Marquess Of Ailesbury dies in freak accident aged 98: Relative of Prince Harry’s model ex Florence Brudenell-Bruce falls out of a window while letting his cat out
- Michael Brudenell-Bruce, 98, the 8th Marquess of Ailesbury, fell to his death
Michael Brudenell-Bruce, the eighth Marquess of Ailesbury, has died in a ‘freak accident’ while walking the cat.
The Marquess, a distant relative of Prince Harry’s model ex Florence Brudenell-Bruce, opened his bedroom window to let his pet out but sadly plunged to his death in London.
The 98-year-old died instantly, it was reported by The sunafter hitting his head on the concrete patio.
He was tragically discovered by his long-term partner, Teresa Marshall de Paoli, 88, who had cooked their dinner on Sunday. The Sun reported that it believed he had been there for at least an hour.
His partner of 36 years said she called the police and emergency services, and was later allowed to say goodbye and spray his favorite aftershave on him.
Michael Brudenell-Bruce is pictured in an undated photo. He died on Sunday
A relative of Prince Harry’s model ex Florence Brudenell-Bruce (pictured) has died in a ‘freak accident’ while walking the cat
Prince Harry at the Invictus Games Foundation 10th anniversary service at St Paul’s Cathedral
Teresa Marshall De Paol with Mr Brudenell-Bruce
Prince Harry married Meghan Markle in 2018, almost eight years after his relationship with Florence Brudenell-Bruce, a model who is the daughter of Andrew Brudenell-Bruce
Florence Brudenell Bruce pictured at the Royal Ascot in 2012, after her relationship with Harry and a year before she married multimillionaire Henry St George
In 2011, Prince Harry dated Florence Brudenell-Bruce, a model who is the daughter of Andrew Brudenell-Bruce, and a descendant of the third Marquess of Ailesbury.
They dated for two months and reportedly remained friends. Ms Brudenell-Bruce married multi-millionaire Henry St George in 2013, while Prince Harry married Meghan Markle in 2018.
Brudenell-Bruce’s widow told The Sun that police “thought I had killed him” before realizing he had fallen in the house where they had lived for 14 years since leaving his Savernake Forest home.
‘It was an absolutely freak accident,’ she said, ‘there had been no argument, I had not hit him.
“I think the cat named Honeybun got her head stuck and he pushed it [the window] up and lost his balance, and he fell on the patio,” she told the newspaper.
Florence Brudenell-Bruce pictured at the Savannah Miller x Next collection launch at SohoWorks on June 10, 2021 in London
Prince Harry subsequently married Meghan Markle and they share two children, Archie and Lilibet
Prince Harry dated Ms Brudenell-Bruce for two months in 2011. He is pictured smiling with his brother Prince William at the heir’s wedding to Princess Kate that year.
She said he “fell five feet and broke the roses on the wall” as he fell.
The 88-year-old told The Sun that her husband was “cold and very pale” and that she had gotten a pillow to put under his head.
“I said to him, ‘Oh my love, what happened,’ but he was dead,” she told the newspaper.
She contacted his daughter Lady Kathryn Brudenell-Bruce to tell her what had happened.
They comforted each other and spent ‘the whole night in an armchair’ together.
The Met Police confirmed they attended the address just after 8pm on Sunday and the London Ambulance Service attended.
“The death is just as unexpected, but is not being treated suspiciously,” a spokesperson said.