The Duchess of Kent, who was married to the late Queen’s cousin, the Duke of Kent, died at the age of 92, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday in a poignant tribute
The Duchess of Kent has been praised for “breaking down barriers” – a trait that led her to drop her royal title.
Despite marrying the late Queen’s cousin, Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent decided to give up the royal style HRH. Experts say it was a move that “raised eyebrows” but Katherine was noted for her humility, having also volunteered as an anonymous “listener” for the Samaritans.
In the wake of Katherine’s death at 92, Richard Kay, a royal expert, writes: “Her decision, late in life, to give up the royal style HRH, which she had received on marrying the duke in 1961, raised eyebrows. She asked to be known as ‘Lady Katharine’, ‘Mrs Kent’ or even plain ‘Kate’ – anything but ‘your royal highness’.”
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The journalist, writing for the Daily Mail, said Katherine was dubbed “a reluctant royal” following her decision to give up the royal style HRH. It later emerged she had had, for a decade, been secretly working as a supply teacher under the name “Miss Katharine” in state schools in both London and Hull, travelling by train and bus rather than limousine.
And Buckingham Palace last night remembered the mum for “her passion for music and her empathy for young people”. Its statement read: “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 yesterday as a mark of respect and a formal framed announcement will be posted on the railings of the royal residence shortly.
Katherine’s role with the Samaritans, waiting for the telephone to ring during four-hour shifts at a central London branch every week, made her aware of the “misery, suffering and unhappiness that lay outside the enclosed world of royal privilege”.
Mr Kay continued: “At a time when the House of Windsor was governed by stiff formality, she not only broke down barriers but wore her royalty lightly.
“Who can forget the duchess consoling a tearful Jana Novotna, the losing ladies’ finalist in the Wimbledon tennis championships of 1993?
“More than 30 years later, the picture of the Czech tennis player weeping in her arms remains an iconic image, one of the tournament’s most human and empathetic moments.”
The Duchess of Kent’s funeral is expected to take place at Westminster Cathedral in the coming weeks. It is thought likely the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, will preside over the mass.
