Renowned photographer Lord Lichfield has died after suffering a stroke while staying with friends in Oxfordshire.

Lichfield, 66, was admitted to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

The high profile photographer ? known professionally Patrick Lichfield ? is a cousin of the Queen and has photographed many famous subjects including Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer at their wedding in 1981.

Among the first to pay tribute was AP Editor Garry Coward-Williams who said: ‘I met Patrick about two years ago when we were both guest judges of a photographic competition and found him to be a particularly nice person. The first words he said to me were ‘I see your face every week in AP’, delivered with an outstretched hand and a beaming smile. And from then on we laughed and chatted our way through the work in hand. He was a great ambassador for photography and I know he will be sorely missed by everyone.’

Inundated with calls from the press this morning is photography legend David Bailey who told us he was not giving newspaper interviews. But, agreeing to speak to AP, he said: ‘It is a sad day… he was a charming guy’.

Photographer Lord Snowdon told us: ‘We are all desperately sorry.’

Of course, we will be running a full obituary in AP.