Why Queen Elizabeth II's Royal Cousins Were Declared Dead While They Were Still Alive

In 1987, the British public learned the shocking news that Queen Elizabeth II had two cousins who spent most of their lives in a mental hospital.

The cousins, Nerissa and Katherine Bowes-Lyon, had been declared dead many years ago, but it turned out that they lived for much longer than previously believed.

Nerissa was born on February 18, 1919, and Katherine was born on July 4, 1926. They had severe developmental disabilities and never surpassed the mental age of six years old.

In an attempt to conceal their existence from the public, their mother, Fenella Bowes-Lyon, had them institutionalized. They were said to have died in 1940 and 1961. But in 1987, the truth came out. Nerissa actually died a year before, in 1986. Katherine was still alive, but her health was poor.

Nerissa and Katherine were born to John Herbert Bowes-Lyon—the Queen Mother's brother—and Fenella Bowes-Lyon. The girls were non-verbal, but they could still understand some of what was going on around them.

Their relatives believed they had a condition passed down from their maternal grandfather, Charles Tresfusis. According to the girls' caretakers, they could point and make noises. They were also very mischievous.

Back then, families were often ashamed of their disabled relatives and would do their best to hide them from the public. So, it was even more imperative that a family with royal ties do the same to avoid embarrassment.

Nerissa and Katherine were the first cousins of Elizabeth II. After their father died of pneumonia in 1930, the girls were sent to Arniston School, an institution for the disabled children of aristocratic families.

In 1941, they were transferred to the Royal Earlswood Mental Hospital. At the time, Nerissa was 22, and Katherine was 15.

David - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only, not the actual people

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Then, in 1987, a photographer from The Sun, a British tabloid, posed as a relative of Katherine's and was able to capture pictures of an alive Katherine. Soon, her photo appeared on the front page of The Sun, and rumors spread like wildfire.

The Bowes-Lyon family received a lot of backlash for covering up the two sisters. The public wanted answers as to why Nerissa and Katherine had been declared deceased when they weren't. The sisters' relatives insisted that there was no cover-up and that they visited them regularly.

A general manager at the facility reported that the sisters received regular visits until the early 1960s, when their closest relative passed away. No family members attended Nerissa's funeral. She was laid to rest at Redhill Cemetery.

Even after the story broke, Katherine reportedly still did not receive any visits from family. Katherine died on February 23, 2014, at the age of 87. She was buried near her sister.

Overall, the situation reflected the attitudes toward disabled individuals at the time. The sisters never received an exact diagnosis and were labeled as "imbeciles," all because they were developmentally different.