Great-grandmother Mable Knight died at Wigan Infirmary after becoming ill when she broke a hip.

The 99-year-old was a hugely respected member of the gipsy community and thousands of mourners from as far away as Italy, America, Ireland, Germany and Switzerland have been coming to Wigan to pay their respects.

Her granddaughter Margaret Peroni, of Collette Close, Scholes, said her grandmother was part of a disappearing way of life and, as a younger woman, had gone "duckering" – earning money by predicting the future.

Margaret, whose dad is a gypsy king, said: "We're all heartbroken. If I live to be as wise and as good-hearted as she was, I'll die happy. She was a true queen and an absolutely beautiful woman and a great grandparent.

"She always said she was waiting for her telegram from the Queen on her 100th birthday and she almost made it.
"She'd been given the last rites three times before she died, but she pulled through.

"She was born in a horse drawn wagon and had lived through some tough times. Some of the stories she used to tell us would make your hair stand on end."

Her funeral was held at St Edward's Church on Scott Lane yesterday.