The Prince and Princess of Wales are mourning Katharine, the Duchess of Kent, at her historic funeral.
On Sept. 16, the Prince and Princess of Wales, both 43, were among the members of the royal family who attended the funeral of Katharine, the Duchess of Kent. King Charles led the royal family at the solemn event, which Queen Camilla was forced to withdraw from at the last minute due to illness; a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said she was suffering from “acute sinusitis.”
Prince William and Princess Catherine arrived at Westminster Cathedral around 1:45 p.m. local time, where they greeted the dean before heading inside.
The Princess of Wales accessorized her black ensemble with a four-strand pearl choker with a center diamond clasp that previously belonged to the late Queen Elizabeth. She previously wore the necklace to the funerals of Queen Elizabeth in 2022 and Prince Philip in 2021.
Katharine married into the royal family with her wedding to Queen Elizabeth’s cousin the Duke of Kent, and she died on Sept. 4 at her Kensington Palace home, aged 92. She is survived by her husband, their three children and 10 grandchildren.
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Many other members of the royal family were among the funeral attendees, including Princess Anne and her husband Sir Timothy Laurence, Sophie the Duchess of Edinburgh, Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
Prince William and Princess Catherine previously shared a statement about her death via their social media pages.
“Our thoughts today are with The Duke of Kent and his family, particularly George, Helen and Nicholas,” they wrote, referring to the late royal’s husband and their three children. “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,” they concluded, signing the note with their first initials of “W & C,” indicating that the message came directly from them.
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The Duchess of Kent had a connection with the Prince and Princess of Wales through Wimbledon. The late royal was known for comforting losing finalists of the tennis championship with hugs, and she attended the tennis tournament alongside Princess Diana and a young Prince William in 1994. Princess Catherine is now the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club and regularly presents the trophies at Wimbledon, a task previously handled by the Duke of Kent.
The Duchess of Kent was also an attendee at William and Catherine’s 2011 wedding.
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The funeral at Westminster Cathedral was the first Catholic funeral for a member of the British royal family in modern history. According to her royal biography, the Duchess converted to Catholicism in 1994, even though the royal family is traditionally associated with the Church of England as the monarch is the head.
The service will also be the first royal funeral at Westminster Cathedral since its construction in 1903.
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It was the late Duchess of Kent’s wish to have her funeral at the cathedral, plans supported by the royal family.
The Duchess of Kent will be 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.
Photo: Aaron Chown – Pool/Getty
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.
The Duchess of Kent’s funeral did not impact the incoming state visit from the U.S. by President Donald Trump, which officially kicks off on Wednesday, Sept. 17.
