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the queen mours very sad death summer break© Photo: Getty Images

The Queen’s heartbreak as she mourns sad death during summer break

Lady Butter was very close to Prince Philip

August 4, 2022
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The Queen is expected to mourn the death of her very close childhood friend Lady Myra Butter who, according to the Express, sadly passed away on Wednesday.

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The 97-year-old, who was part of the Queen's inner circle, died "peacefully" in London. Lady Butter also had a particularly close relationship with the Monarch's late husband, Prince Philip.

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Myra was a descendent of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia and playwright, novelist and poet, Alexander Pushkin. During her lifetime she established the Pushkin award in honour of her ancestor, which celebrates literary excellence.

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According to the publication, after Philip's sad death in 2021, Myra described the Queen's loss as "incalculable" and told ITV that "There's nobody, in my mind, who could have done that job [as Philip did]. Nobody. Dedicated to it, and very intelligent and youthful."

lady butter parents

Lady Butter was a daughter of Sir Harold and Lady Zia Wernher

Lady Butter was married to her late husband Major Sir David Butter whom she wed in 1946. They shared five children together.

The sad news comes months after the Queen lost two friends in December last year, the Duchess of Grafton, who died aged 101 on 3 December and Lady Farnham, who died at the age of 90 on 29 December.

Lady Farnham was the monarch's Lady of the Bedchamber since 1987 and long-time support and confidante for the Queen, even accompanying her to a Diamond Jubilee service of thanksgiving in 2012 after the Duke of Edinburgh was hospitalised and could not attend.

the queen lady farnham acconpanying her© Photo: Alamy

Lady Farnham pictured accompanying the Queen to a Jubilee service

The Duchess of Grafton served as the Queen's mistress of robes 1967 until her death last year. The Duchess first began working for the royal household in 1953 as a Lady of the Bedchamber until 1966, when she became Mistress of the Robes.

She would have been the senior lady and would have been responsible for the Queen's clothes and jewellery, as well as arranging the rota of attendance of the ladies-in-waiting along with various duties at state ceremonies.

duchess grafton© Photo: Getty Images

The Duchess of Grafton pictured in 1990

The Duchess accompanied the Queen on numerous overseas visits, including Nigeria in 1956, France in 1972, Morocco in 1980 and Russia in 1994.

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