Tara Palmer-Tomkinson's funeral: Sister hopes socialite 'heals in heaven'

Tara Palmer-Tomkinson's sister has led the tributes at the socialite's funeral, saying she hopes "angels wrap their wings" around her and she "heals in heaven".

Santa Montefiore shared her eulogy on Facebook and Twitter, thanking the hundreds of close friends and family who attended the private service in Hampshire.

The siblings' mother, Patricia, and the celebrity's former boyfriend Duncan James were among the mourners.

Mrs Montefiore, 57, said of her younger sister: "I know that Tara is here with us today in spirit, so I'm going to address this to her.

"My darling Tara. I hope you know how much we miss you. From the moment you were born we were a family of five, but now we are four and that just isn't right."

She added: "I hope you're aware of all the lovely things people have written about you, and that you are touched, because you never believed you lit up a room or made people feel special, but you did. You really did.

"I hope that you are resting, because you found life hard and now it is done.

"My beloved sister, I don't think you realised that success is never about the big things, but about the small things, and that just being you was enough."

She continued: "As your sister I always wanted to look after you and I tried, I really tried. I hope they are looking after you now in heaven and that you are letting them, and that you heal."

Palmer-Tomkinson, 45, died of a perforated ulcer on 8 February, and not of a brain tumour, as was previously thought.

Last week, Westminster Coroner's Court decided not to go ahead with an inquest into her death after a post-mortem examination found the former It-girl died of natural causes.

It was widely reported the TV personality had been diagnosed with a brain tumour last January after returning from a ski trip.

But in November last year, Palmer-Tomkinson clarified that she was being treated for a non-malignant growth in her pituitary gland, which is close to, but not part of the brain.

She had publicly expressed her fear that she would die after doctors told her she had the condition.

She also battled drug problems in the past and suffered with an auto-immune disease that caused tiredness, joint pain and acute anaemia.

Following her death, a notice was published by her family in The Daily Telegraph saying: "Tara Clare died ­peacefully in her sleep."

Many believed that Palmer-Tomkinson was the goddaughter of Prince Charles - but they were merely friends.

Both sisters attended Prince Charles' second wedding in 2005 and were among the guests at Prince William's wedding to Kate Middleton in 2011.