This year, the Royal Family said goodbye to one of its most loved members and as they prepared for a final farewell, they chose a beautiful photo to remember a much loved relation and friend.
The Duchess of Kent died on September 4 2025 at the age of 92. On the morning of her funeral, September 16 2025, the Royal Family shared a radiant image of her as a bride. The striking portrait showed her emerging from York Minister on the arm of her new husband, Edward, The Duke of Kent, following their royal wedding.
It was a poignant tribute to a duchess who had been at the heart of the Royal Family for over six decades. Katharine, The Duchess of Kent, was known for her charity work, her love of music and her support of young people who she taught to sing and play instruments. She was a working royal for decades before stepping aside for a more private life where she worked as a music teacher under the name Katharine Kent. However, on the saddest of days, the Royal Family recalled her as a beautiful bride who had captured headlines around the world when she married the cousin of Queen Elizabeth II.
In a heartfelt obituary to the duchess, Buckingham Palace wrote that ”proudly of Yorkshire heritage, Her Royal Highness became a working Member of The Royal Family following her marriage….for the last three decades of her life, The Duchess focused on her passion for music, stepping aside as a working Member of The Royal Family in 2002 to focus on her private and charitable work in this sector.”
The funeral of the Duchess of Kent took place just hours after the photo was shared. It was held at Westminster Cathedral with King Charles and the Prince and Princess of Wales in attendance alongside HRH’s immediate family. It was the first public Catholic funeral for a member of the Royal Family in centuries. The Duchess of Kent converted to Catholicism in the 1990s after consultation with Queen Elizabeth II.
On the eve of the funeral service, the Duke of Kent bowed his head as his wife’s coffin was carried past him into the Cathedral. He lent on his sons, George and Nicholas, and daughter, Helen, while his grandchildren watched sadly.
The Duke of Kent and his family were also supported by his sister, Princess Alexandra, and his brother, Prince Michael of Kent, along with their families.
A private Rite of Reception and Vespers service was held and the coffin of the Duchess rested in the Cathedral on the night before her funeral.
Following the funeral service, a private burial was held at Frogmore.
