Margaret Burrows, Harewood House coordinator and former model

A fixture for two decades on the front desk at Harewood House, it was her face that greeted President Bill Clinton, New York mayor Rudy Giuliani and Archbishop Dr John Sentamu, among many others.

There was also over the years a procession of royals, including the princes William and Harry - all among the thousands who arrived, often without the expected fanfare, as private guests of Lord and Lady Harewood.

Mrs Burrows’ role was to recruit and look after the 170 volunteers at Harewood, but she also sat on the front desk, and such was her demeanour that many assumed she ran the house, said Anna Dewsnap, its former curator.

“She was the perfect person to do it - she could charm anyone,” said Ms Dewsnap. “I was the head of collections and people thought I was her assistant.

“She was an absolute joy. She could persuade anyone in the nicest way to get involved in anything.”

Her composure in the company of members of the public and heads of state alike had been learned, perhaps, during her earlier career as a model, during which time her picture appeared on the cover of a number of magazines.

A native of Morley, near Leeds, she attended Notre Dame Catholic School and later married Kenneth Burrows, a racing driver who became managing director of a large motor dealership. They lived in Huby and maintained a place in Malta.

When he was diagnosed with cancer in his late thirties, she devoted herself to nursing him, and following his death at 40, in 1980, she did not remarry.

Mrs Burrows died at St Gemma’s Hospice in Leeds and is survived by her sons Jonathan, Marcus and Nicholas and granddaughter, Sibylla. The funeral on Tuesday will be at St Edward’s Catholic Church, Clifford.