Royal couple visit Hull as death of Tara Palmer Tomkinson announced

Signing the visitor's book in Ferens Art Gallery

Op-ed: Prince Charles and his wife Camilla were in my city Kingston-upon-Hull Wednesday. The visit is just one of many events during Hull City of Culture 2017.

I did not turn out to greet them but some people did.

Footage of the royal couple visiting the newly refurbed Ferens Art Gallery and the Holy Trinity church appeared on lunchtime local news. The couple also visited some local community projects.

It looked like a few hardy royal fans turned out to wish the couple well though you could hardly say huge crowds. Perhaps it was a decent turn out considering the weather.

It has been a damp, grey and cold day here in Hull today, Wednesday.

Prince Charles looked rather care worn in the footage but like us all he is not getting any younger.

But perhaps he had already had some bad news.

Wednesday afternoon media outlets reported the death of his goddaughter Tara Palmer Tomkinson.

She is described by the BBC as a socialite, former Sunday Times columnist and reality TV star.

Ms Tomkinson was aged just 45.

"Officers were called to her flat in Bramham Gardens, South Kensington, at 13:40 GMT. A woman in her 40s was found dead at the scene, the Met Police said."

She battled some health issues and drug problems in recent years. She partied hard.

The cause of death is not known at this time.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall later led tributes to Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, and said they were "deeply saddened", by her death.

​http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-38911818
​https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/feb/08/tara-palmer-tomkinson-dies-aged-45

"The cause of death has not yet been confirmed. However, the socialite had been battling a brain tumour since January 2016. She revealed she was fighting the illness after going for a set of blood tests after feeling run down.
​
Doctors discovered a growth in her pituitary gland which was non-malignant but was affecting the production of hormone prolactin." The Sun