Updated

Moira Gemmill, a leading British design expert charged with modernizing two of Queen Elizabeth II's residences, has been killed in a cycling accident in London.

Gemmill helped refurbish the Victoria and Albert Museum in London before starting work early this year as director of capital programs at the Royal Collection Trust. She had been working on renovation projects at Windsor Castle near London and Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh.

The 55-year-old was cycling to work at St. James's Palace, another royal residence, when she was hit by a truck on Thursday morning.

The Royal Collection Trust said Friday it was "saddened and shocked" by her death.

V&A director Martin Roth paid tribute to Gemmill's "remarkable contribution in making the V&A the global leader in museum design that it is today."