Katharine, the wife of the late Queen’s cousin the Duke of Kent, died earlier this month aged 92
The Duchess of Kent’s funeral is set to take place today in central London. Katharine, the wife of the late Duke of Kent, a cousin of the Queen, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her family on the evening of September 4 at the age of 92.
Her requiem mass, a Catholic funeral, will be attended by the King, Queen, and other senior royals, marking the first Catholic funeral service for a member of the Royal family in modern British history.
On the eve of her funeral service, her coffin was received during a solemn ceremony at Westminster Cathedral. Soldiers from The Royal Dragoon Guards, a regiment she supported as deputy Colonel-in-Chief, had the honour of carrying the coffin from the Royal hearse into the place of worship.
‘I named my daughter after the ship that saved me when 17 others died’ Bride finally solves mystery of ‘random stranger’ in her wedding photos
A devout follower of the Roman Catholic faith, the duchess became the first member of the Royal family to convert to Catholicism in over 300 years, doing so in 1994. It was her wish to have her funeral at Westminster Cathedral.
Immediate family members, including her widower, the Duke of Kent, and their daughter Lady Helen Taylor, were welcomed by the Dean of Westminster Cathedral Father Slawomir Witon. They watched from the cathedral steps as the soldiers slowly carried the coffin.
The coffin was draped with the Royal standard, which had a white ermine border signifying she was the spouse of a prince, and there was a large floral display on top of the standard.
Before the arrival of the coffin, the Duke of Kent’s siblings, Prince Michael of Kent and Princess Alexandra, made their entrance into the cathedral to assume their positions ahead of a sequence of private funeral rites.
These rites encompassed a Vigil for the Deceased, Rite of Reception, typically involving the sprinkling of holy water on the coffin, and evening prayers known as Vespers, led by Bishop James Curry, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster and Titular Bishop of Ramsbury.
