• Queen Elizabeth II and Lady Rupert Nevill were close friends since childhood.
• She was the Queen’s go-to gal when it came to going unnoticed in public.
• Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes among those paying tribute to his friend.

The late Queen’s closest friend, who assisted her in going unnoticed in public, passed away at age 97.

Since they were children, Queen Elizabeth II and Lady Rupert Nevill were close friends.

They met while they were in a Girl Guide troop on the grounds of Buckingham Palace, where they were both known as “Micky” by friends, including the Queen.

The Queen and Prince Philip would stay with Micky and her hubby while travelling to the theatre in nearby Brighton.

An old article from the 1970s mentioned how much the Queen enjoyed walking around unnoticed.

According to a 1970s article, “The Queen relishes seeing whether she can go unrecognised outside of the royal context.”

“She once queued at the ticket office ­without being noticed.

“Another night, when slow-­moving crowds jammed the foyer, the manager recognised Micky Nevill and suddenly realised that, elbow-deep in the crush and enjoying it, was the Queen.”

Julian Fellowes, the creator of Downton Abbey, is among those paying tribute to Micky.

He told Richard Eden : “I will miss her tremendously,’ he tells me. ‘We had been friends for more than half a century.

“In fact, she was one of the main influences in my life. Her knowledge, her judgment, her taste, were all extraordinary, and I consider knowing her as one of my ­greatest blessings.”

She was the 9th Earl of Portsmouth’s daughter and was born Camilla Wallop.

In East Sussex, where Micky wed Lord Rupert Nevill, it was rumoured that Peter Townsend and Princess Margaret first fell in love there.

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