Prince Harry's Ex Cressida Bonas Honors Late Sister Pandora in New Tribute: 'Simply the Best'

"Now that she has gone, I wish I could talk to her about raising sons," Cressida wrote

Prince Harry's ex-girlfriend Cressida Bonas is remembering her late sister Pandora with love.

On Nov. 17, The Sunday Times Style published a first-person editorial Cressida wrote about her beloved half-sister Pandora Cooper Key, who died in July at age 51. Pandora had Li-Fraumeni syndrome, a rare hereditary syndrome that can lead to an increased risk of several types of cancer, according to the American Cancer Society, and was first diagnosed with cancer at age 26.

Cressida, 35, dated Prince Harry from 2012 to 2014 after being introduced by his cousin, Princess Eugenie, and wrote in The Sunday Times Style that she wished she could talk to Pandora about motherhood to sons, "as I’m also now the mother of a baby boy." Cressida married estate agent Harry Wentworth-Stanley in 2020, and they welcomed son Wilbur in 2022.

"A piece I wrote about my sister Pandora is in @theststyle today," Cressida wrote on Instagram on Nov. 17 below a photo of the story in the magazine. "Life will never be the same without her, and sometimes it feels like she’s just gone on holiday, until I realize she’s not coming back. My sister gave so much love, she listened, she made people laugh and she was hugely loved In return. I hold onto the memories and the many things she taught me. I miss her. She was simply the best."

Related: Prince Harry's Ex Cressida Bonas Shares Heartfelt Tribute to 'Darling Sister' Following Her Death

The actress and model added a star emoji and linked her late sister's Instagram handle, thanking The Times and tagging charities The George Pantziarka TP53 Trust, which supports families navigating Li-Fraumeni Syndrome and Sarcoma UK, the national charity focused on a form of cancer that Pandora had.

Cressida affectionately celebrated her sister in the essay, calling her the "leader of our pack" of their large family and recounting how their 15-year age gap disappeared in adulthood "as we became two loving friends." Pandora was a passionate ceramicist and former handbag designer for Vivienne Westwood, and Cressida said she faced Paget's disease, sarcoma, "recurring episodes of cancer," seizures and life-threatening infections with "courage, determination and humor."

Pandora told the Daily Mail in March that she had an inoperable brain tumor, and Cressida reflected in The Sunday Times Style about missing her on the journey of motherhood. Pandora is survived by her sons, Bow, 17, and Nestor, 14.

"In her final weeks, I felt like I was racing against time, wanting to ask her so much. Now that she has gone, I wish I could talk to her about raising sons as I’m also now the mother of a baby boy," Cressida wrote.

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"Her boys are teenagers and I’m just starting out with an almost two-year-old, so she had already walked the path that I’m beginning," she added. "I have a journal filled with scribbles and notes from conversations with my sisters. On one page, I had written down something Pandora said just after I’d given birth to a boy: 'No matter what, they’ll always love and want to protect their mums.' "