For the historic coronation at Westminster Abbey on 6 May, Queen Camilla was joined by two Ladies in Attendance – her younger sister Annabel Elliot and Lady Lansdowne.
The latter is one of the Queen's six companions, who is also known as Fiona Shelburne or the Marchioness of Lansdowne following the death of her father-in-law in 1999. The 68-year-old became one of Camilla's companions – who are dear and trusted friends – in 2022 alongside Sarah Troughton, Jane von Westenholz, Lady Katharine Brooke, Baroness Carlyn Chisholm and Lady Sarah Keswick. See everything you need to know about Fiona below…
Who is Lady Lansdowne?
© GettyBorn in October 1954, Lady Lansdowne is a professional interior designer who set up her studio Fiona Shelburne over three decades ago.
She met her husband Charlie, the 9th Marquis, during a visit to Bowood House while she was working for Charles Hammond in the 1980s. They got married in 1987 and they now live at the Grade I listed Georgian country house in Wiltshire with their three dogs, not far from their 10 grandchildren.
Lady Lansdowne has not only been a long-term friend of the royal couple, but she is the godmother of the Queen's daughter, Laura Lopes, whom she shares with her first husband Andrew Parker Bowles.
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She made a rare comment defending the King and Queen following Prince Harry's release of his book Spare, in which he revealed he asked his father not to marry Camilla and accused his stepmother of leaking stories to the press.
Fiona said Prince Harry's comments had "hurt" Camilla. "Of course it bothers her, of course it hurts. But she doesn't let it get to her," she told The Sunday Times.
"Her philosophy is always, 'Don't make a thing of it and it will settle down – least said, soonest mended.'"
What was Lady Lansdowne's role in the coronation?
© GettyAt King Charles' coronation, Fiona was pictured in a white dress with cropped sleeves and a V-neckline, and she accessorised with a sparkly brooch. She wore her dark blonde hair in a bouncy blowdry, not unlike Queen Camilla's regal look. The Queen stepped out in a Bruce Oldfield white gown with gold embroidery and a modified version of Queen Mary's Crown.
There were also eight Pages of Honour who attended Their Majesties as part of the service, which saw King Charles and Queen Camilla crowned in front of 2,000 guests at the country’s first coronation to be staged for 70 years.
The Big Lunch and a star-studded coronation concert will take place on Sunday 7 May, while Bank Holiday Monday is being billed as the Big Help Out to encourage people to volunteer in their local community.
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