Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, British It girl and Prince Charles' god-daughter, dies

Date: February 9 2017

Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, former London party girl and a god-daughter of Prince Charles, has been found dead at her London home at the age of 45.

The Prince said in a statement that he and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, were "deeply saddened" by news of her death on Wednesday.

"Our thoughts are so much with the family," he said.

The cause of death was not immediately clear, though Palmer-Tomkinson revealed last year that she had been diagnosed with a brain tumour.

British police confirmed they were treating the death as unexplained but not suspicious.

Palmer-Tomkinson was a fixture on the international social stage throughout the 1990s. She was regularly photographed partying with the rich and famous, and helped fuel her reputation as a wild child with regular media appearances.

Known by Britain's tabloids as "TPT," her entertaining life contained as many lows, including public meltdowns, as it did highs. 

In 2014, she was arrested by eight armed police at Heathrow airport when she "started screaming" and "tore out her hair extensions" after being refused access to the first-class lounge. She was cautioned and released without charge.

She had a highly publicised, and reportedly very expensive, cocaine habit that led to the collapse of her nasal septum, which had to be surgically repaired. 

In revealing her brain tumour late last year, she said she had been diagnosed in January 2016 after being treated for a benign growth on her pituitary gland.

The star told the Daily Mail in November: "I went to the doctors to talk about my latest blood test results when I got back from skiing in January.

"I said, 'What does this mean? Can you translate it?' And the doctor said, 'As I suspected, you have a brain tumour.'

"I got terribly frightened. I started thinking, I'm going to die, I'm going to die. I've only got a couple of weeks to live. Stuff like that," she said.

She also maintained that she had changed her party girl ways: "I'm not the person I was, I'm much calmer. I don't go to places like Ibiza because the party world scares me."

Her parents, Charles and Patricia Palmer-Tomkinson, are said to be close friends of Prince Charles and other members of the royal family.

She is descended from land-owners and Olympic skiers - her grandfather, uncle and father all competed at multiple Olympic Games.

She attended the wedding of Prince William and the Duchess of Cornwall.

One Wednesday evening, Palmer-Tomkinson's body was removed from her home on a trolley and taken by private ambulance.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: "Police were called by London Ambulance Service at approximately 13:40hrs on Wednesday February 8 to an address in Bramham Gardens, SW5.

"A woman, aged in her 40s, was pronounced dead at the scene.

"At this early stage, the death is being treated as unexplained.

"We are not treating this death as suspicious. The coroner has been informed and the next of kin has been informed."

Following the news of her untimely death, a number of celebrities and close friends took to social media to share their sympathies:

Heartbroken and numb I have lost one of my oldest and dearest friends. I'm going to miss ur laughter the most shmooey . Rip sweetheart 💔

RIP Tara Palmer Tomkinson, 45. A fun, feisty woman who battled many demons. Very sad news. pic.twitter.com/IxwOLfUyFW

I am deeply shocked & saddened to hear Tara Palmer-Tomkinson has died. I was lucky enough to have met her and know her family. A lovely Lady pic.twitter.com/nVySlsTkPM

Very sad and in shock to hear about the passing of Tara PT. a beautiful woman inside and out. Great fun and never a dull moment. RIPTPT🙏

I'm so sad to hear that Tara Palmer-Tomkinson has passed away. Thoughts and love to her family RIP Tara x

Very saddened by the shocking news of my old friend Tara PT's passing.. a bright light and one of life's true characters.. 🌟 My thoughts are naturally with her family.. #rip 🙏🏻

A photo posted by Tamara Beckwith Veroni (@ttpetals) on Feb 8, 2017 at 9:37am PST

Such sad news. So many at @hellomaguk have fond memories of Tara Palmer-Tomkinson - the socialite with a heart of gold. She graced our pages so many times and was always a joy to work with. The world is a duller place without her. Rest in peace. #TPT

A photo posted by Rosie Nixon (@rosiejnixon) on Feb 8, 2017 at 9:22am PST

AP/Fairfax Media