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| Duchess of Kent in Brisbine, 1988 Queensland State Archives, CC BY 3.0 AU |
The Duchess of Kent (1933–2025), was born Katharine Lucy Mary Worsley in Yorkshire. She married Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, in 1961 and became a working member of the royal family. The couple had 3 children, George, Hellen, Nicholas, plus a stillborn son, Patrick.
In 1994, Katherine became the first senior royal in centuries to convert to Catholicism. In 2002, she stepped down from royal duties and began quietly working as a music teacher under the name “Mrs. Kent”. In 2004, she co-founded the Future Talent charity to support gifted young musicians.
The Duchess of Kent passed away on the evening of September 4th at Kensington Palace, surrounded by family.
Timeline of Events
- Thursday Sept 4th
- The Duchess of Kent passed away at Kensington Palace.
- Friday Sept 5th
- Official Announcement from Palace
- Statement from Prince William & Princess Kate.
- Royal Mourning begins and will continue until after her funeral
- Saturday Sept 6th
- Announcement of Funeral Arrangements
- The Duchess of Kent will rest in the private chapel at Kensington Palace until Monday, Sept 15th.
- Monday Sept 15th
- The Duchess of Kent's coffin will travel by hearse from Kensington Palace to Westminster Cathedral
- Rite of Reception and Vespers service at Westminster Cathedral
- Coffin will rest overnight in the Lady Chapel at Westminster Cathedral.
- Tuesday Sept 16th
- Funeral Requiem Mass at Westminster Cathedral
- At 2 PM (London, GMT+1)
- List of Attendees at the bottom of the Page.
- Burial at the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore, Windsor.
Details on the Funeral
Type of Service:
The Duchess of Kent will have a Catholic funeral service (Requiem Mass) at a Catholic Cathedral. As the British Royal Family is generally Protestant (Church of England), she will be the first member of the Royal Family in modern times to have a Catholic Funeral.
The Duchess was born into the Protestant Church of England, but converted to Catholicism in 1994. She was the first Catholic in the British Royal Family since King Charles II in 1685. (Katherine received permission from Queen Elizabeth II to convert.)
Location:
The funeral will take place at Westminster Cathedral, the largest Roman Catholic Church in the UK.
Westminster Cathedral should not be confused with Westminster Abbey, which is part of the Church of England. The "City of Westminster" is a borough of London. These two churches are both located in Westminster, a few minutes from each other, and take their name from the borough where they are located.
Attending the Funeral
The following are confirmed to attend:
- British Royals
- King Charles & Queen Camilla
- "members of the Royal Family"
- Duchess of Kent's Family
- Duke of Kent
- Other members of the Kent Family
- Foreign Royals
- The Funeral is not a state occasion, so the only foreign royals to attend would be friends of Kents.
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