Queen Elizabeth II Mourns the Loss of Her Former Mistress of the Wardrobe

The Queen has suffered yet another significant loss as her former Mistress of the Wardrobe, Anne Fortune Smith, passed away on December 3rd at the age of 101.

Fortune had been a close friend and aide to the Queen for over 75 years, beginning as a Lady of the Bedchamber a year into Queen Elizabeth's reign.

Fortune, who would have turned 102 in February, was the most loyal friend and aide to the Queen, according to the French website Histories Royales.

She was appointed the prestigious Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order in 1980, an award made personally by the Queen for services to the Sovereign.

Their close relationship was underlined when she made the monarch the grandmother to her second daughter in 1954.

Hugh Fitzroy, the 11th Duke of Grafton, was a descendant of King Charles II and his lover Barbara Villers, and the Dowager Duchess was his widow.

The Duchess was also only one of the two Mistresses of the Robes during the Queen's reign, formerly a royal wielding responsibility for the monarch's clothes and jewellery.

Born Anne Fortune Smith in 1920 into the Banking Smith family, she married Hugh Fitzroy in 1946.

The pair shared five children together, two boys and three girls.

The Queen was made godmother to her second daughter, Lady Virginia Fitzroy in 1954.

Following the death of her father, Fortune took on the title of Duchess of Grafton three years after becoming Mistress of the Wardrobe.

The Duchess was on duty for all of the most important royal occasions, including state visits and the state opening of Parliament, while mostly working behind the scenes.

Her responsibilities as Mistress of the Wardrobe included overseeing the rota of ladies-in-waiting, the Queen's acquaintances and assistants.

Her Majesty recognised the significance of her participation when she honoured the Duchess with the Grand Dame Cross of the Royal Victorian Order in 1980.

It comes after the Queen's husband, Prince Philip, died in April at the age of 99, with the Queen having to sit alone in Windsor Castle as she grieved the loss of her beloved husband after 73 years of marriage.

The nation was subsequently left heartbroken by photographs of the grief-stricken Queen sitting alone during her husband's funeral as she was forced to mourn away from her devastated children and grandchildren during the funeral ceremony.

In addition, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced earlier this year that they will not return to the Royal Family as working members.

The couple would not continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service, according to the Queen.

This news came as a shock to many, and the Queen has had to deal with the departure of her grandson Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to the United States.

The Queen has had a difficult year, with the death of her husband and the departure of her grandson and his wife.

After their 73 years of marriage and her 69-year reign, Philip was her strength and guide.

Her Majesty, 95, wiped away tears and bowed her head in reverence as she bid a final and emotional farewell to her beloved husband, Prince Philip, during his funeral ceremony in St George's Chapel.

Fortune's death is yet another loss for the Queen, who has been mourning the death of her husband for months.

She has been forced to grieve alone due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, which have limited the number of people allowed to attend funerals.