King Charles has expressed his deep sadness at the death of one of the late Queen’s closest friends.

Virginia Ogilvy, Countess of Airlie, sadly died aged 91. Lady Airlie made royal history in 1973 when, after being appointed lady of the bedchamber, she became the first American to have served as a lady-in-waiting to the late Queen.

Lady Airlie and Queen Elizabeth II remained close friends for decades, with the countess supporting the late monarch until her death in September 2022.

Her devotion to the late sovereign was acknowledged by King Charles who, leading tributes, thanked Lady Airlie for her “immense devotion and dedicated service to Her late Majesty”.

A statement released from Buckingham Palace yesterday read: “His Majesty was deeply saddened to hear the news, having known Lady Airlie for so much of his life and having so greatly appreciated her immense devotion and dedicated service to Her late Majesty over so many years.”

Lady Airlie was born in Newport, Rhode Island, in February 1933, the granddaughter of German-American financier Otto Kahn.

She was appointed a Dame Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (DCVO) in 1995 and was one of the late monarch’s most trusted friends.

The pair’s bond was so close that the late monarch is thought to have made her only ever nightclub appearance when she visited Annabel’s in 2003 to celebrate Lady Airlie’s 70th birthday.

Lady Airlie accompanied the Queen on her trip to the United States in May 2007 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of England’s first American settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. This included a state dinner at the White House, hosted by President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush.

When she was not attending to her royal duties, the late Queen’s friend managed a flower farm at Cortachy Castle.

Lady Airlie’s husband David, who was also a childhood friend of Queen Elizabeth II, was the 13th Earl of Airlie and Chancellor of the Order of the Thistle. He died in June last year at the age of 97.

The couple married in October 1952, sharing six children and 11 grandchildren.