GONE TOO SOON Heartbreak for Prince Harry’s ex Cressida Bonas as her sister Pandora Cooper-Key tragically dies aged 51
PRINCE Harry's ex-girlfriend Cressida Bonas' sister has tragically died aged 51.
Pandora Cooper-Key had battled cancer for 24 years before she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour
Cooper-Key was the daughter of Lady Mary Gaye Curzon and aristocrat Esmond Cooper-Key.
She was the half-sister of the actress and model Bonas and had ten siblings.
Cressida and Prince Harry met after they were introduced by Sarah Ferguson's daughter Princess Eugenie in May 2012.
They had a rocky patch after Harry was infamously pictured naked in Las Vegas but dated until April 2014.Cressida was later a guest at Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding in May 2018, along with his other ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy.
Cooper-Key, a ceramicist who previously worked as an accessories designer with Vivienne Westwood, said that relatives had planned her funeral "thousands of times".
The mum-of-two was diagnosed with an inoperable tumour on the left side of her brain at the end of last year.
She had been having immunotherapy treatment in the hope of recovering.Pandora, from west London, was first diagnosed with Paget's Disease, a rare cancer of the milk duct, aged 26 in 2000.
She managed to beat the disease and went on to have her first child around ten years laterDevastatingly, just weeks after giving birth she was told that doctors had found a sarcoma in her left eye.
Sarcomas are aggressive, extremely rare tumour, with only a few thousand diagnosed in the UK each year.
After an operation to remove her tear duct, Cooper-Key was given just ten months to live but fought on for years.
Another tumour was discovered in her cheek and successfully removed before another was detected behind her nose.
She also suffered from severe seizures which would sometimes leave her unconscious for days.
Cooper-Key underwent eight surgeries to remove tumours and subsequently for cosmetic work, but was left with no muscle in half of her face and requiring Botox to paralyse the other half.
She joked to The Times in 2021: "I’m the only girl in town who gets it free."
Then, at the end of last year, she developed a tumour on her skull that medics said was inoperable.
Speaking to Femail a few months ago, she explained: "[To operate] they'd have to go through blood vessels and that's not great.
"So they categorically said in the first meeting 'I'm really sorry but we can't'."
A death notice today described Cooper-Key as: "Beloved daughter of the late Edmond Cooper-Key, and Lady Mary Gaye Curzon, adored mother of Bow and Nestor, so much-loved sister of her two brothers and eight sisters and devoted aunt to her nieces and nephews."
Kerry Reeves-Kneip, Director of Communications at Sarcoma UK paid tribute to Cooper-Key's work advocating for the condition.
She said: "Her openness about her journey helped raise crucial awareness about sarcoma and the challenges faced by patients.
"Pandora's legacy extends far beyond her fundraising efforts; she touched countless lives with her warmth and resilience.
'On behalf of everyone at Sarcoma UK, I extend our deepest condolences to Pandora's family, including her mother, Lady Mary, her sister, Cressida Bonas, her two sons, and all who loved her.
"We are immensely grateful for the difference Pandora made to our organisation and to others affected by sarcoma."We at Sarcoma UK will honour her by continuing our mission with renewed determination.
"Pandora's kindness, courage, and indomitable spirit will forever remain in our hearts."
No comments: