The Duchess of Abercorn, who was renowned for her “extraordinary generosity of spirit,” has passed away following illness at the age of 72.

A spokesperson on behalf of the Abercorn family said: “The Duchess of Abercorn was as gentle and warm-spirited as she was strong and determined. She forged an individual path following her passion to nurture the imagination in children’s education and her love for Russia. The two often over-lapped.”

Born Alexandra Anastasia Phillips in Tucson, Arizona in 1946, the Duchess spent her formative years in England. She first visited Ireland in May 1966 with her future husband, James Hamilton, then Marquess of Hamilton, who later became the 5th Duke of Abercorn. The couple married in October 1966 and spent some time living in London, during which the Duchess trained as a professional counsellor. Following an ambitious remodelling of Barons Court in Newtownstewart, County Tyrone, the Duke and Duchess of Abercorn moved to Northern Ireland and made the estate their home where they brought up their three children. The couple bought Belle Isle Estate in County Fermanagh in 1991 and their son Nicholas Hamilton and his wife Tatiana are involved in the estate’s operations.

Concerned about the damage being inflicted on children living through destructive and turbulent times in Northern Ireland, the Duchess of Abercorn founded the Pushkin Trust in 1987. Named after the Duchess’ direct ancestor, the Russian writer Alexander Pushkin, the charitable organisation continues to support education and creative learning for children across Ireland.

In 2003 the Duchess received an honorary doctorate from the University of Ulster, and in 2006 the Ireland Fund of Monaco presented her with the Princess Grace of Monaco Humanitarian Award. In recognition of her services to education and charity, the Duchess of Abercorn was awarded an OBE in 2008.

Proud of her Russian ancestry, the Duchess was instrumental in bringing the choir of the Kirov Opera to Sacred Heart Church, Omagh in the summer of 1999.

“She saw many parallels between the creativity and the suffering of the peoples of Russia and Ireland,” said the spokesperson on behalf of the Abercorn family. “She always encouraged dialogue and healing through the arts. She enriched many lives and will be remembered with deep affection for her pioneering work and extraordinary generosity of spirit,” they added.