Kate Middleton’s friend Lady Melissa welcomes fourth child with billionaire husband

The Princess of Wales is not only celebrating her 43rd birthday, but also the arrival of her friend Lady Melissa Percy’s fourth child. 

According to Daily Mail‘s Richard Eden, Lady Melissa, the Duke of Northumberland’s 37-year-old daughter, welcomed her second daughter in Florida last Friday and has been named Ivy. 

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Lady Melissa, affectionately known as “Missy” among her inner circle, grew up at the magnificent Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, famously known to many as Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films.

She is married to American billionaire Remy Trafelet, who is 17 years her senior. Together, the couple already have their elder daughter, Bluebell, and twin sons, Percy and Alfred, in 2023. Lady Melissa also has three stepchildren, Remy, Charlotte and Franny, from her husband’s first marriage. 

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Before her marriage to Remy, Lady Melissa was married to Thomas van Straubenzee, a close friend of Prince William and godfather to Princess Charlotte. 

Their wedding in 2013 was a glittering affair attended by royals, including Prince William and Prince Harry. However, the marriage ended in 2016. 

Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie and Pippa Middleton all attended the ceremony, while Prince Harry’s ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy acted as a bridesmaid. 

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In a previous interview with The Times, Lady Melissa opened up about her friendship with Chelsy, and how they became “inseparable” after meeting through their respective partners at the time. 

“Thomas is best friends with Harry and William and I met Chelsy through that,” she shared. “We would all hang out together. 

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“Me and Chelsy were the younger two from all the girlfriends because it was Kate and her friends, and we just got on like a house on fire and have been inseparable ever since.” 

Simply known as Van to his friends, Thomas has been a key figure in William and Harry’s inner circle. He even accompanied William on his first official overseas tour to New Zealand. Thomas has since married his second wife Lucy, with whom he shares two children.