Buckingham Palace have confirmed reports of The Honourable Margaret Rhodes’ death, however they will not be issuing an official statement as it is a private matter.
The sad news was first reported by The Sunday Express, who revealed the 91-year-old died on Friday, November 25, after a short illness.
According to the publication, Queen Elizabeth paid a visit to her first cousin at her Windsor home earlier in the month after learning she had taken ill.
“The Queen will be devastated to have lost her best friend. She grew up with Mrs Rhodes and they had so much shared history,” an insider told The Express.
“They remained close throughout the Queen’s reign and Her Majesty continued to be a regular visitor at Mrs Rhodes’s Windsor home until very recently.”
“One of the disadvantages of the Queen having such a long life is that she has had to say goodbye to so many dear friends and relatives,” the source poignantly added.
Margaret Rhodes and Princess Margaret pictured on Princess Elizabeth’s wedding back in 1947.
Margaret Rhodes, nee Elphinstone, found a firm fan base with royal enthusiasts after featuring in several documentaries on the British Royal Family.
Her frank and honest nature endeared viewers and it was perhaps her unperturbed reaction to Prince George’s impending arrival in 2013 that truly won hearts.
When quizzed by a CNN reporter if she was excited about the baby, she responded: “Not terribly,” before bursting into a fit of contagious giggles.
WATCH: Margaret’s hilarious response about Prince George in the player below. Post continues after the video…
Explaining her response, she matter of factually mused: “Everybody has babies. It’s lovely! But I don’t get wildly excited about it.”
Margaret Rhodes’ mother Lady Mary Bowes-Lyon was the Queen Mother’s sister, and with the two cousins being so close in age, The Queen and Margaret formed an unbreakable bond during their childhood, right up until Margaret’s death.
In fact, they were so close that Margaret was one of Queen Elizabeth’s eight bridesmaids during her 1947 wedding to Prince Philip.
During her life, Margaret worked as a secretary for the Secret Intelligence Service M16. She was also a Woman of the Bedchamber for her aunt, The Queen Mother.
She was married to writer Denys Gravenor Rhodes from 1950, until his death in 1981 and they shared four children together.
The Queen is said to be shattered by the loss.
