Prince Charles’ goddaughter British socialite Tara Palmer-Tomkinson was found dead at age 45 on Wednesday, February 8.
“We are deeply saddened and our thoughts are so much with the family,” Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla said in a statement. Queen Elizabeth II’s son used to ski and vacation with the It Girl’s parents, landowner and former Olympic skier Charles and Patti. Palmer-Tomkinson also became close with princes Harry and William as a result of her time spent with the royals.
Officers arrived at her South Kensington apartment in the early afternoon to find the party girl dead at the scene, the BBC reports. Palmer-Tomkinson — who received treatment for cocaine addiction in the past — was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition that caused acute anemia, fatigue, tiredness, and was treated for a nonmalignant brain tumor last year. None of her preexisting conditions have been proven to contribute to her passing, as her cause of death remains unknown at this time.
In addition to chronicling her extravagant lifestyle in columns for the Sunday Times and Tatler, Palmer-Tomkinson appeared on numerous reality shows, including I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!, Comic Relief Does Fame Academy and The Underdog Show. In November 2016, however, Palmer-Tomkinson told the Daily Mail she’d abandoned her party girl ways.
“I’m not the person I was,” she said. ‘I’m much calmer. I don’t go to places like Ibiza because the party world scares me. I’ve gone completely the other way. I’m a very quiet person now, and I like being that person. I have a better perspective on life.”
British journalist and Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan remembered Palmer-Tomkinson on Twitter, calling her, “A fun, feisty woman who battled many demons. Very sad news.”