Rosamond, Countess of Cardigan, who was a cookery writer under her maiden name of Rosamond Winkley, has died from cancer at the age of 63.

The countess married the Earl of Cardigan in 1980 in St Mary’s Church in Great Bedwyn where her funeral will be held next Thursday, July 12, at 4.30pm.

There will be family flowers only and donations can be made in her memory to Marie Curie Cancer Care care-of funeral directors Dianne Mackinder, the Wagon Yard, London Road, Marlborough SN8 1LH.

She died at home from the pancreatic cancer she had been suffering for six months on Wednesday.

The countess is survived by her son Thomas the Viscount Savernake and by her daughter Lady Catherine Brudenell-Bruce, who is making a singing career under the name Bo Bruce and recently reached the finals of the television talent show The Voice. A statement on Bo’s website said: “Bo's mother Ros passed away peacefully in the night, at home, surrounded by loved ones.

"Bo would like to thank all of you for the messages of love and support, they mean so much to her.

“She promises she will be back before too long, for now she is spending quiet time with her close friends and family."

Before marrying, Rosamond Winkley lived at Kepnal, near Pewsey, with her mother Jane who was a health carer.

After her marriage she and Lord Cardigan lived at the Lodge in Savernake Forest until their marriage broke up. They were divorced in 2010, when she moved to a house on the Savernake Estate at Leigh Hill.