Tara Palmer-Tomkinson dead: Who is she and what's her connection with Kate Middleton?

British socialite Tara Palmer-Tomkinson was found dead at her luxury west London apartment on Wednesday. The It Girl, who made headlines for her social life, was 45.

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On Wednesday afternoon, Palmer-Tomkinson's cleaner arrived at her flat at around 1.30 pm. She found the body of the former model and raised the alarm. She then called an ambulance that took the body of the former model to the hospital.

Reports suggest that she was suffering from a rare auto-immune disease that caused acute anaemia. She was also diagnosed with a non-malignant brain tumour last year. It was revealed only after a friend of her's appeared on This Morning show.

Entrepreneur and gay rights campaigner Ivan Massow said that the socialite had relapsed "into a dark place".

"She was facing a lot of problems. The recurring issue [was] that it was very hard for her to stay off drinking and things," he told the show. "There was lots of surgery, her nose was giving her problems — she was terribly conscious of it and she always knew her angles — and there was this tumour on top of everything.

"She was never comfortable to see herself as an older person - she never saw that as her role, and that was very hard for her. She was very frail. I hadn't seen her for over a month, it's been very hard to reach her. With people like this you have to sort of let go with love. You can't badger them, especially because I could see through her behaviour.I was the last person she would call when she was misbehaving," he added.

Who is Tara Palmer-Tomkinson?

Palmer-Tomkinson was a Sunday Times and Mail on Sunday columnist. She also featured in a reality TV show and was a regular face at London parties in the 1990s and 2000s. She remained in the news for her social life.

She also made headlines after she was spotted kissing Prince Charles at Kloster's ski resort in Switzerland. She revealed that she has kissed the Prince of Wales since the age of four, the Independent reported.

Tara Palmer-Tomkinson's Royal connection

Palmer-Tomkinson was known for her close relationship with the royal family. Not only Prince Charles, but Palmer-Tomkinson was also close to the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton. She reportedly helped Kate in 2007 when Prince William suddenly separated from her.

Palmer-Tomkinson also shared a close relationship with William and Prince Harry. She was also Prince Charles's goddaughter.