King Charles Leads Royal Family at Duchess of Kent’s Historic Funeral

King Charles and other members of the royal family are saying goodbye to Katharine, the Duchess of Kent.

Following the death of Katharine — the wife of Queen Elizabeth‘s cousin the Duke of Kent — on Sept. 4, the royal family gathered for her funeral on Sept. 16.

Prince William and Kate Middleton were among the royal family members who attended the funeral, but Queen Camilla was forced to pull out at the last minute due to illness. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said she was suffering from “acute sinusitis” and sent her thoughts and prayers to the Duke of Kent and his family.

Princess Anne, Sir Timothy Laurence, Prince Andrew, Sarah Ferguson, Sophie the Duchess of Edinburgh, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester were also among the guests who attended the funeral on Tuesday.

The funeral took place at Westminster Cathedral and will be the first Catholic funeral for a member of the British royal family in modern history. According to her royal biography, the Duchess was received into the Roman Catholic Church in 1994, despite the monarch being the head of the Church of England, a Protestant Anglican church they’ve been part of since the 16th century when King Henry VIII broke from the Catholic Church.

The service will also be the first royal funeral at Westminster Cathedral since its construction in 1903.

The Duchess of Kent, who died aged 92 at her Kensington Palace home, was honored at her funeral by family, friends and representatives from her military and charitable affiliations. She was a passionate advocate for music education and accessibility, secretly spending a decade as a music teacher.

A piper from the Royal Dragoon Guards, of which the Duchess of Kent was the Deputy Colonel-in-Chief, will play “Sleep, Dearie, Sleep” while processing from the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary, past the coffin in the Nave and down the center aisle of the cathedral. The same lament was played during Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in 2022. The choir and organist of Westminster Cathedral provided choral music during the requiem mass, including “Ave Verum Corpus” by Mozart, which was selected by the Duchess of Kent as her favourite piece during her episode of Desert Island Discs in December 1990. 

Her wicker coffin was constructed from English willow in Bridgewater, Somerset. It was draped with the Royal Standard for Other Members of the Royal Family. The wreath placed on top of the coffin included white roses, symbolizing the white rose of Yorkshire, where Katharine was born. The wreath also included sprays of rosemary for Remembrance, oak leaves for strength, seasonal September flowers symbolizing farewell, achillea representing healing and strength, jasmine for amiability and sprigs of yew from the gardens of Hovingham Hall, the Worsley family home, representing eternal life.

Following the funeral service, Katharine’s coffin will be moved to the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore in Windsor. Other royal family members buried there include Queen Elizabeth’s uncle who abdicated the throne, the Duke of Windsor, and his wife, Wallis Simpson.

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Buckingham Palace announced the Duchess of Kent’s death “with deep sorrow” in a statement on Sept. 5.

“Her Royal Highness passed away peacefully last night at Kensington Palace, surrounded by her family,” they said. “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.”

The Duchess of Kent is survived by her husband, the Duke of Kent, their three children and 10 grandchildren.

The Duchess of Kent’s funeral did not impact the incoming state visit from the U.S. by President Donald Trump, which kicks off on Wednesday, Sept. 17.