In a statement shared on X, Buckingham Palace said: “It is with deep sorrow that Buckingham Palace announces the death of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Kent. Her Royal Highness passed away peacefully last night at Kensington Palace, surrounded by her family.”
The statement added that “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.”
Katharine married Prince Edward, Duke of Kent — a cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II — in 1961. Following the Queen’s passing in 2022, she became the oldest living member of the Royal Family.
She is remembered for her compassion, most notably at Wimbledon in 1993 when she comforted a tearful Jana Novotná, and for her devotion to music, education, and youth welfare. Buckingham Palace praised her “life-long devotion to the organisations with which she was associated, her passion for music, and her empathy for young people.”
The Life of Katharine, Duchess of Kent
Born Katharine Lucy Mary Worsley in Yorkshire in 1933, she grew up at Hovingham Hall, her family’s ancestral home. Her grandfather, John Brunner, co-founded the paint and chemical firm that became ICI. According to BBC, with her brothers away at boarding school and her father absent during the war, she often found companionship only in her mother and governess, seeking solace in the moors and hills of Yorkshire. Educated at St Margaret’s in York and later Runton Hill in Norfolk, Katharine discovered a deep love for music, studying piano, violin, and singing. Although she was unsuccessful in gaining admission to the Royal Academy of Music, she pursued training at Miss Hubler’s Finishing School in Oxford and worked briefly at a kindergarten.She later met Prince Edward, then an army officer and grandson of George V. Despite initial disapproval from his mother, Princess Marina, their relationship endured. After Prince Edward’s posting in Germany, Katharine traveled abroad, even to Mexico, where she received flowers from him. The couple announced their engagement in March 1961 and married soon after at York Minster. Their wedding drew significant public interest and was attended by international royals and celebrities.
They had three children — George, Earl of St Andrews, Lady Helen, and Lord Nicholas Windsor. Katharine endured personal hardships, including a miscarriage, a stillbirth, and health challenges. She also faced periods of exhaustion and illness but continued to dedicate herself to charitable causes.
Her royal duties often placed her in the public eye, particularly at Wimbledon, where she famously ended the tradition of players bowing to the Royal Box. Her empathy shone through in 1993 when she comforted Novotná after her loss to Steffi Graf.
In 1994, Katharine converted to Catholicism, a decision supported by Queen Elizabeth II. She gradually withdrew from royal life, dropped her HRH title, and began working as a primary school music teacher in Hull, where she was simply known as “Kath” or “Mrs. Kent.”
Her passion for music led her to establish Future Talent in 2004, a charity supporting underprivileged children in pursuing music. Known for her eclectic taste, she once revealed a fondness for artists like Eminem and Ice Cube.
Though she lived largely out of the spotlight in later years, Katharine occasionally reappeared for important family events, such as Prince Harry’s wedding in 2018. She was invited to the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral but was too frail to attend King Charles III’s coronation in 2023.
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