And the Teenage Cancer Trust this afternoon revealed the Duchess was no longer a patron of the charity which she has long backed since it opened its first unit in 1990, and to whom she introduced her daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, who remain as patrons.

The British Heart Foundation, one of the UK's largest charities, since confirmed they have also dropped the royal as an ambassador, adding: 'We are grateful for the Duchess' support for our work and thank her for her past efforts to help us save and improve lives by funding pioneering research into cardiovascular disease.'