A tragic year for the U.K.’s Royal Family has only gotten worse with the news that a senior member passed away earlier this week at the age of 82.

Among the troubles besetting the tight-knit clan are battles with cancer by King Charles and Kate Middleton, both of whom have been sidelined from some of their official duties while undergoing treatment. neither do deaths in the family, including the former lover of Princess Beatrice and a suicide by Thomas Kingston, the husband to Lady Gabriella, continue to relent. On July 29th Lord Robert Fellowes, the uncle to Prince William and Prince Harry by marriage, died of undisclosed causes according to the New York Post.

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Lord Fellowes was married to Lady Jane Fellowes, the sister of late Princess Diana, and for a time served as Queen Elizabeth II’s private secretary. From 1990 to 1999, he remained among the queen’s most trusted advisors during some of the most turbulent times in her reign, including the death of Princess Diana and messy, public divorces by three of her children. He and Lady Jane Fellowes married in 1978 and were together for 46 years. Together they parented three children, Alexander Robert, 41; Eleanor Ruth, 38; and Laura Jane, 44 — who is Princess Charlotte’s godmother, the outlet added.

Buckingham Palace has not yet shared news of a private funeral ceremony.

Known as a relentless and reliable workhorse and confidant, Lord Fellowes climbed the ladder at the palace, rising to become deputy private secretary in 1986 and four years later rising to the senior role, replacing Sir William Heseltine. Following his departure from the palace in 1999 Lord Fellowes returned to his private sector career as a banker. For his royal services, he was honored with the title Baron Fellowes of Shotesham in the County of Norfolk in the Queen’s Birthday Honors List. He was also honored in the Parliament as a nonvoting member until his retirement in 2022. Even then, he remained an extra equerry to Queen Elizabeth shortly before her passing, or an honorary appointee who can be called on to serve in an emergency.

The Royal Family has seen its fair share of fissures among members, most notably the public separation of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. However, Lord Fellowes maintained close relationships with most or all of the family members until the end. He remained close with Harry and his now-estranged brother, Prince William, and attended the Prince and Princess of Wales’s wedding at Westminster Abbey in 2011. He also attended the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding at Windsor Castle in 2018. His prominence in the family was also recognized in the hit Netflix series “The Crown” where Lord Fellowes was played by actor Andrew Havill.

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