The Duchess of Kent was part of the Royal Family since 1961, when she married The Duke of Kent. She described herself as a ‘Yorkshire Lass’ but lived a relatively private-life having retired from royal duties in 2002.
Read all about the Duchess’ life in our in-depth profile….
Katharine’s early life and education
Katharine’s father, the fourth Worsley Baronet of Hovingham Hall, captained the Yorkshire Cricket Club team, was President of the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) and was for 14 years Lord Lieutenant of the North Riding of Yorkshire.
She grew up at Hovingham Hall near York, the Worsley family home since the early eighteenth century, attending Queen Margaret’s School near York and at Runton Hill School in Norfolk. However, Katherine didn’t begin attending school until the age of 10, when she developed what turned out to be a lifelong passion for music.
The future Duchess had a musical upbringing having learnt the piano, organ and violin and served as music secretary in her final year of school.
Despite a passion and love for music, she was unsuccessful in her application to the Royal Academy of Music, but instead headed to Miss Hubler’s Finishing School in Oxford, focusing most of her time on music.
She considered herself a proud Yorkshirewoman and was even awarded the Honorary Freedom of the City of York in 1989.
Marriage and family life
The Duchess met her husband when he was stationed at Catterick army base near Richmond in 1956.
Prince Edward, who was Duke of Kent since the age of six, proposed and their engagement was announced in March 1961.
The nuptials took place in York Minster on 8th June that year, making it the first royal marriage there since Edward III wed Philippa of Hainault in 1328.
The ceremony, conducted by the incumbent Archbishop of York, Michael Ramsey, attracted royal families from across Europe as well as prominent cultural figures such as Noël Coward and Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
Katharine’s dress was designed by John Cavanagh and featured 217 metres of white silk gauze, including a high scooped neckline, long sleeves and a fitted waist.
She paired it with the Kent Diamond and Pearl Fringe Tiara, which had belonged to her husband’s late grandmother, Queen Mary, and was gifted to her by her mother-in-law (Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent) upon her wedding. The tiara later underwent a transformation during the mid-1970s, where the base was refitted to create a taller headpiece.
The Duke and Duchess had three children and ten grandchildren. Their children are George, Earl of St. Andrews; Lady Helen Windsor; and Lord Nicholas Windsor.
Katharine had a life peppered with illnesses: chronic fatigue syndrome, coeliac disease, rubella.
The couple suffered a miscarriage in 1975, as Katharine had contracted rubella, and two years later gave birth to a stillborn son, Patrick. These heartbreaks saw her fall into a deep depression, an experience she previously spoke about with candour, offering empathy and understanding to others who have suffered stillbirth.
When asked about her illnesses, she simply said: ‘None of us goes through life unscathed.’
In 1994, the Duchess made the decision to convert to Roman Catholicism, a move supported by Queen Elizabeth II.
The Duchess was received into the faith by Cardinal Basil Hume in 1994, in a private ceremony at Westminster Cathedral – where her funeral will be held – discussing the possibility of becoming a Catholic as early as the 1980s. She was the first British Royal to join the Catholic faith since 1685, when Charles II made a deathbed conversion.
Speaking to the BBC, she explained her attraction to Catholicism was partly the structure and clarity it offered: ‘I do love guidelines and the Catholic Church offers you guidelines. I have always wanted that in my life.’
It is reported she would occasionally serve as a helper to the sick and elderly on pilgrimages to the Marian shrine of Lourdes, France.
Additionally, the Duke and Duchess’ younger son, Lord Nicholas became a Catholic in 2011, followed by their grandson Lord Downpatrick and their granddaughter Lady Marina.
Royal service and public life
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the Duchess, alongside her husband, represented Elizabeth II at numerous international events, including the independence celebrations of Uganda and the coronation of the King of Tonga.
From 1972 to 1990, they also leased Anmer Hall, which later became the Norfolk residence of The Prince and Princess of Wales.
She was well-known for supporting The Duke of Kent in his role as President of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, particularly at Wimbledon, where she presented the Ladies’ Singles Trophy for many years, famously comforting Jana Novotna after her defeat in the 1993 final.
Katharine was hugely fond of tennis, and even paid tribute to Novotna who passed away in 2021 aged 49 having suffered from cancer. She said the late tennis player “was a brave, courageous sweet lady with a wonderful sense of humour”.
The Duchess was Patron of the RUC Benevolent Fund in Northern Ireland.
Katharine Kent was deeply committed to charitable causes throughout her life. Among her most notable patronages:
- Music and Youth Support: She served as President of the Royal Northern College of Music for over three decades and was a Trustee of the National Foundation for Youth Music, which championed access to musical training for young people. She also supported the Yehudi Menuhin School, Ulster Conservatoire, Making Music and the National Federation of Music Societies.
- Children’s Welfare and Health: Her advocacy extended beyond music. She held honorary roles including President of NCH Action for Children and Macmillan Cancer Relief, and was Patron of Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool.
- Mental Health and Social Causes: Katharine was Royal Patron of the Samaritans from 1971 to 1999, later becoming an ambassador for the organisation.
She also volunteered with The Passage, a charity that supports the homeless, which now has Prince William amongst its champions.
The Duchess of Kent in later life
In the mid-1990s, she slowly stepped back from Royal duties and took up a new role – a music teacher at Wansbeck Primary School in Kingston upon Hull – where she simply became known as ‘Mrs Kent’ and her identity was known only to the headteacher.
In an interview with The Telegraph many years later, the Duchess reflected on her role saying: ‘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.’
In 2002, the Duchess of Kent chose to step back from royal duties and ceased using the style ‘Her Royal Highness’ in her public and personal life, though it remained her formal title in official records. She became affectionately known as ‘Katharine Kent’.
In 2004 she founded a charity, Future Talent, which aimed to give every child an equal opportunity to excel in music.
‘She made weekly 400-mile round trips to teach, driven by love for music and children,’ her own charity, Future Talent, said in her obituary. ‘Deliberately understated, she was known simply as ‘Mrs. Kent,’ and her pupils and their parents were unaware of who she truly was,’ the charity said.
Following this, the Duchess lived a largely private life, only appearing at a handful of royal occasions, including the weddings of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in 2011 and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018, as well as Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012.
Notably, she did not attend Elizabeth II’s funeral in 2022 or Charles III’s Coronation in 2023, which suggests she may not have been well enough to, either health- or mobility-wise.
Despite stepping back from royal duties, the Duchess retained her links with the county as the Deputy Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Dragoon Guards and was also Deputy Colonel-in-Chief of the Adjutant General’s Corps and The Royal Logistics Corps until her death.
