Renewed attention has fallen on Lord Nicholas Windsor and his wife, Paola, ahead of Tatler‘s special edition – due to be published in early December – dedicated to the Duchess of Kent, who died in September at the age of 92.
Lord Nicholas, 55, the youngest child of the Duke and Duchess of Kent and a godson of the King, attended his mother’s funeral at Westminster Cathedral with their three sons, but Paola was not present. The funeral was the first public Catholic requiem for a senior member of the Royal Family in modern times.
Friends cited by Tatler and the Daily Mail have confirmed that Lord Nicholas and Paola have been living separately for some time. Those close to the couple suggest there is no expectation of divorce, and that both are understood to hold traditional views on marriage.
The couple met at a Millennium celebration in New York. They became engaged in 2006 and were married in a civil ceremony in London, followed by a religious wedding at the Church of St Stephen of the Abyssinians in Vatican City. Their union marked the first public Roman Catholic wedding of a member of the Royal Family in centuries. Lord Nicholas had converted to Catholicism in 2001.
Together they have three sons – Albert, Leopold and Louis – all raised in the Catholic faith. Albert’s baptism made quiet history, becoming the first royal infant to be baptised a Catholic since 1688.
Lord Nicholas, who shared a close bond with his mother, attended the Requiem Mass with his sons. The congregation included the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Princess Royal, the Duke of Gloucester, and other senior royals.
The Duchess of Kent, remembered for her humility, musical dedication and understated approach to royal duty, had spent her later years largely away from public attention, teaching music in Hull. Her death on 4 September marked the end of an era for this quietly devoted branch of the family.
