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Pandora Cooper-Key, half-sister of actress and model Cressida Bonas and daughter of Sixties it girl Lady Mary Gaye Curzon and aristocrat Esmond Cooper-Key, has died aged 51.
Cooper-Key had suffered from various forms of cancer for two decades. In an interview earlier this year, in which she revealed she had been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, she said her family had planned her funeral “thousands of times” because of her repeated experiences with cancer over the past 24 years.
The potter's father, Esmond, had died of a brain tumour at the age of 42. He was the grandson of the second Viscount Rothermere, owner of The Daily Mail and one of the richest people in the UK.
Her half-sister, Bonas, is known for her modelling career and for a previous relationship with Prince Harry, from 2012 to 2014.
Cooper-Key suffered from Li-Fraumeni, a rare disorder that greatly increases the risk of developing cancer. She was 26 when she was diagnosed with Paget's disease, a rare cancer of the milk duct, and underwent a double mastectomy.
At 34, just weeks after giving birth to her eldest son, she was diagnosed with a cancerous sarcoma in her sinuses. She was told she had 10 months to live. She briefly considered travelling to the assisted dying clinic Dignitas in Switzerland, but ultimately decided to try to live.
Cooper-Key suffered from other cancers in the following years before her death on July 22.
In a statement, Kerry Reeves-Knepi, director of communications at Sarcoma UK, who had worked closely with Cooper-Key, said: “Pandora was an extraordinary person whose impact on Sarcoma UK and the wider community cannot be overstated. She was, without doubt, one of the most extraordinary and infectious spirits I have ever met, radiating gentleness and a genuine interest in others. Her fighting spirit in the face of a 24-year battle against various forms of cancer, including sarcoma, was nothing short of inspiring.
“I had the pleasure of working closely with Pandora, particularly during the organisation of a Christmas carol concert at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford. This event, which featured high profile personalities such as Kate Winslet and Bear Grylls, raised over £130,000 for our cause. Pandora’s energy, kindness and dedication during this time was truly remarkable.”
Cooper-Key, who worked as an accessories designer for Vivienne Westwood, has spoken openly about her quest to rationalise her disorder.
“I wondered if it was because my parents were so rich,” he admitted. The times in 2021. “Maybe I got the money, but not the life.”
Despite her illness, she continued to work. In 2022, she started a ceramics business, Curzon Blue.
She is survived by her two children with her ex-husband Matthew Mervyn-Jones, two brothers and eight sisters, and her mother.
