Duchess of Kent’s coffin brought to cathedral ahead of funeral

The coffin of Katharine, the Duchess of Kent has been brought to Westminster Cathedral ahead of her funeral service on Tuesday.

Soldiers from the Royal Dragoon Guard, of which she had been deputy colonel in chief, carried the coffin from the royal hearse into the cathedral.

The hearse had brought the coffin, draped in the royal standard, from Kensington Palace where the duchess died aged 92 earlier this month, with a piper playing as the hearse left.

Her immediate family, including her widower the Duke of Kent and their three children, were there and attended a service marking the reception of the duchess’ coffin into the cathedral.

The King and Queen and other senior royals will attend Tuesday’s Requiem Mass at the cathedral, the first Catholic funeral for a member of the Royal Family in Britain’s modern history.

Music will include “Ave verum corpus” by Mozart, which was selected by the duchess as her favourite piece when she was a guest on the BBC’s Desert Island Discs in 1989.

A piper will play the lament “Sleep, Dearie, Sleep”, which was played at the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

With her family proud of their Yorkshire connections, the wreath on the coffin includes white roses, the emblem of Yorkshire; sprigs of yew from the gardens of Hovingham Hall, her family’s home; and other flowers and herbs such as rosemary for remembrance.

The duchess, married to the late Queen’s first cousin, had been the oldest member of the Royal Family when she died.

Many tributes have been paid to her, including from the Prince and Princess of Wales who said she had “worked tirelessly to help others and supported many causes, including through her love of music”.

The duchess had become a primary school music teacher, calling herself Mrs Kent, with the pupils not knowing anything about her royal life.

She will also be remembered as a familiar figure at the Wimbledon tennis championships, where she handed over trophies – and consoled those who had lost, including a tearful Jana Novotna in 1993.

The coffin will remain in the cathedral’s Lady Chapel overnight.

The funeral on Tuesday afternoon will be a private family service, after which the coffin will be taken to the royal burial ground in Frogmore in Windsor.

The royal hearse had been last used at the funeral of the late Queen, three years ago this week.