Heartbreak for Prince Harry as godmother dies ‘suddenly’ at 71

Prince Harry’s godmother Lady Celia Vestey passed away over the weekend at the age of 71. She was also a close friend of the Queen.

Her family announced the news in the UK’s Daily Telegraph, with a notice confirming she died “suddenly, but peacefully” on Saturday, November 28, Hello! magazine reports.

According to the publication, the Duke of Sussex, who is currently residing in the US with his wife Meghan and 19-month-old son Archie, reportedly contacted the children of his godmother to express his condolences privately.

Lady Celia was one of six godparents chosen by Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana for Harry’s christening in 1984. Prince Harry was christened in St George’s Chapel in Windsor — the same chapel where he tied the knot with Meghan. The other five godparents include Prince Andrew, Lady Sarah Chatto (the daughter of Princess Margaret), Diana’s former flatmate Carolyn Bartholomew, Prince Charles’ friend the late Gerald Ward, and British artist Bryan Organ.

Lady Celia and her husband Lord Samuel Vestey, who served as Master of the Horse to the Royal Household from 1999 to 2018, were members of the Queen’s inner circle and often attended royal events, including Prince Harry’s wedding to Meghan in 2018 and his confirmation in 2000, where Lady Celia posed for a group photo (shown above) with Harry, Prince Charles, Prince William, and Harry’s other godparents.

The news of Lady Celia’s sudden death comes as the Prince spoke openly about his passion for nature for the launch of a new Netflix-style platform for environmental documentaries, The Sun reports.

During the in-depth chat with WaterBear’s CEO Ellen Windemuth, Prince Harry urged humans to care more and be “like raindrops” and tackle climate change head on. The 36-year-old also opened up on fatherhood and said, “Being in nature is the most healing part of life, I truly believe that’s one reason why it’s there. But the moment you become a father, everything really does change because then you start to realise, well, what is the point in bringing a new person into this world when they get to your age and it’s on fire?”