First Catholic funeral for member of royal family in modern British history to be held after death of Duchess of Kent

Katharine, 92, was known for consoling losing Wimbledon finalists, notably a tearful Jana Novotna in 1993, and presented trophies at the championships for many years.

She preferred to be known as Mrs Kent and dropped her HRH style, retreating from royal life to spend more than a decade teaching music in a state primary school in Hull.

Buckingham Palace said in a statement that the duchess died peacefully on Thursday evening at her Kensington Palace home surrounded by her family.

The 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 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 The Duchess’s life-long devotion to all the organisations with which she was associated, her passion for music and her empathy for young people.”

The union flag at Buckingham Palace was lowered to half mast at midday as a mark of respect and a formal framed announcement will be posted on the railings of the royal residence shortly.

The duchess, who became the oldest member of the royal family following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, made a rare appearance in October 2024 when she was pictured in a wheelchair for the first time.

Wrapped in a blue shawl, she joined her husband outside their Kensington Palace home, Wren House, to watch bagpipers play Happy Birthday on the day he turned 89.

A devout follower of the Roman Catholic faith, the duchess became the first member of the royal family to convert to Catholicism for more than 300 years, doing so in 1994.

The duchess will be expected to have a Catholic funeral, attended by senior royals including the King and Queen.

It will be the first Catholic funeral service held for a member of the royal family in modern British history.

The duchess volunteered for the Samaritans, toured countries as a Unicef ambassador and, in 2004, founded the charity Future Talent.

The organisation, whose ambassadors include the musician Sting, works to break down barriers and give children from low-income backgrounds equal opportunities to excel in music by helping with the purchase of instruments and funding of music lessons.

The duchess – a skilled pianist, organist and singer – secretly began teaching music at state primary schools in East Yorkshire and Hammersmith, west London.

After visiting Wansbeck Primary School in Hull in 1996, she offered to help with music teaching and gave a weekly 40-minute lesson, as well as working with its choir, spending 13 years at the school.

The Yorkshire-born duchess said: “I love those children, I loved being there and I love East Hull. I wouldn’t have stayed there for 13 years if I hadn’t.”

She also taught part-time in a school attended by children who lived in Grenfell Tower and in 2018 attended a memorial service at the base of the high-rise building to mark the first anniversary of the fire which claimed 72 lives.

Born Katharine Lucy Mary Worsley on February 22 1933, she had an aristocratic upbringing as the only daughter of landowner Colonel Sir William Worsley – a baronet – and Lady Worsley of Hovingham Hall, near York.

She married King George V’s grandson Edward, Duke of Kent, dubbed Steady Eddie by the royal family for his dependable service, in a grand ceremony in York Minster in 1961 and became known for her elegant fashion style.

The pair have three surviving children, George, Earl of St Andrews, Lady Helen Windsor, and Lord Nicholas Windsor.

The duchess suffered heartbreak after catching German measles while pregnant in 1975, forcing her to have a termination, and then two years later she endured the devastation of giving birth to a stillborn son, Patrick.

She went on to suffer from depression and nervous strain, and also faced a number of other health issues including a recurrent gallbladder problem, treatment for an ovarian cyst, and the Epstein-Barr virus with symptoms resembling those of ME or chronic fatigue syndrome.

Her appearance at Wimbledon to present winners’ trophies became a familiar feature of the summer sporting calendar and she was famed for offering support to disappointed runners-up.

She put aside royal formalities in 1993, hugging a tearful Jana Novotna after she lost the ladies’ singles final to Steffi Graff.

The duchess also backed tennis champion Martina Navratilova in her campaign to persuade the Czech authorities to allow her parents to witness her Wimbledon triumph, which was rewarded with success in 1979.

Katharine later became disenchanted with the Wimbledon authorities when, in 1999, she was refused permission to take the young son of murdered headmaster Philip Lawrence into the royal box.

For many years she led a separate life from the duke but the couple did not divorce.

Elizabeth II gave the duchess permission to drop her HRH style when she stepped away from the public spotlight.

But the duke and duchess were said to be closer than ever after Edward suffered a stroke in 2013, with Katharine moving back to their Wren House home.

The duchess attended events marking the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and was present for the then-Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s 2011 wedding, and the Sussexes’ nuptials in 2018 where she wore comfortable white trainers paired with a floral Erdem maxi dress and walked arm in arm with a staff member from the royal household for support.

But she did not take part in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations nor attend her funeral or the King’s coronation.