Prue Penn dies at 97: Queen’s close friend, who was lady-in-waiting to the Queen Mother and lived at the heart of palace life for more than 70 years, dies
A close friend of the late Queen Elizabeth II, who lived at the heart of palace life for more than 70 years, has died at the age of 97.
Lady Prudence Penn, who was known as Prue, served as a lady-in-waiting to the Queen Mother.
She and the queen, who were born twelve weeks apart, married the same year and both had nine great-grandchildren.
Her husband was Sir Eric Penn, who served as comptroller of the Lord Chamberlain’s office and died in 1993.
His uncle had served as groom-in-waiting to King Geroge VI and then as private secretary and treasurer to the Queen Mother.
The couple’s son, David, and their grandson Rory both served as pages of honor for the Queen.
A close friend of the late Queen Elizabeth II has died at the age of 97. Lady Prudence Penn, who was known as Prue, served as a lady-in-waiting to the Queen Mother. Above: Lady Penn (centre) with Princess Margaret and policewoman Margaret Liles at a lunch to mark the 1975 Woman of the Year celebrations
Lady Penn was born Prudence Wilson in Australia in 1926 and took the name Stewart-Wilson in 1937.
Her mother Muriel, 10th Lady of Balnakeilly, came from a Scottish family who could trace their ancestry to Neil Stewart of Foss House, Perthshire, in 1559.
Her father was Aubyn Wilson, from St Andrews, Fife. His family had made a fortune from gold mining in Australia.
Lady Penn’s brothers were Colonel Ralph-Stewart-Wilson, MC and Lieutenant Colonel Sir Blair Stewart-Wilson, who was Deputy Head of the Queen’s Household.
Lady Penn was living in Scotland when the Second World War began and was taken from her boarding school in Dorset when her older brother was sent to fight in North Africa.
She was then educated by a governess in Perthshire before returning to school in Oxfordshire.
Lady Penn was at the center of royal life for decades and was a close friend of the Queen
Her early life was struck by tragedy during the war when many friends were killed in a bomb attack at The Guards’ Chapel near St James’s Park.
She also had to endure the death of a young Grenadier, with whom she had spent a night at the exclusive 400 Club in Leicester Square.
He was killed in a tank as it crossed the Nijmegen Bridge in the Netherlands during the doomed Operation Market Garden.
After learning typing and shorthand at her high school, Lady Penn eventually worked for MI6 alongside Kim Philby, who was later exposed as a traitor spying for Russia.
She met her husband, who was in the Grenadier Guards, in 1946 at a dance she attended wearing a dress she made from curtains.
His uncle, Sir Arthur Penn, was a close friend of the Queen Mother.
Through Eric she met both the then Princess Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret.
The Queen Mother and Princess Elizabeth attended the Penns’ wedding in January 1947, ten months before the future monarch tied the knot with Prince Philip.
Lady Penn also worked in the music business on a voluntary basis, mingling with the likes of Benjamin Britten and Sir Frederick Ashton. Above: Lady Penn with Britten in 1970
The new husband and wife moved to Sternfield House, in Saxmundham, Suffolk.
Lady Penn regularly attended charity events and spent much time socializing in London.
She also worked on a voluntary basis in the music world, collaborating with Benjamin Britten and Sir Frederick Ashton, among others.
In Camberwell, south London, Lady Penn sat on a care committee at a church school, where she was responsible for the welfare of children.
Sir Eric formally joined the royal fold in 1960, when he became Assistant Comptroller of the Lord Chamberlain’s Office.
He was promoted to comptroller in 1964 and served in this role until 1981, when he retired.
In addition to their main home in Suffolk, the Penns had an apartment at St James’s Palace.
In 1964, she became one of the godmothers of Princess Margaret’s daughter Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones, who was baptized at Buckingham Palace.
Her loving marriage was marked by her husband giving her the license plate PRU 365, as a symbol that he loved her every day of the year.
Princess Anne is taken to ‘The Sound of Music’ in 1961, accompanied by 21-year-old David Penn, Lady Penn’s son
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and Princess Elizabeth leave the wedding of Lady Penn and Sir Eric Penn in January 1947
King Charles, then the Prince of Wales, confided in her as he was about to marry Princess Diana, expressing his concerns about the union.
Sir Eric died in 1993 at the age of 77, leaving Lady Penn a widow. The following year she was appointed lady-in-waiting to the Queen Mother.
The Queen and Prince Philip sometimes spent weekends at Lady Penn’s house in Suffolk.
The royal couple also attended her 90th birthday party at Bellamy’s in Mayfair in 2016.
She remained close to the Queen until she died in 2022 and spoke to her on the phone ten days before her death.
Lady Penn was also a great admirer of the king and told a friend how he had ‘grown in stature’ since his accession to the throne.
She added, “I am committed to him and know he will take up the mantle with sensitivity, wisdom and strength.”
Lady Penn is survived by her two sons and a daughter.