The parents of a teenager who died from an allergic reaction after eating a baguette – who were among the last members of public to meet Charles before he became King – have sent their “heartfelt” condolences to the royal family.
Tanya and Nadim Ednan-Laperouse’s 15-year-old daughter, Natasha, died in 2016 following a severe allergic reaction to sesame in a Pret a Manger sandwich.
They met Charles on Wednesday at a global symposium on allergies, organised by the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation and hosted by the now King.
At the conference, he pledged a partnership between his Prince’s Foundation, which champions sustainable living, and Natasha’s parents’ campaign to eradicate allergies.
Our hearts go out to King Charles and members of the royal family. He was so generous with his time in meeting us and so considerate in his comments about our loss. The passing of his mother the Queen will be the deepest loss to him as well as to our country and we send our heartfelt personal condolences.— Mr and Mrs Ednan-Laperouse
It was one of Charles’s last official public engagements as the Prince of Wales.
Within the next 24 hours he would rush to Balmoral Castle, where his mother the Queen died on Thursday.
In a statement to the PA news agency, Mr and Mrs Ednan-Laperouse, who co-founded the foundation, described the King as “generous” and “considerate” in their dealings with him.
They said: “Our hearts go out to King Charles and members of the royal family.
“He was so generous with his time in meeting us and so considerate in his comments about our loss.
“The passing of his mother the Queen will be the deepest loss to him as well as to our country and we send our heartfelt personal condolences.”
Charles has previously said he was “moved beyond words” by Natasha’s death, and the way her parents have “selflessly dedicated themselves to preventing other families suffering in the same way”.
The idea of bringing the world’s leading allergy and environment experts together was first raised by Charles following the 2018 inquest into Natasha’s death, which highlighted the growing allergic epidemic, particularly among children and young people.
The baguette she ate had sesame seeds baked into the dough. Natasha was severely allergic to sesame, although the label did not mention this ingredient.
