Who Was Katharine, the Duchess of Kent? All About Her Royal Life

Before her death on Sept. 4, 2025, at 92 years old, Katharine, the Duchess of Kent, was known for her philanthropy.

She was born Katharine Worsley in Yorkshire in February 1933. Twenty-three years later, she met Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, when he was stationed at Catterick, England, and they married four years later in June 1961.

Katharine and Edward went on to have three children together: sons George, Earl of St. Andrews, and Lord Nicholas Windsor, and daughter Lady Helen Taylor. Katharine was also open about experiencing a miscarriage and giving birth to a stillborn son.

In 1996, the duchess took a step away from the royal family and withdrew from her royal duties to teach music. She continued down that path when she removed the “Her Royal Highness” title in 2002. Although she opted out of royal duties, she attended Prince William and Kate Middleton’s 2011 wedding and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s 2018 wedding.

“I don’t like being a public figure and I say that very humbly,” she said in an interview, per the BBC. “It’s my nature, the way I was born. I like to do things quietly behind the scenes. I’m a very shy person.”

Katharine was passionate about music and children, so she founded the charity Future Talent, which helped fund music programs for children living below the poverty line. She also volunteered with several charitable organizations and traveled around the world to support various causes.

Here’s everything to know about Katharine, the Duchess of Kent, in the wake of her September 2025 death.

Katharine was married to Queen Elizabeth’s cousin, Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent

Katharine met Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, who is the cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth, when he was based at Catterick Camp near Richmond in 1956, per her royal bio. Although his mother, Princess Marina, was allegedly disapproving of the union, she gave her approval in early 1961, per The Guardian. The couple’s engagement was announced in March of that year, and they tied the knot on June 8, 1961.

At the time, their wedding was significant because it was the first royal wedding to take place at York Minster in 600 years. She wore a high-neckline silk gown designed by John Cavanagh and accessorized with the Kent Diamond and Pearl Fringe Tiara, per Vanity Fair.

Edward’s brother, Prince Michael of Kent, served as his best man, while Princess Anne was one of Katharine’s bridesmaids, per the BBC. In addition to the wedding party, the guest list included royalty from the U.K., Greece, Spain and Denmark, as well as actors Sir Noël Peirce Coward and Douglas Elton Fairbanks Jr.

Among the royal guests were Prince Juan Carlos of Spain and Princess Sofia of Greece, who were seated next to each other and hit it off, per the BBC. They went on to get married in 1962 and became the King and Queen of Spain.

She had three children

The Duke and Duchess of Kent became parents when they welcomed son George, Earl of St Andrews, on June 26, 1962. They went on to welcome their daughter, Lady Helen Taylor, on April 28, 1964, and later son Lord Nicholas Windsor on July 25, 1970.

Katharine also had a miscarriage and gave birth to a stillborn son. In 1975, she had a medical termination after contracting German measles (rubella) when pregnant, according to The Telegraph.

In 1977, Katharine gave birth to a stillborn boy named Patrick at full term. The ordeal put a “devastating” strain on her, and she later spent seven weeks at King Edward VII Hospital for “nervous strain.”

“It had the most devastating effect on me,” she told The Telegraph 20 years after the birth in 1997. “I had no idea how devastating such a thing could be to any woman. It has made me extremely understanding of others who suffer a stillbirth.”

She added, “I don’t think I gave myself time to get over it. Probably I didn’t grieve properly.”

Katharine broke down royal family barriers at the time by speaking openly about the struggles she faced.

“I am not ashamed of that patch at all,” she said. “It was not a good period, but once I’d come out and returned to a sense of reality, I quickly realized that, awful as it was, it does happen to a lot of people.”

She and her family became the first royal family in 300 years to convert to Catholicism

Just like breaking barriers with her wedding and her advocacy for mental health, Katharine marked a major milestone when she converted to Catholicism in 1994. She became the first member of the British royal family to become part of the Roman Catholic Church since 1685, per the Irish Times.

At the time, Katharine reportedly found comfort in the Catholic church while reeling from mental and physical health challenges, according to the BBC.

“I do love guidelines and the Catholic Church offers you guidelines,” she said, per The Mirror. “I have always wanted that in my life. I like to know what’s expected of me. I like being told, ‘You shall go to church on Sunday and if you don’t you’re in for it!’ ”

Queen Elizabeth approved of the conversion, and the Duke and Duchess of Kent were permitted to keep their titles and succession place despite the Act of Settlement 1701, which stated only protestants could succeed in the royal family.

Katharine withdrew from royal duties in 1996 to teach music and later removed the “Her Royal Highness” title

In the 1990s, Katharine struck up a love for music, philanthropy and children. By 1996, she decided to step aside as a working member of the royal family to teach music at Wansbeck Primary School in Hull. During her time as a teacher, she introduced herself as Katharine Kent and went by “Mrs. Kent,” per the BBC.

“Only the head knew who I was. The parents didn’t know, and the pupils didn’t know. No one ever noticed. There was no publicity about it at all — it just seemed to work,” she told BBC Radio 3 in 2005, The Times reported.

The school’s headteacher told the BBC in 2004 that Katharine was “an inspirational music teacher” who the “children love[d].”

In 2002, Katharine took another step back from the royal family and decided to remove the “Her Royal Highness” title. Although she scaled back from her duties, she still attended various events — including royal weddings and Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

She founded a charity and volunteered with other organizations

The Duchess of Kent’s time as a primary school teacher inspired her to further give back, and she founded the charity Future Talent in 2004. The organization “aimed to give every child an equal opportunity to excel in music,” according to her royal bio.

Katharine and her charity partnered with primary schools across the world to finance their musical education. “The charity gave them the chance to fulfil their potential through developing their musical talent,” the bio reads.

“When I was teaching the first thing I began to notice was the power of music as a stimulant to these children to give them confidence and self-belief. I began to see that happen all the time,” she said in a 2011 interview. “Some of the children I taught haven’t necessarily become musicians, but the confidence it has given them, some have joined the Army, some to university, which they might not have done otherwise.

In addition to her primary charity, the Duchess of Kent worked with several other philanthropic organizations. She served as an ambassador for Aldeburgh Productions, was the President of the Royal Northern College and a Trustee of the National Foundation for Youth Music. She also traveled across the world for her work with UNICEF, visited cancer hospitals and volunteered at the Passage Night Shelter.

She died on Sept. 4, 2025

On Sept. 5, 2025, Buckingham Palace announced that Katharine, the Duchess of Kent had died the night before. She was 92.

“It is with deep sorrow that Buckingham Palace announces the death of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Kent,” they wrote in a statement. “Her Royal Highness passed away peacefully last night at Kensington Palace, surrounded by her family.”

The statement continued, “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 organizations with which she was associated, her passion for music and her empathy for young people.”

Prince William and the Princess of Wales also mourned Katharine’s death in a separate statement.

“Our thoughts today are with The Duke of Kent and his family, particularly George, Helen and Nicholas,” they wrote. “The Duchess worked tirelessly to help others and supported many causes, including through her love of music. She will be a much missed member of the family.”