Lady Soames, the last surviving child of Sir Winston Churchill, has died aged 91.

Mary Soames, who was born and brought up at Chartwell in Westerham, died peacefully at home yesterday evening surrounded by her family, following a short illness.

She was the youngest of the wartime Prime Minister's five children, and went on to become distinguished author, writing a celebrated biography of her mother Clementine Churchill.

She was also the chairman of the board of the National Theatre for six years.

She has five children from her marriage to Baron Christopher Soames, who died in 1987.

In her 2011 memoir A Daughter's Tale, Lady Soames describes how her childhood was spent largely at the Churchill's family home, in Mapleton Road, where she spent much of her time with her cousin, Maryott Whyte, and a menagerie of pets.

She later lived in London, but according to the National Trust who now manage the property, often visited the house.

There, her red brick playhouse dubbed the Marycot, has been refurbished so visitors can experience what life was like for eight year-old Mary Churchill.

She also returned to Westerham for a service marking the 40th anniversary of her father's death in 2005.