PRESTON, Mrs Ashley (Sarah Helen nee SMITH, 1962-2018)

[Richard R]

From the Telegraph and Times of 30 July 2018: PRESTON Sarah Helen(nee Smith),died peacefully at home on July 26th 2018. Beloved wife of Ashley and adored Mother of Freddie and Rupert. She lost her valiant fight against a long illness. Private family funeral.

She was d of Jeremy Fox Eric SMITH (b 1928, scion of the vast [ABEL] SMITH clan and brother of (Anne) Fortune, Duchess of GRAFTON (b 1920) and, therefore cousin to many others including The QUEEN, The Princess MARGARET and their descendants), by his 1953 m to (Julia Mary) Rona (1934-2004) d of Lt-Col Sir Walter Raymond BURRELL 8th Bt (1903-85) and Hon Anne Judith DENMAN (1907-87, d of 3rd Baron DENMAN and gd of 1st Viscount COWDRAY). She m 1987 Ashley Charles (b 1962 reg London) s of Arthur C PRESTON of Coombe Edge, Kingston, Surrey by his 1957 m (reg Q4 Surrey) to Shirley J HEATH, and had two sons Frederick (Freddie) Charles Fox PRESTON (b 1989) and Rupert Merrik Arthur PRESTON (b 1993).

See this 2010 posting: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/peerage-news/FA6zdh4O4Ek
For many of the descents from Abel Smith the banker, including The QUEEN and her Mistress of the Robes, Fortune, Duchess of GRAFTON, the late Mrs Preston's aunt.