Prince William and Harry’s uncle Lord Robert Fellowes dies at 82
Lord Robert Fellowes, Prince William and Prince Harry’s uncle by marriage, has died at age 82.
Lord Fellowes, who was married to the late Princess Diana’s sister Lady Jane Fellowes and served for a time as the late Queen Elizabeth II’s private secretary, died of undisclosed causes on July 29.
Plans for his funeral have not yet been revealed.
The British courtier had a firm place within the royal fold, and was considered one of the late monarch’s most trusted advisers during his tenure between 1990 and 1999.
During that time, Fellowes advised the late Queen on the divorces of three of her children, as well as on Diana’s death in 1997.
Lord Fellowes was married to Lady Jane Fellowes for 46 years, until his death.
At their lavish wedding in 1978, the late Princess of Wales served as a bridesmaid.
The couple went on to welcome three children: Alexander Robert, 41, Eleanor Ruth, 38, and Laura Jane, 44, who is Princess Charlotte’s godmother.
He rose up the ranks at Buckingham Palace to become deputy private secretary in 1986, before taking over the reins from Sir William Heseltine as private secretary four years later.
Fellowes left his post as private secretary to the Queen in February 1999 and returned to his previous position in the private sector, as a banker.
That year, he received the title of Baron Fellowes of Shotesham in the County of Norfolk in the Queen’s Birthday Honors List.
He sat as a Crossbench Peer — a member of Parliament not belonging to a political party — until his retirement in 2022.
Despite leaving his role as private secretary, Fellowes remained technically a member of the royal household.
He remained an extra equerry to the late Queen until her death in September 2022 at age 96.
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Extra equerries are honorary appointees who are rarely required to serve, but can be called upon to do so if needed by senior members of the Firm.
Fellowes boasted a close friendship with Harry and William, attending the Prince and Princess of Wales’ wedding at Westminster Abbey in 2011.
He continued to be close to both of the now-estranged brothers, and attended the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding at Windsor Castle in 2018.
Fellowes was portrayed in the hit Netflix series “The Crown.” He was played by actor Andrew Havill.