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Katharine Lucy Mary Worsley, the Duchess of Kent<\/a>, passed away on September 5. The duchess, according to the BBC, was the oldest member of the Royal Family. The Duke of Kent, Prince Edward, was her husband. He is the first cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II.<\/p>\n She was born in 1933 in Yorkshire into a wealthy family, residing at Hovingham Hall. Katharine had become an international sensation because of her beauty, charm, and glamor when she married Prince Edward in 1961 at York Minster. However, unlike many of her royal counterparts, she preferred to stay out of the public eye. Intelligent, musical, and shy, Katharine gradually stepped back from the limelight, choosing to dedicate herself to education, faith, and charity, reported the BBC.<\/p>\n Also Read: Duchess of Kent, British royal linked to Wimbledon, dies aged 92<\/a><\/p>\n The BBC report stated that in 2002, the Duchess of Kent made the rare decision to give up her HRH title with the Queen\u2019s blessing. She wished to live simply and away from the formalities of royal life. Instead, she took a job teaching music at Wansbeck Primary School in Hull. To colleagues, she was simply \u2018Kath\u2019 and to students she was \u2018Mrs Kent\u2019.<\/p>\n Her work with children inspired her to set up Future Talent in 2004, a charity which provides musical instruments and training for disadvantaged youngsters.<\/p>\n The Duchess of Kent’s charitable instincts were deeply tied to her strong Christian faith, reported The Independent. In 1994, she became the first member of the Royal Family in 300 years to convert to Roman Catholicism<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Queen, The Independent added, was supportive of her choice and ensured her husband\u2019s place in the line of succession remained unaffected.<\/p>\n The family life, however, was an onerous one. She lost a baby to stillbirth in 1977 and struggled with depression, ME, and coeliac disease. Despite these obstacles, she remained committed to the Duke of Kent and to the nurturing of their three children, the BBC reported.<\/p>\nDuchess of Kent\u2019s life beyond titles<\/h2>\n
Katherine’s faith and family<\/h2>\n
Duchess of Kent’s maintained distance from spotlight <\/h2>\n