Remembering Katharine, The Duchess of Kent: a royal who won hearts but followed her own path

The Duchess of Kent, who has died at the age of 92, was a popular member of the Royal Family from the moment she married into its ranks. Throughout decades as a working royal, she won many hearts and remained a much loved part of the House of Windsor, even after deciding to move away from public life.

Katharine Worsley grew up at Hovingham Hall in York; she was the youngest child of Sir William Worsley, 4th Baronet and Joyce Brunner. Her education was somewhat limited, only attending school first at age 10, but she flourished in her musical studies. 

The Duchess married Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, in 1961 at York Minster. The last royal wedding to take place at the Minster had been in 1328 when Edward III married Philippa of Hainault. 

The Duke served in the military from 1955 until 1976; Katherine often lived in military housing while Edward was posted outside of the United Kingdom. The children have three children, George, Earl of St Andrews, born in 1962, Helen, born in 1964, and Nicholas, born in 1970. Katharine suffered a miscarriage in 1977 after being ill with rubella, and suffered serious depression afterwards. 

The Duchess of Kent was a prolific member of the Royal Family from the 1960s until the 1990s, carrying out a wide range of public engagements and overseas tours. She also always presented the trophies at Wimbledon and famously comforted Jana Novotna after she lost the Women’s Singles Final to Steffi Graf having been on the point of taking the title herself.

However, Katharine followed her heart. In 1994, Katharine announced that she had been received into the Roman Catholic Church. This was significant, as the Act of Settlement of 1701 removed anyone who marries a Roman Catholic from the line of succession. The Duke was not removed however, because The Duchess converted after they were married. 

Katharine had discussed her choice to convert with Queen Elizabeth II who approved the decision, prior to making her announcement. 

The Duchess shared in a later BBC interview why she was drawn to Catholicism specifically, saying ”I do love guidelines and the Catholic Church offers you guidelines. I have always wanted that in my life. I like to know what’s expected of me. I like being told: You shall go to church on Sunday and if you don’t you’re in for it!”

Soon afterwards, she decided to withdraw from public life.

Following her withdrawal from public life, in 1996, the Duchess found employment in a new job in Hull. For ten years Katharine worked as a music teacher at a primary school. Most amazingly of all, her real identity was never detected meaning she could do a job she loved without intrusion.

In 2011, the Duchess conducted an interview with Alan Titchmarsh where she joked: “You go gradually downhill and I ended up teaching in Hull.”

During her time at the school, the Duchess was known as ‘Mrs Kent’ to her students and ‘Katharine Kent’ to everybody else. In 2002, she wrote to Queen Elizabeth II to formally rescind the ‘HRH’ title which she was granted upon marriage to the Duke of Kent in 1961. Since then, she has asked that people do not refer to her as the ‘Duchess of Kent’, but Katharine Kent instead. However, in the Court Circular, she is still officially listed as HRH The Duchess of Kent.

Announcing her death, Buckingham Palace said ”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 organisations with which she was associated, her passion for music and her empathy for young people.”

Katharine, The Duchess of Kent, 1933 – 2025