King Charles and Queen Camilla and other senior members of the Royal Family will attend the funeral
The Duchess of Kent’s funeral will mark a significant change in tradition for the Royal Family as it will be the first Catholic funeral service for a member of the family in modern British history. The Duchess’ coffin will be escorted by a military piper as it makes its way to Westminster Cathedral, marking the eve of her funeral service.
In line with Catholic tradition, the coffin will be transported from Kensington Palace to the Cathedral on Monday (September 15) for a series of private funeral rites attended by the duchess’s immediate family. A piper from The Royal Dragoon Guards, a regiment that the duchess has supported as deputy Colonel-in-Chief since 1992, will lead the procession for the initial part of the journey.
Other members of the regiment will form the bearer party, carrying the coffin into the cathedral where it will rest overnight in the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The requiem mass, a Catholic funeral, is set to take place on Tuesday and will be attended by King Charles, Queen Camilla, and other senior royals.
Katharine, wife of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent who was the Queen’s cousin, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her family on the evening of September 4, aged 92. A devout Roman Catholic, the duchess was the first member of the Royal family to convert to Catholicism in over 300 years, doing so in 1994.
It was her wish to have her funeral at Westminster Cathedral. This will be the first Royal funeral held at the cathedral, located in Victoria, central London, since its construction in 1903.
On Monday, the funeral proceedings will encompass a Vigil for the Deceased, Rite of Reception, typically involving the coffin being sprinkled with holy water, and evening prayers known as Vespers, led by Bishop James Curry, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster and Titular Bishop of Ramsbury.
The King won’t be the first monarch to attend a Catholic funeral. Queen Elizabeth II attended the Catholic state funeral of King Baudouin of the Belgians at St Michael’s Cathedral in Brussels, back in August 1993.
Charles, whilst Prince of Wales, represented his late mother at Pope John Paul II’s funeral in 2005. His son William was present at Pope Francis’s funeral mass earlier this year.
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