The Duchess of Grafton, Anna Fortune Fittsray, passed away last Friday. She has been with the Queen since the beginning of her 69-year reign and has accompanied Her Majesty on many official events and overseas visits.
Anna began serving the Queen in the year of her coronation, 1953. Her first job was as the monarch’s personal companion.
Three years after Lady Anna became queen wardrobe manager, she earned the title of Duchess of Grafton and is believed to have been one of the queen’s closest girlfriends and confidants.
In 1980, the Duchess received the Royal Victorian Order from Her Majesty for her faithful service to the monarch.
Anna Fortune Fitcroy was married to Hugh Fitcroy, 11th Duke of Grafton, one of the descendants of King Charles II. The couple married in 1946 and became the parents of five children. They have two sons and three daughters.
Queen Elizabeth II is the godmother of the second daughter of the queen Anna. She has been in this honor since her baptism in 1954.
On October 1, 2009, one of Anna’s sons, James Oliver Charles Fitzroy, passed away. He was 61 years old. Two years later, the Duchess became a widow, and her husband, Duke Hugh Fitcroy, went to the sun.
The news of the lady of the court going to eternity last Friday deeply shocked the 95-year-old queen, who has already had a difficult year this year.
In February, Prince Harry and his wife, Megan Mark, announced a final decision that they did not plan to return to royal duties in the royal family. They were given one year to reflect on the decision to leave the royal family.
In April, the queen became a widow, and her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who had been married for more than 70 years, passed away. The prince was 99 years old and was only two months old until his 100th birthday.
Since the autumn of this year, the Queen has also suffered from a number of health problems, which is why doctors have advised her to relinquish her royal duties this year, entrusting them to a younger generation. The Queen did not attend Remembrance Day in November this year, and was forced to spend one night in hospital.
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