At the age of 82, Lord Robert Fellowes—long regarded as a trusted figure by both Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana—has passed away.
As the uncle of Prince William and Prince Harry, he was closely connected to the Royal Family. He was married to Lady Jane Spencer, the sister of the late Princess Diana, and together they had three children: Laura, Eleanor, and Alexander.
During the turbulent 1990s, when Princess Diana divorced then-Prince Charles, Princess Anne separated from Mark Phillips, and Sarah Ferguson’s marriage to Prince Andrew ended, Lord Fellowes served as the Queen’s private secretary. He was also deeply involved in the aftermath of the devastating 1992 fire at Windsor Castle, which destroyed 115 rooms.
Following the tragic 1997 Paris car crash that claimed the lives of Princess Diana, her partner Dodi Fayed, and their driver Henri Paul—while bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones survived—Lord Fellowes stepped in to manage the situation. Afterward, Mohamed Al-Fayed, Dodi’s father, accused him of being part of a conspiracy to kill the couple—claims which Lord Fellowes firmly denied.
Paying tribute, one family member said: “Robert, my extraordinary brother-in-law, is no longer with us. A true gentleman, he embodied wisdom, humor, and unwavering integrity. I am proud to have been his brother-in-law.”
Lord Fellowes came from a family with deep royal ties. His father, Sir William “Billy” Fellowes, had been the land agent at Sandringham for three decades, and Robert himself was born there. Queen Elizabeth II once remarked of him, “Robert is the only one of my private secretaries I have ever held in my arms.”