Princes William and Harry have suffered a loss in their family. The royal brothers’ great-aunt Lady Anne Wake-Walker passed away on Monday evening. The Dukes’ late relative was the sister of their maternal grandfather John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer. William and Harry's uncle Charles Spencer, who is Princess Diana ’s younger brother, announced the family death on social media, alongside a photo of the Spencer flag flying half-mast at his home, Althorp House. Charles wrote, “The Spencer flag at half-mast at @AlthorpHouse today, marking the death of my father’s older sister (& only sibling) Anne, aged 99 1/2. An officer in the WRENS in World War 2, she was the mother of 3 sons and 2 daughters. Lady Anne Wake-Walker (née Spencer), 1920-2020.”
On another social media platform, Princess Diana’s brother shared a vintage picture of his late aunt and his father, who passed away in 1992, playing on a swing. He captioned the family photo, posted on February 25, “Aunt Anne and my father, playing at @althorphouse in 1925. A wonderful lady, she was an officer in the WRENS in the Second World War, and was a much loved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother - as well as sister and aunt, of course. Aunt Anne died last night, aged 99 1/2. “The end of an era” is the phrase I’ve heard repeatedly today. Indeed it is.”
Lady Anne was married to Christopher Baldwin Hughes Wake-Walker, whom she wed at Westminster Abbey back in February 1944. They couple shared five children together—Elizabeth Duckworth-Chad, David, Richard, Michael Spencer and Diana Macfarlane. Following the death of her niece, Princess Diana, Anne, according to HOLA! USA’s sister brand HELLO!, remembered the Princess of Wales as a "sweet, thoughtful and very kind girl" with a wonderful sense of humor.
