Double blow for Queen after lady-in-waiting Diana Farnham dies after Duchess of Grafton
Less than four weeks after the death of her beloved royal aide Duchess of Grafton, the Queen is now mourning the death of her lady-in-waiting, Lady Diana Farnham. Four days after Christmas, on the 29th of December 2021, Diana Maxwell passed away. She had been the Queen's Lady of Bedchamber for decades since 1987.
Lady Farnham also rode with the Queen on her way to the service of the Diamond Jubliee, held in 2012. In addition to this event, Lady Farnham also accompanied the Queen on most royal tours in the four plus decades of her service. The tour of the Republic of Ireland is said to be a success only because of the Irish connections of Diana Maxwell.
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It is believed that the death of her lady-in-waiting and devoted friend Lady Farnham has hit the Queen harder than it should as this is the second death in her inner circle of beloved royal aides within a short span of time. A few weeks ago, former Mistress of the Robes, the Duchess of Grafton, Ane Fortune FitzRoy, breathed her last. She was 101 years old. Seemingly, this was a shocking hit for the Queen after the death of her husband and royal consort Prince Philip in April 2021.
Diana Maxwell was married to an Irish peer who was a banker named Barry Maxwell. He passed away in 2001. An insider told The Telegraph, "It is very sad for the Queen. Everyone loved Lady Farnham, she was always so good humoured. She was also a very glamorous and attractive woman. She was always very generous to new people joining the household."
The royal insider continued by saying, "It has not been a good year for the Queen - losing her husband and then the Duchess of Grafton and now Lady Farnham. They were dear friends who supported the Queen on official duties. Unfortunately a sad consequence of living a long life is that you have to say goodbye to a lot of people you care about."
This is a major loss for the Queen as Diana was not just her lady-in-waiting but also one of her closest friends and part of her support system for decades. The Diamond Jubliee celebrations that Diana accompanied the Queen to are key because that is when Prince Philips could not go with her.
Diana Maxwell had two daughters with late husband Barry. The couple adopted two daughters, Harriet, 57, and Sophia, 54, and had four grandchildren — Araminta, 28, Henry, 26, Elsa, 15 and Celia, 13.
