The Princess of Wales is celebrating not only her 43rd birthday but also the joyful news of her friend Lady Melissa Percy’s fourth child.
According to Richard Eden of the Daily Mail, Lady Melissa, the 37-year-old daughter of the Duke of Northumberland, gave birth to a baby girl named Ivy last Friday in Florida.
Lady Melissa, fondly known as “Missy” among her close friends, grew up at the iconic Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, widely recognized as the filming location for Hogwarts in the Harry Potter movies. She is married to American billionaire Remy Trafelet, who is 17 years her senior. The couple already share a daughter, Bluebell, and twin sons, Percy and Alfred, born in 2023. Lady Melissa is also a stepmother to Remy’s three children from his first marriage: Remy, Charlotte, and Franny.
Before marrying Remy, Lady Melissa was previously wed to Thomas van Straubenzee, a close friend of Prince William and godfather to Princess Charlotte. Their 2013 wedding was a star-studded event attended by Prince William, Prince Harry, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, and Pippa Middleton. Chelsy Davy, Prince Harry’s former girlfriend, served as a bridesmaid. However, the marriage ended in 2016.
In a past interview with The Times, Lady Melissa reflected on her enduring friendship with Chelsy Davy, which blossomed after meeting through their then-partners.
“Thomas is best friends with Harry and William, and I met Chelsy through that,” she said. “We would all hang out together. 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.”
Thomas, affectionately called “Van” by friends, remains a significant figure in Prince William and Prince Harry’s inner circle. He accompanied William on his first official overseas tour to New Zealand. Thomas has since remarried and shares two children with his second wife, Lucy.
