Government officials in Colombia have issued warnings of a double dip recession following the death of former “it girl” Tara Palmer-Tomkinson.

Former socialite and darling of the tabloids Palmer-Tomkinson was found dead in her South Kensington flat on Wednesday lunchtime. She had been diagnosed with a non malignant brain tumour in January 2016.

Hampshire born society girl and God daughter of Prince Charles, Tara, once harboured ambitions of being a concert pianist or riding in the Grand National.

Instead she chose to become famous for being rich and having a hedonistic lifestyle when she began writing columns in the 1990s for publications such as The Sunday Times, The Mail on Sunday, GQ and Tatler which detailed her own party-going antics. 

She became one of the first woman to create her own “brand” and set the scene for all those strong women and men who have followed in her footsteps and became famous just for being famous. These selflessly self-serving people have made the western world the place it is today. We have Tara to thank for that.

Tributes have flooded in, not only from her Godfather, Prince Charles, and the Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Cambridge men’s coxed 8s (1989 – 95) and the estate of the late Pablo Escobar but from the offices of The Sun and The Daily Mail who held her in the highest regard as someone the British people can all aspire to be, unlike her God father, Prince Charles, next in line for the throne.

Tara had fans around the world, especially in South America. Sources close to Government House in Bogota have said that the death has hit the hard working people of Colombia hard. 

“Tara was a great friend to our country.” said one businessman. “How will my people survive without the support of so great a lady? Thank goodness I still have my leetle friend Kate Moss to keep business on an even kilo, er, keel.”

Finance ministers in Colombia and around South America warn of the dark days to come. We can only watch and wait.