Royal Family Mourns Death Of Duchess Katharine

An extended Royal Family member of the late Queen Elizabeth II passed away this week, teeing the beleaguered British clan up for another somber funeral this fall.

Katharine, the Duchess of Kent, died at age 92, Buckingham Palace confirmed on Friday. She was married to the late Queen’s cousin, Prince Edward, for 64 years and was widely respected as the oldest member of the Royal Family since the Queen’s death in 2022.

“It is with deep sorrow that Buckingham Palace announces the death of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Kent,” the Royal Family said in a statement. “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 organizations with which she was associated, her passion for music and her empathy for young people,” it added.

A statement about Katharine’s passing on the family website states she was “best known for her appearances at Wimbledon, where she presented the Ladies’ Singles Trophy for many years.”

Born Feb. 22, 1933, the Duchess of Kent was “the youngest child and only daughter of the late Sir William Worsley,” a biography of her read.

“From an early age she demonstrated a talent for music. She was taught to play the piano, organ and violin, which she played throughout her life. She worked for some time in a children’s home in York and taught at a nursery/pre-school in London, before going on to Oxford to study music,” according to the Royal Family.

“The Duchess first met Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, when he was stationed at Catterick near Richmond in 1956. Their engagement was announced in March 1961, and they were married in York Minster on 8th June that year,” it continued.

“They had three children and ten grandchildren. The children are George, Earl of St. Andrews; Lady Helen Windsor; and Lord Nicholas Windsor,” it also said.

Katharine became a working member of the Royal Family following her marriage to Edward in 1961, a role she stepped away from in 2002 “to focus on her private and charitable work” in the music sector, according to Fox News.

“For a number of years, Her Royal Highness taught music at a primary school in Hull. During this time, she recognized that many children and young people of considerable talent needed additional financial support to fulfill their musical potential,” it added. “In 2004, she founded a charity, Future Talent, which aimed to give every child an equal opportunity to excel in music.”

“Through tailor-made partnerships with primary schools, Future Talent brought music into the lives of many children, spotting talent, equipping talented children with instruments and tuition and, in exceptional cases, providing master tuition to enable them to make music their future career,” the biography said.

Katharine also “traveled the world for UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Fund) and VSO (Voluntary Services Overseas), highlighting specific areas of deprivation” and “in 1999, she visited Cambodia, Macedonia and Nepal.”

She converted to the Roman Catholic Church in 1994 and was “a volunteer for the Passage Night Shelter for the homeless, which was founded by Cardinal Basil Hume,” according to the Royal Family.