged 82
31 July 2024, 13:31 | Updated: 31 July 2024, 13:46
Lord Robert Fellowes, Prince William and Harry's uncle, has died aged 82.
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Lord Fellowes, who was also the late Queen's private secretary and Princess Diana's brother-in-law, passed away on July 29 from undisclosed causes.
He had been Queen Elizabeth's most important adviser between 1990 and 1999 - a period which saw three of her children get divorced as well as the death of Princess Diana.
Lord Fellowes helped the Queen through a particularly difficult year in 1992 - which she dubbed her "annus horribilis" - as it was the year Charles and Diana separated, Andrew and Sarah separated, Anne got divorced and Windsor Castle went up in flames.
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Lord Fellowes was born at Sandringham in 1941 to Sir William Fellowes and Jane Fellowes.
He served in the army for three years, between 1960 and 1963, and went on to marry Princess Diana's older sister, Lady Jane Spencer, in 1978.
The couple were married for more than 40 years and had three children together - Laura, Alexander and Eleanor.
The three children are cousins of William and Harry, with Laura also being godmother to Princess Charlotte.
Lord Fellowes joined the Royal Household in 1977 and gradually worked his way up to be Queen Elizabeth's private secretary.
In the same year he stepped down from the role, he was made a peer in the House of Lords.
He was played by Andrew Havill in hit Netflix series The Crown.
