Cressida Bonas, who keeps her family life largely private, recently opened up about the challenges of raising her two-year-old son, Wilbur, while grieving the loss of her sister, Pandora Cooper Keys.

In an emotional piece for The Sunday Times, the 35-year-old reflected on her sister’s passing in July at age 51, following a long battle with cancer.

Pandora, who was a mother to two teenage sons, Bow, 17, and Nestor, 14, had been a source of wisdom and comfort for Cressida, especially as a fellow mother.

“I wish I could talk to her about raising sons,” Cressida wrote. “I’m just starting out with an almost two-year-old, while her boys are teenagers. She had already walked the path I’m beginning.”

Cressida recalled keeping a journal filled with advice from her sisters. One poignant memory was Pandora’s reassurance after Wilbur’s birth: “No matter what, they’ll always love and want to protect their mums.”

Pandora lived with Li-Fraumeni syndrome, a rare genetic condition that significantly increases cancer risk.

First diagnosed at 26 with Paget’s disease of the breast, she later faced sarcoma of the sinus and endured repeated battles with cancer, seizures, and infections.

Cressida described her sister’s remarkable courage, especially in her final moments: “Though she sometimes felt frightened, she was always brave. Toward the end, she seemed to accept that she was dying, knowing she was heading to a peaceful place free from pain.”

Reflecting on their last moments together, Cressida shared: “I got to hold her tight and say: ‘Thank you for being my big sister.'”