Dame Shân Legge-Bourke also served as a lady-in-waiting to the Princess Royal

Three senior members of the Royal Family gathered in Wales today to honour Dame Shân Legge-Bourke at a thanksgiving service held at Brecon Cathedral.

The Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal and the Duchess of Edinburgh attended the midday ceremony commemorating the prominent Powys landowner, who died in December at the age of 82.

The royal party arrived by helicopter at Christ College, Brecon, before travelling to the cathedral under police escort in three separate Range Rovers.

One local reported on social media receiving a wave from Prince William and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh.

Anne and Sophie join Prince William at memorial for his childhood nanny’s mother (stock pictures)

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Women attending were encouraged to wear colourful hats and dresses, while men were asked to don suits or uniforms.

Sophie, 61, chose a maroon-trimmed coat with a red dress and matching hatband, whilst Princess Anne opted for a charcoal skirt suit.

Queen Camilla, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and Princess Alexandra each sent representatives, while Princess Haya bint Al Hussein of Jordan attended in person.

Dame Shân maintained close ties with the Royal Family throughout her life, serving as a lady-in-waiting to Princess Anne while her late husband, Captain William Legge-Bourke, worked as an equerry to Queen Elizabeth II.

Dame Shân Legge-Bourke and Prince Harry pictured in 2010

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The service remembered her “loyalty to her beliefs and friends.”

Dame Shân inherited the Glanusk Estate near Crickhowell from her father, the third Baron Glanusk, in 1948 and transformed it into a flourishing venue for agricultural, cultural and charitable gatherings.

Her public service extended across numerous positions in Powys and Wales, including High Sheriff of Powys and president of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society.

She also led Save the Children in Wales and the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs, while chairing the local branch of the Country Land and Business Association.

Dame Shân Legge-Bourke (left) and Queen Elizabeth II pictured in 2012

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Queen Camilla, King Charles and Dame Shân Legge-Bourke (second from right) pictured together in 2018

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Her contributions earned royal recognition, first as a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order in 1988, then as Dame Commander in the 2015 New Year Honours.

Her daughter Alexandra, known as Tiggy, went on to care for Princes William and Harry during their childhood years, cementing the family’s bond with the younger generation of royals.

Tiggy Pettifer, as she is now known, holds the role of godmother to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s son Archie, demonstrating the enduring connection between the families.

The young princes frequently visited Dame Shân’s Glanusk Estate, while King Charles was known to fish there during his student days at Aberystwyth in 1969.

The Legge-Bourke family recently suffered another tragedy when Tiggy’s stepson, Edward Pettifer, died in the New Orleans truck attack on New Year’s Day.