By Kate Thomas

Copyright hellomagazine

The Duke of Kent is stepping out in public for the first time since the sad passing of his wife, Katharine, Duchess of Kent, at the age of 92. The late Queen Elizabeth II’s cousin was supported by his immediate family as they watched the Duchess’s coffin travel from Kensington Palace to Westminster Cathedral on Monday. The private funeral rites are taking place on the eve of the late royal’s funeral service.

A military piper from The Royal Dragoon Guards, a regiment the duchess supported as deputy Colonel-in-Chief since its inception in 1992, will walk ahead of the coffin. Other service personnel from the regiment will act as pallbearers, carrying the coffin into the cathedral where it will rest overnight in the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Funeral rites, including the Rite of Reception, where the coffin is sprinkled with holy water, and Vespers, evening prayers, are also set to take place on the eve of the requiem mass.

The Duchess of Kent died peacefully at home on September 4, surrounded by her family. Katharine shared a daughter, Lady Helen Taylor, 61, and two sons, George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews, 63, and Lord Nicholas Windsor, 55, with her husband of 64 years. She was also a grandmother to 10 children, including eco warrior Lady Amelia Windsor and her sister Lady Marina. The Duchess gave up her royal duties in 2002 with the blessing of the late Queen in order to focus on her true love – teaching. She worked in a primary school in Hull for 13 years before her retirement, where she was known to her pupils and colleagues simply as ‘Mrs Kent’.

The Duchess of Kent’s funeral

King Charles and Queen Camilla, along with other members of the royal family, are set to attend the requiem mass on Tuesday. Her coffin will be taken by hearse to the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore, Windsor, following the funeral. It will be the first Catholic funeral service held for a member of the royal family in modern British history.