Today, the King, accompanied by senior members of the Royal Family, gathered at Westminster Cathedral for the funeral of the Duchess of Kent.
This was the first Catholic royal funeral held at Westminster Cathedral, the seat of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, since its completion in 1903.
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Today’s Mass was conducted by The Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols.
A Piper from The Royal Dragoon Guards, of which the Duchess of Kent was the Deputy Colonel-in-Chief, played a Lament, ‘Sleep, Dearie, Sleep’, while processing from the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary, past the coffin in the Nave and down the Centre Aisle of the Cathedral.
Music choices included Ave verum corpus’, by Mozart, which was selected by the Duchess as her favourite piece during her episode of Desert Island Discs appearance in December 1990.
The wreath of flowers placed on top of the Duchess’s coffin included white roses, the symbol of Yorkshire. The wreath also featured sprays of rosemary for Remembrance; oak leaves for strength; seasonal September flowers symbolising farewell; achillea representing healing and strength; jasmine for amiability; and sprigs of yew from the gardens of Hovingham Hall, the Worsley family home.
The Duchess of Kent’s personal honours were on display during the service, too.
The full list of royals who attended today’s Mass included:
- The Duke of Kent and his children and grandchildren
- Princess Alexandra
- Prince and Princess Michael of Kent
- The King
- The Prince and Princess of Wales
- The Princess Royal and Sir Tim Laurence
- The Duchess of Edinburgh
- The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester
- Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York
- Lady Sarah Chatto and Samuel Chatto
- Lady Gabriella Windsor
- David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon and Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones
- Timothy Vesterberg and Flora Vesterberg
- Lord and Lady Frederick Windsor
- Lady Rose Gilman
- Lady Susan Hussey
Queen Camilla was absent from today’s Requiem Mass, with the Palace issuing a statement stating that Her Majesty is recovering from ‘acute sinusitis’ and that ‘her thoughts and prayers will be with The Duke of Kent and all the family’.
The statement noted that the Duke had been informed.
The Duke of Edinburgh was also notably absent, as he is currently in Papua New Guinea for events marking the nation’s 50th anniversary of independence.
With the late Duchess being a devout Catholic, Pope Leo XIV sent a message to His Majesty which was read out during the service.
The Pope’s message said: ‘I was saddened to learn of the death of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Kent, and I send heartfelt condolences, together with the assurance of my prayerful closeness, to Your Majesty, the Members of the Royal Family, and especially to her husband, The Duke of Kent, and their children and grandchildren at this time of sorrow. Entrusting her noble soul to the mercy of our Heavenly Father, I readily associate myself with all those offering thanksgiving to Almighty God for The Duchess’s legacy of Christian goodness, seen in her many years of dedication to official duties, patronage of charities, and devoted care for vulnerable people in society. To all who mourn her loss, in the sure hope of the Resurrection, I willingly impart my apostolic blessing as a pledge of consolation and peace in the Risen Lord.’
The funeral was the first Catholic royal funeral in more than three centuries, since the reign of James II. The last Catholic sovereign, James II, ruled from 1685 until his deposition during the Glorious Revolution of 1688.
Following this, the Act of Settlement 1701 brought in a Protestant line of succession and barred Catholic Monarchs from the throne. However, Katharine’s decision to join the See of Rome after her marriage caused no issues, as the law didn’t account for post-marital conversion.
Despite this long historical precedent, members of the Royal Family have, over the last couple of decades, attended Catholic funerals abroad. Elizabeth II attended the state funeral of King Baudouin of Belgium at St Michael’s Cathedral in Brussels in 1993, while as Prince of Wales, Charles represented his mother at the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005. Prince William also attended Pope Francis’ funeral mass earlier this year.
Following the Requiem Mass, the Duchess’ coffin travelled by hearse to the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore, Windsor, where she was laid to rest in a private committal service.
In a mark of respect, flags were flown at half-mast on all official Royal Residences flying the Union flag.
