The best friend and cousin of the Queen, Margaret Rhodes has died aged 91, Buckingham Palace confirmed today.

Mrs Rhodes passed away on Friday night following a short illness. It is believed that the Queen had visited her regularly over the past few weeks.

Buckingham Palace has said it will not be issuing a statement because it is a private matter, although the Queen has sent her condolences to the family.

An insider told the Sunday Express: "The Queen will be devastated to have lost her best friend. She grew up with Mrs Rhodes and they had so much shared history. They remained close throughout the Queen's reign and Her Majesty continued to be a regular visitor at Mrs Rhodes’s Windsor home until very recently.