Kind-hearted centenarian treated to tea with Duchess

A 100-year-old Nyetimber woman enjoyed tea with the Duchess of Norfolk as a thank-you for her generosity.

Phyllis Bovingdon was treated to the occasion at Arundel Castle for helping a charity with which the duchess is closely linked.

The sandwiches, cakes and cups of tea served with a slice of lemon by a butler amid the history and splendour of the castle delighted Mrs Bovingdon.

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She and seven of her friends and relations were entertained by the duchess in her family's drawing room of the castle's private east wing on Friday.

It was an afternoon of firsts for both women.

Mrs Bovingdon, of Nyetimber Lane, said: "It's the first time I have been to the castle. I love history and it's so nice to be here. It is in a beautiful setting in wonderful countryside."

The duchess, who assumed her current role in 2002, said: "This tea is a first for me. I've hosted other occasions here before, but not like this. It was the least I could do, though, to thank Phyllis for her generosity."

The story which brought them together began when Mrs Bovingdon celebrated her 100th birthday last August.

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One of her grandchildren, Richard Beams, is the first secretary at the British Embassy in Bucharest, Romania.

He asked Mrs Bovingdon for a contribution towards a new hospice being opened there by UK charity Hospices for Hope.

She immediately gave him 100 '“ one pound for each year of her life '“ and thought no more of her gesture.

Mr Beams mentioned her gift when the duchess visited Bucharest to officially launch an appeal for the new hospice in her role as Hospices for Hope patron since 1994.

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The duchess can recall the terrible poverty she saw when she first

visited Romania then and the plight of terminally-ill patients who were simply sent home to die.

She was touched by Mrs Bovingdon's kindness and wanted to thank her

personally for her generosity.

Mrs Bovingdon's donation will be recognised with a window in the new hospice.

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Hospices for Hope chief executive Graham Perolls said the duchess's willingness to meet Mrs Bovingdon was typical of her involvement with the charity.

"She is absolutely fantastic with the patients in the hospices, when she visits them, and on occasions like this," he said. "She is so natural. The patients feel so uplifted when they are visited by her."

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