Princess Diana's mother dies peacefully

FRANCES Shand Kydd, the mother of Diana, Princess of Wales, is expected to be buried close to her home on the west coast of Scotland following her death yesterday after a six-month battle with a debilitating brain condition. She was 68.

The grandmother of Princes William and Harry, who lived alone in a small cottage on Seil Island, near Oban, passed away shortly after being given the last rites by her priest.

She is understood to have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease last December.

A spokesman for her only son, Earl Charles Spencer, said: "We can confirm that Earl Spencer’s mother passed away peacefully after suffering from a long illness. Now, this is a private time for the family to grieve." Buckingham Palace said the Queen had sent a personal message of condolence to Earl Spencer.

Prince William and Prince Harry, the latter currently in Africa on a gap year, had been "deeply upset" by the death of their grandmother, the palace said. Prince William, second in line to the throne, later said in a statement that he and his brother would "miss her a lot".

Details of the funeral have not been made public, but friends of Mrs Shand Kydd have told of her love for Scotland and her determination to be buried in Oban. She even bought a burial plot in the town.

The Roman Catholic Bishop of Argyll and the Isles, the Rt Rev Ian Murray, last night paid tribute to Mrs Shand Kydd, who was a devout Catholic and regularly worshipped at St Columba’s Cathedral.

He said: "The whole Catholic community of the Highlands will be saddened to hear of the death of Frances Shand Kydd. She was a deeply spiritual woman who had very successfully made her home here, integrating into the community very well."