Who Was Leonora Knatchbull From The Crown
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
From the Aberfan mining disaster to Princess Margaret and Peter Townsend's ill-fated relationship, there's been no shortage of sad stories featured on The Crown—and the season five storyline includes the tragic death of Leonora Knatchbull. While her name may be known to those in the UK for her close connection to the royal family, the show likely marks the first time many in the U.S. have heard her name. Here's what you need to know about Leonora.
Who was Leonora Knatchbull?
Born in 1986, Leonora was the youngest daughter of Norton and Penelope Knatchbull, then known as Lord and Lady Romsey (later the Earl and Countess Mountbatten of Burma). On her father's side, she was the great-granddaughter of Louis Mountbatten (familiar to The Crown fans as Uncle Dickie) and was, consequently, a cousin to both Prince Philip and King Charles III.
Both of her parents were close with the royal family, and along with her older siblings Nicholas and Alexandra, Leonora spent time with the royals and holidayed with Charles and Princess Diana. However, they weren't her only royal connection—per an obituary from The Herald, she was also the goddaughter of King Juan Carlos of Spain.
Leonora's cancer
In 1990, while on vacation in Majorca with her family, Leonora first began showing signs of illness. It was later confirmed that she was suffering from a kidney tumor. Despite the difficult circumstances, the little girl continued to charm the public with her sunny demeanor. In June of 1991, she appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony for Trooping the Colour alongside Princess Diana, Prince Harry, and Princess Beatrice in a bright red ensemble with a matching hat, evidently to disguise the hair loss from her chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments.
That summer, Leonora and her family accompanied Diana and Charles on a Mediterranean cruise, with reports surfacing that she was in good spirits and was potentially improving; however, the upswing was short-lived, and by October she returned to the hospital for the last time.
On October 21, 1991, following a 14-month battle against kidney cancer, Leonora passed away at the age of five.
Leonora Children's Cancer Fund
In the years following Leonora's death, her mother and father established a charitable fund in her name, the Leonora Children's Cancer Fund. The Romseys were already well-known in cancer charity circles, having been joint presidents of the Wessex Cancer Trust even before her death. Dedicated to "the relief of sick, distressed or needy children in any part of the world," the charity was later joined with a trust in the name of Edwina Mountbatten to form The Edwina Mountbatten and Leonora Children's Foundation. Both Leonora's mother, Penelope, and her sister, Alexandra, remain trustees of the charity to date.
It has been said over the years that Leonora's death—coming shortly before what the Queen termed the royal family's "annus horribilis"—may have played a role in fostering closeness between Prince Philip and Leonora's mother, Penelope. In later years, she would be considered one of his closest confidants, and has even been rumored to have had an affair with the royal, though those claims have never been confirmed.
You Might Also Like
