Queen's cousin Lady Elizabeth Shakerley, a close friend of Her Majesty who organised many of the biggest royal parties, dies aged 79

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The Queen's cousin and close friend Lady Elizabeth Shakerley has died at the age of 79. 

Lady Shakerley, who was more widely known in her professional capacity as Lady Elizabeth Anson, was the daughter of Thomas Anson, Viscount Anson, and Anne Bowes-Lyon, who became Princess Anne of Denmark when she remarried.

Born in Windsor Castle in 1941, Lady Elizabeth served as the Queen's party planner since 1960 and has organised a number of royal soirees, including an event held ahead of the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in April 2011.   

She died in the early hours of Sunday morning with members of her family at her bedside.

Lady Shakerley leaves behind one daughter and two grandchildren.   

Lady Elizabeth Anson who was a close friend of the Queen and was responsible for arranging many of her private parties has died aged 79

Lady Elizabeth (pictured with the Queen at The Goring Hotel in Belgravia, London, in 2010) served as the Queen's party planner since 1960 and has organised a number of royal events

Her death comes just months after the Queen made her cousin a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order as a sign of her personal esteem, according to the Court Circular.

In April, the entry in the Court Circular read: 'The Lady Elizabeth Shakerley has been appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order by The Queen today and has received the Insignia.'  

Awards in the Royal Victorian Order are made by the Queen to people who have served her or the Monarchy in a personal way.

As well as family members it includes members of the royal household and senior diplomatic figures. 

After founding the firm Party Planners in 1960, Lady Elizabeth and went on to arrange events for numerous members of the royal households, as well as the Queen's most high-profile occasions, including her 90th birthday. 

Lady Elizabeth had previously spoken fondly of her friend, and said a large selections of cakes had been baked by the public for the event and transported to Windsor Castle.

She said: 'The lovely thing about her, nothing goes to waste.

'So there are all these lovely cakes and when she has a private party... the cakes are there to eat with your coffee - us Scots don't believe in waste.'

In the same interview in 2016, Lady Elizabeth remembered a 'discotheque' she staged for a teenage Charles and his sister, the Princess Royal, in the 1960s.

She described her scepticism over hiring a DJ and said: 'This man (wanted) to charge me £25 to put on gramophone records?

'It took me quite a few years to realise it's a great art form.'

Lady Elizabeth has also arranged events for other high profile clients including Sir Mick Jagger and Bill and Hillary Clinton.

Her other notable events include Margaret Thatcher's 70th birthday party, a reception for foreign royals before the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park Hotel and Sting's wedding.

Lady Elizabeth, who is the sister of late society photographer Patrick Anson, 5th Earl of Lichfield, married Sir Geoffrey Shakerley at Westminster Abbey in July 1972.   

Guests included the Queen, the Queen Mother and Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, while Princess Anne served as a bridesmaid.

Born in Windsor Castle in 1941, Lady Shakerley was the daughter of Thomas Anson, Viscount Anson, and his wife, Anne Bowes-Lyon

Sir Geoffrey and Lady Elizabeth had one daughter, Lady Fiona, before divorcing in 2009. 

She has been praised for her discreet approach to handling her cousin's social occasions through her company, Party Planners. 

However in a rare interview with Tatler magazine in 2012 she offered some insight into the Queen's tastes.

She said: 'For years it was believed that the Queen loved only yellow freesia. They appeared on every table decoration. Until I offered her an alternative and we discovered that she loved all sorts of blooms, from peonies to white roses.

She added: 'The Queen is the most meticulous host. She checks every dining-room setting, every flower, every guest bedroom and always chooses her own menu. We could all learn something from that.' 

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