embers of the royal family attended the Duchess of Kent’s funeral on Tuesday, including King Charles, Prince William, Princess Kate, and Prince Andrew.
A few hours before the service at Westminster Cathedral, Buckingham Palace announced that Queen Camilla wouldn’t be attending as she’s “recovering from acute sinusitis”.
Katharine, Duchess of Kent, passed away on September 4 at her Kensington Palace home, at the age of 92.
Duchess
of Kent’s funeral
The wife of Queen Elizabeth II’s cousin Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, has been honoured with the first Catholic funeral for a member of the royal family in modern British history.
The service reflects the duchess’ personal faith. In 1994, she became the first royal in more than 300 years to convert to Catholicism.
Funeral details
In a statement last week, Buckingham Palace confirmed further details about the service.
“The Requiem Mass will be conducted by The Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, with additional participation by Bishop James Curry, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster, and the Dean of Windsor,” they said, as reported by HELLO!. “Following the Mass, the coffin will be taken by hearse to the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore, Windsor.”
On Monday evening, the duchess’ coffin was moved by royal hearse from Kensington Palace to Westminster Cathedral for a private vigil, attended by her immediate family.
The duchess’ coffin rested overnight in the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary, aka the Lady Chapel, before today’s Requiem Mass.
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson attend funeral
On Tuesday, senior royals were seen attending the service including the king and the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, also arrived for the service.
Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, were in attendance too. The Duke of York is rarely seen at royal events after he stepped back from duties in late 2019.
Amid much scandal surrounding the prince, including his association with late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and sexual assault allegations against him, which he has always denied, he lives a rather quiet life at his Royal Lodge home in Windsor.
Meanwhile, the duchess’ widower, the Duke of Kent, was also seen arriving for the service. The couple’s three children – Lady Helen Taylor, George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews, and Lord Nicholas Windsor – are also believed to have attended.
In addition, others in attendance included Princess Margaret’s son David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon, the Duke of Kent’s sister Princess Alexandra, and their brother, Prince Michael of Kent.
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester also attended.
Who was the Duchess of Kent?
The Duchess of Kent was widely admired for her passion for music and her empathy.
She stepped back from royal duties in 2002, and spent many years teaching music at a primary school in Hull.
For years, she was also a familiar face at Wimbledon, where she regularly presented trophies to tennis champions.
Upon her death, Buckingham Palace said: “The King and Queen and all Members of The Royal Family join The Duke of Kent, his children and grandchildren in mourning their loss and remembering fondly The Duchess’s life-long devotion to all the organisations with which she was associated, her passion for music and her empathy for young people.”
After Tuesday’s service, the duchess will be laid to rest at the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore, Windsor.
