Countess Mountbatten of Burma was a passionate and loyal supporter of The Compassionate Friends, a charity offering support, friendship, comfort and hope to parents and their families whose child has died at any age and from any cause. All of us at The Compassionate Friends will miss the Countess enormously, and warmly thank her for her compassion and care for bereaved parents and their families over the many years she has been a Patron and President of our charity.

The Countess lost her fourteen year old son, Nicholas, in a terrorist attack in 1979. Her father, her mother-in-law and fifteen year old family friend Paul Maxwell were also killed in the attack. She, her husband, and their son Timothy Knatchbull (who is a Patron of The Compassionate Friends representing bereaved siblings) were injured but survived the attack. For more than 30 years she used her experience of the loss of her son to help other bereaved parents, through her support of The Compassionate Friends.

Our Chair of Trustees, Maria Ahern, commented "I didn't have the honour to meet the Countess, but I have spoken to others in our organisation who did and they spoke warmly of her compassion and her dedication to helping the bereaved. She was by all accounts, an inspiring lady and she will be greatly missed by our organisation. Thank you Countess for all the help that you gave us".

You can also donate to The Compassionate Friends in memory of Countess Mountbatten by sending a cheque to:

The Compassionate Friends (In memory of Countess Mountbatten), 14 New King Street, Deptford  London SE8 3HS

Or go to our website at www.tcf.org.uk/donate to make your donation.

Find out more about The Compassionate Friends at www.tcf.org.uk.