Queen’s maid of honour Lady Mary Russell died the night before Her Majesty’s state funeral aged 88

The Queen’s maid of honor died last week at the age of 88 on the night before Her Majesty’s state funeral.

Lady Mary Russell, one of six women who carried the late monarch’s train during the Westminster Abbey ceremony, died ‘peacefully at home’ surrounded by her family on September 18.

An obituary in The Times described her as a mother of five, grandmother of twelve and “David’s beloved wife.”

Lady Mary, daughter of the Earl and Countess of Haddington, helped carry the Queen’s 21-foot train as she passed through Westminster Abbey for her coronation 70 years ago.

She and the five other bridesmaids wore silver gowns with tiaras and long silk gloves, the mirror reports.

Lady Mary Russell (pictured) was one of six women who carried the late monarch’s train during her coronation in 1953

The late Queen with her bridesmaids in the green drawing room of Buckingham Palace on June 2, 1952 and June 2, 1953. Lady Moyra Hamilton (now Lady Moyra Campbell), Lady Anne Coke (now The Rt Hon The Lady Glenconner), Lady Rosemary Spencer-Churchill ( now Lady Rosemary Muir), Lady Mary Baillie-Hamilton (now Lady Mary Russell), Lady Jane Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby (now The Rt Hon The Baroness Willoughby de Eresby), Lady Jane Vane-Tempest-Stewart (now The Rt Hon The Lady Rayne

Speaking of the day, she said: ‘Of all the girls our age in the country, we were six girls chosen to carry the Queen’s train and that meant a lot.

“It was overwhelming and moving—especially during the anointing… It was an incredible moment, but all I could think about was how heavy the embroidery felt.”

Lady Mary’s father was a childhood friend of the Queen Mother from Scotland, and her childhood book featured a photograph of him at George VI’s coronation in 1937 holding the dove’s scepter – one of two scepters handed over to the new monarch.

It follows the death of Lady Moyra Campbell, one of the other six bridesmaids, aged 90, in November 2020.

A royal source said at the time: ‘It is very sad. Her Majesty kept in touch with all her former bridesmaids.”

Dowager Baroness Glenconner, Lady Jane Lacey, Baroness Willoughby de Eresby and Lady Rosemary Muir are all alive today.

Following the tradition of Queen Victoria, the bridesmaids were all daughters of the Dukes, Marquises and Earls, unmarried and between the ages of 17 and 23. There was no doubt what a tremendous honor they had been given.

Their job was to carry the Queen’s train, so heavy she couldn’t move without them.

Thousands line the streets of central London for Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953. The bridesmaids were all daughters of dukes, marquises and earls, unmarried and aged between 17 and 23

For Lady Mary and the others, the most touching moment was the anointing, when the Queen took off her regalia and was blessed with holy oil

An annex had been built to the abbey where the four who took part in the procession, but who did not travel in the carriage, could drink coffee and listen to the radio commentary of the Queen’s journey from Buckingham Palace.

After leading her down the aisle and down again, they all went to the palace to be photographed by the famous Cecil Beaton and famously appeared on the balcony.

For Lady Mary and the others, the most touching moment was the anointing, when the Queen took off her regalia and was blessed with sacred oil under a canopy held by four Knights of the Garter.

She said: ‘Then the Queen gave us the simplest, most beautiful brooch of her initials in her handwriting in diamonds.

“After the reception, I went out with friends and cheered and cheered so many times. I felt pretty flat afterwards.’