The 8th Marquess of Ailesbury, Michael Brudenell-Bruce, 98, died after falling from his bedroom window while trying to free his cat, Honeybun. His longtime girlfriend, Teresa Marshall de Paoli, 88, found him in a pool of blood. “It was a freak accident,” she said. “Oh, my dear, what happened?” but he was already gone.

Authorities investigated the scene as a possible crime, but Teresa was not arrested. “They thought I might have killed him,” she admitted. However, police confirmed the death was accidental. “He lost his balance and fell onto the patio,” breaking roses on the wall. A severe head injury likely caused instant death.

Emergency services arrived within minutes, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. “A police officer stated that death occurred right away.” His daughter, Lady Kathryn Brudenell-Bruce, was called to the home, and both women spent the night in the drawing room while police investigated.

The marquess, who attended Eton and served as a Royal Horse Guards captain before becoming a stockbroker, had been divorced three times. His granddaughter, Bo Bruce, once competed on The Voice.A police spokeswoman confirmed: “The death is unexpected but not being treated as suspicious.”