By Danielle Stacey
Copyright hellomagazine
The royal family has opened an online book of condolence for the Duchess of Kent on the monarchy’s official website, a week before her Catholic funeral takes place at Westminster Abbey. Katharine Worsley, who died at the age of 92 on Thursday 4 September, was married to the late Queen Elizabeth II’s cousin, the Duke of Kent.
She passed away peacefully at her Wren Cottage home at Kensington Palace, with Buckingham Palace announcing her death in a statement last Friday. Members of the public wishing to pay their respects to the Duchess’s family can do so at royal.uk, through the virtual condolence book.
As well as her husband, Katharine leaves behind three children – She leaves behind her husband and their three children – George, Earl of St Andrews, Lady Helen Taylor and Lord Nicholas Windsor – as well as three grandchildren.
The requiem mass at London’s Westminster Cathedral on 16 September will be the first Catholic funeral service staged for a member of the royal family in modern British history. In a significant move, the King, head of the Church of England, will attend, alongside the Queen and others members of the family.
A devout follower of the Roman Catholic faith, Katharine became the first member of the royal family to convert to Catholicism for more than 300 years, doing so in 1994, and it was her wish to have her funeral at Westminster Cathedral. The Duchess will then be laid to rest at the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore, Windsor.
Katharine’s latter years and last public appearance
Back in 2002, she made the personal decision not to use the style “Her Royal Highness,” famously telling the BBC, “Call me Katharine”. In the latter years of her life, the Duchess taught music at a primary school in Hull, where she was known as “Mrs Kent” and she later co-founded the charity, Future Talent, to support musically gifted children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
In a rare interview, she said: “I’ve studied music all my life, it’s my passion. My other passion is children. Being able to share and pass on your love of music to children is the greatest privilege.”
Although the Duchess stepped back from royal duties, she did attend events to mark the Diamond Jubilee in 2012 with the Duke out of respect and affection for the late Queen, and the Kents were present at the Cambridges’ 2011 wedding and the Sussexes’ nuptials in 2018. In June 2018, Katharine also went to the Grenfell Remembering Together service on the first anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire.
Her last public appearance was on the day of her husband’s 89th birthday last October. The Duchess was pictured in a wheelchair for the first time as she joined the Duke outside their Kensington Palace home to watch bagpipers play Happy Birthday.
