A WOMAN who acted as a secretary for Prince Philip in the run-up to his marriage to the then Princess Elizabeth died after catching pneumonia in hospital, an inquest heard.

Pamela Brazier had been admitted into Southampton General Hospital after falling down steps in her home and on to her chairlift.

But while being treated in hospital for fractured ribs the 87-year-old, who was the widow of well-known builder Dudley Brazier, contracted pneumonia.

The inquest heard that when it became clear she would not recover, the family agreed to switch off her ventilation and not resuscitate her.

Coroner Keith Wiseman recorded a determination of accidental death. He added: “Everything derives from the rather violent fall.”

Mrs Brazier, of Millstream Rise, Romsey, was known to have worked for the Mountbatten family at Broadlands in 1947 when news broke that naval lieutenant, Philip Mountbatten, stationed at Corsham in Wiltshire, was to marry Princess Elizabeth.

Philip phoned Pam and asked if she would help deal with replying to his hundreds of letters of congratulation. She then worked directly for Prince Philip.

She resigned from Lord Louis’ staff in 1948 to wed Dudley Brazier, the head of the Southampton building firm Brazier.