Countess of Wessex's mother dies at 71
The Countess of Wessex's mother, Mary Rhys-Jones, has died aged 71 after a short illness, Buckingham Palace announced yesterday.
The countess, who was at her mother's hospital bedside, was said to be "deeply saddened". It is understood that Mrs Rhys-Jones had been suffering from cancer.
A palace spokesman said: "Mary Rhys-Jones, wife of Christopher and mother of the Countess of Wessex, died on Sunday after a short illness."
It emerged in May that Mrs Rhys-Jones was ill and undergoing treatment in hospital, although Buckingham Palace would not comment on her illness or what treatment she was receiving.
The countess, who married the Earl of Wessex in 1999 and gave birth to their daughter, Lady Louise, in November 2003, was reportedly shocked on learning of her mother's illness. Born Mary O'Sullivan in 1934, the daughter of a bank manager, Mrs Rhys-Jones worked as a charity worker and part-time secretary.
She met her husband while on holiday in Gibraltar and the couple married just months after meeting. They settled in Oxfordshire before moving to the village of Brenchley, Kent.
Their son David was born in 1963, and Sophie two years later. Mrs Rhys-Jones is said to have decided on the name Sophie while shopping for shoes when pregnant. Someone in the shop called out the name - and a pretty little girl turned around.
She and her husband, a retired executive of a car tyre company, came to public prominence late in life when Sophie began dating Prince Edward.
Although often approached by the media for comment, they were fiercely protective and rarely spoke publicly of their daughter's high-profile relationship.
When news of the couple's engagement was announced they said: "We are both extremely pleased and very happy for Sophie and Prince Edward".
But, according to Andrew Morton, biographer of Diana, Princess of Wales, Mrs Rhys-Jones was privately concerned about her daughter marrying into the Royal Family and the marriage failure rate of the Queen's children.
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