Queen’s heartbreak as first cousin Lady Mary Colman dies aged 88

THE Queen’s first cousin, Lady Mary Colman, has died at the age of 88.

Lady Mary died at her home in Norfolk on January 2, her family have confirmed.

In an obituary printed in The Daily Telegraph the family announced her passing.

‘LOVED BY ALL’

It read: “Lady Mary Cecilia died peacefully at home on Saturday 2 January 2021, aged 88.

“Most dearly loved wife of Sir Timothy Colman KG, adored mother of Sarah, Sabrina, Emma, James and Matthew, grandmother of ten, great-grandmother of sixteen.

“Private family funeral and a Service of Thanksgiving for Mary’s life to be held at a later date.”

She is being remembered as a woman “loved by all who met her.”

Lady Mary who was a Lady-in-Waiting to Princess Alexandra was born in 1932 to Captain Michael Bowes Lyon and Elizabeth Margaret Cator.

Captain Bowes-Lyon was one of the Queen Mother’s four brothers making her first cousin of the Queen.

Lady Mary grew up in Bedfordshire and was educated at Hatherop Castle.

She married British businessman Sir Timothy Colman in 1951 at just 19-years-old

And The Queen, Queen Mother and Princess Margaret all attended her wedding at St Bartholomew-the-Great at Smithfields in London.

Sir Mary and Sir Timothy, of the Colman Mustard family, had five children – sons James and Matthew and daughters, Sabrina, Emma and Sarah.

The heartbreaking news comes just days after the Queen’s New Year’s Eve speech where she assured Brits that “better days will return.”

In statement of hope posted to Instagram, the monarch urged Brits to stand firm – and promised “we will meet again” with loved ones once the Covid-19 pandemic is over.

The post signed off by Her Majesty The Queen, read: “We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again.”

“Wishing you all a Happy and Healthy New Year,” it added.