Jane Andrews who was the Duchess of York's dresser for nine years until 1997, was convicted of murdering wealthy businessman Tom Cressman

The former dresser to the Duchess of York, who was given a life sentence for stabbing her boyfriend to death, is to be released from prison.

Jane Andrews, who was the Duchess of York's dresser for nine years until 1997, was convicted of murdering wealthy businessman Tom Cressman at their home in Fulham, southwest London.

Andrews murdered her lover in a rage while he was asleep when he refused to marry her in 2000.

A spokesman for the Parole Board said: 'We can confirm that a three-member panel of the Parole Board has directed the release of Jane Andrews.

'The decision to release is a matter for the Board, which is independent. Arrangements and the date of the release are a matter for the Ministry of Justice. We are unable to comment further on the details of this case.'

Andrews was ordered to serve a minimum of 12 years in 2001 after a jury at the Old Bailey accepted the prosecution case she killed Mr Cressman, 39, at their Fulham home.

They rejected her claims she was acting in self-defence when she struck him on the head with his cricket bat and then stabbed him in the chest with a kitchen knife.

She appealed against her conviction in 2003 but her plea was rejected along with claims her boyfriend had abused and raped her.

Last night a shocked relative of Mr Cressman warned she was still volatile and posed a serious threat to men if she struck up a relationship with them.

Andrews, pictured with Sarah Ferguson in Washington DC in 1994 - she was convicted of murder seven years later

Andrews was ordered to serve a minimum of 12 years after a jury at the Old Bailey accepted the prosecution case she killed Mr Cressman, 39, at their Fulham home

Tom's older brother Rick Cressman, 64, insisted she had never shown any remorse for her crime.

He had warned the Parole Board not to be swayed by any belated apology she might make to secure her release from prison.

He had previously said Andrews should be accompanied by a public health warning.

He said: 'Her getting parole is against our wishes and is a devastating blow to all of us. Andrews is still devious and her personality hasn't changed.'

In a previous interview he said: 'The day Tommy died was the start of a life sentence for us. We think about him every day.

'Traditionally, a life sentence was 25-years and I believe that Andrews should serve that.'

While in jail at HMP Send, near Guildford in Surrey (where she works in the laundry), Andrews sold her flat overlooking Battersea Park, London, two years ago which earned her a reported £300,000 profit.

This enabled her to purchase a terraced house in Angmering, near Worthing, West Sussex, costing around £300,000 - which she also sold on.

Unique style: Sarah, Duchess of York, stepped out with a childhood snap of her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Eugenie, emblazoned on the front of her designer tote (left) and stuns in red at Cannes (right)

She now has a healthy bank balance, either to invest, or help her get back on to the property ladder, when she is released.

Born to a working class family in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, Andrews was 21 when she answered a personal advert in The Lady for a personal dresser.

She was hired by the Duchess of York six months later and was a trusted member of her inner circle until being made redundant in the late 1990s as part of a Buckingham Palace cost-cutting exercise.

She became friends with the Duchess of York, 55, and joined her on royal duties both at home and abroad.

A decision on when Andrews will be released will be taken by the Ministry of Justice.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: 'The release of life-sentence prisoners is directed by the independent Parole Board once they are satisfied they can be safely managed in the community.

The family of Tom Cressman (pictured) said they were 'devastated' by the news Andrews is set to be freed from jail

The jury rejected Andrews's claims she was acting in self-defence when she struck Tom Cressman on the head with his cricket bat and then stabbed him in the chest with a kitchen knife

'Once released, they are subject to strict licence conditions. These can include exclusion zones and non-contact orders. If they fail to comply with their licence, they can be immediately returned to prison.'

In 2009, Andrews triggered a search after she walked out of East Sutton Park open prison near Maidstone, Kent.

She was returned to custody more than two days later after being found at a Premier Inn hotel a few miles away.