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The Queen mourns sad death of close family friend

The monarch is currently residing at her Scottish residence, Balmoral

queen sad news
Danielle Stacey
Online Royal CorrespondentLondon
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The Queen is mourning the loss of a close family friend, it has been reported.

Sir Timothy Colman, who was a British businessman and a Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk, has passed away at the age of 91.

According to The Daily Mail's Richard Eden, Sir Timothy was a frequent guest at Sandringham with his late wife, Lady Mary Colman (née Bowes-Lyon), who was a first cousin of the Queen.

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Lady Mary, who passed away in January at the age of 88, was the daughter of Michael Bowes-Lyon – the Queen Mother's brother.

She married Sir Colman, a member of the Colman mustard family, on 10 November 1951 in London and together they had five children. The couple resided at their family home, Bixley Manor, in Norfolk.

In 1970, Lady Mary was appointed an extra Lady-in-waiting to another of the Queen's first cousins, Princess Alexandra, The Hon. Lady Ogilvy.

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lady mary colman prince charles© Photo: Getty Images

Sir Timothy Colman's wife, Lady Mary, pictured with Prince Charles, passed away in January 

Like the Queen's late husband, Sir Colman joined the Royal Navy and later served as a second lieutenant on HMS Frobisher and Indefatigable, before commencing a business career.

He was appointed a Knight of the Order of the Garter in 1996.

Her Majesty is currently residing at Balmoral during her annual summer break, but she is set for a busy autumn schedule.

She will be accompanied by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall at the Opening Ceremony to mark the Sixth Session of the Scottish Parliament on 2 October.

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After spending much of the past 18 months residing at Windsor Castle during the pandemic, the Queen will be joined by her youngest son, the Earl of Wessex, to launch The Queen's Baton Relay for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games from the forecourt of Buckingham Palace on 7 October.

While many of the Queen's engagements took place via video or telephone calls during the last lockdown, she began carrying out in-person engagements again from March. On 12 October, she will be joined by her daughter, the Princess Royal, at a Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey to mark the centenary of the Royal British Legion.

Her Majesty will also host a reception at Windsor Castle to mark the Global Investment Summit on 19 October. And in November, she will return to Scotland to attend a reception for the COP-26 Summit.

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