King Charles led the royal family today at Katharine, the Duchess of Kent’s funeral. Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, bid an emotional goodbye to his wife of sixty-four years.
Katharine, The Duchess Of Kent, Passed Away On September 4th
The Duchess passed away peacefully at age 92 at her home in Kensington Palace on September 4th after a period of illness. She was surrounded by her family.
In 1961, the Duke and Duchess of Kent were married in the first royal wedding to take place at York Minster in 600 years. She was also the first woman without a title to marry into the royal family for over a century. The couple shared three children and ten grandchildren.
Her children were also all present for the funeral. George Windsor, Earl of St. Andrews, Lady Helen Taylor, and Lord Nicholas Taylor were all in attendance. Her grandchildren were also in attendance.
She displayed an intense passion for music, and after she stepped down as a working royal in 2002, she focused on her charitable work and also became a music teacher.
The Duchess will be remembered as a trailblazer in the royal family. Katharine was a devout Catholic and became the first member of the royal family to convert to the Catholic faith in more than 300 years.
The Duchess of Kent’s funeral marks the first Royal Funeral at Westminster Cathedral and the first time a member of the royal family had a Catholic funeral in modern history.
Some of the senior royals who paid tribute to the Duchess of Kent included the King, Prince William, Kate Middleton, and Princess Anne.
Queen Camilla pulled out of the event as she is recovering from illness. Some of the other royal family members who paid their respects included Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, Prince Andrew, and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson.
Kate and William Wrote A Moving Tribute Ton Social Media
The funeral also featured a Scottish bagpipe player who also performed during Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September 2022.
A piper from the Royal Dragon guards played, “Sleep, Dearie, Sleep, for the occasion. The late Queen’s funeral ended with the same musical piece.
Kate Middleton, looking beautiful as ever, paid tribute to the late Queen at the funeral today by wearing a pearl necklace and matching earrings that once belonged to the longest-reigning monarch in royal history.
The Princess of Wales also wore a Japanese choker necklace. It’s from Her Majesty’s personal jewelry collection. The necklace had been worn on several occasions by the Queen and was also seen on Princess Diana.
Kate was also seen wearing the necklace at the Queen and Prince Philip’s 70th wedding anniversary in November 2017. She wore all-black attire, specifically a Roland Mouret dress and a matching hat, for the event.
Prince William and Princess Kate previously made a moving statement on social media. After the Duchess of Kent’s death was announced, they commented,
“Our thoughts today are with the Duke of Kent and his family, particularly George, Helen, and Nicholas,” they wrote, referring to the Duke’s wife and their three children.
The Prince and Princess added,
“The Duchess worked tirelessly to help others and supported many causes, including through her love of music.”
They concluded the message,
“She will be a much missed member of the family.” They signed the note with their first initials, “W & C.”
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