Princess Eugenie speaks out following death of Michelle Trachtenberg

Princess Eugenie issued a heartwarming statement following the death of her 'thoughtful and generous' friend Michelle Trachtenberg.

The Gossip Girl star, just 39 years old, was found dead at her home in New York on Wednesday (26 February).

The NYPD responded to an emergency call, claiming that the actress was 'unconscious and unresponsive'.

The star was best known for two iconic roles, the first being Buffy the Vampire Slayer's younger sister Dawn Summers, and the second being Georgina Sparks in Gossip Girl in her adult years.

A statement on behalf of her family read: "It is with great sadness to confirm that Michelle Trachtenberg has passed away. The family requests privacy for their loss."

The police are not treating the death as suspicious, as the NYPD revealed: "Criminality is not suspected. The medical examiner will determine the cause of death. The investigation remains ongoing."

Many of Trachtenberg's former co-stars came out to speak about the loss of their friend, including Blake Lively, who also starred in Gossip Girl.

She said: "She laughed the fullest at someone's joke... she cared deeply about her work, she was fiercely loyal to her friends and brave for those she loved, she was big and bold and distinctly herself."

But it wasn't just her co-stars that spoke about their 'special friend', it seems that Princess Eugenie also had a great relationship with the star.

The royal had a short stint living in New York City during 2013, where the two became close.

She was pictured attending a basketball game at Madison Square Garden with Trachtenberg in the same year.

Writing a tribute to her friend on Instagram, she said: "Goodbye special friend. You are so loved and missed.

"Thank you for so many memories of laughter and fun. You were so thoughtful and generous and sooo funny.

"My favourite was listening to you order food, always done with precision so you got exactly what we all wanted."

She added: "I'm thinking of you up there friend, of your spirit that was so bright and your joy you brought to so many."

And it seems the love was very much reciprocated.

A picture of the two, posted to Trachtenberg's account in 2016, was captioned: "There are few people in life that you meet that you know are true and real.

"This lady happens to be one of them. Friends really do mean a lot."