The musically-minded Duchess of Kent left behind a special gift for the charity she co-founded after stepping down as a working royal according to her will, which was just publicly revealed.
The Daily Mail exclusively revealed the details of Katharine Kent’s will on Monday, noting that she had a fortune of £1,433,696 that reduced down to £1,433,206 after her liabilities were paid.
While the bulk of the Duchess of Kent’s estate has passed down to her three children: George, the Earl of St Andrews, Lady Helen Taylor, and Lord Nicholas Windsor; and £5,000 legacies were granted to each of her nine godchildren; Future Talent, the musical charitable foundation she co-founded in 2004, received a £10,000 gift.
Future Talent aims to “break down barriers, create opportunities and harness the power of music to transform the lives of young musicians across the UK,” according to its official website, by creating access for children of all backgrounds to receive training and musical education.
Her co-founder, Nicholas Robinson, paid tribute to Katherine following her death, writing that “At that time [that they met], Katharine was teaching music to primary school children in east Hull. Her experience of working with these children made her impatient to want to do something to help all young people with musical potential to flourish and to remove any barriers to their progress. She believed passionately in helping others to excel—especially those who are disadvantaged, and so in November 2004 we founded a national charity ‘Future Talent’.
“Katharine has played such an active role in the development and progress of Future Talent during the last 20 years, and we will miss her dreadfully. However, we can take comfort that her legacy will last for many years through the lives of all the present and future generations of young musicians who we will continue to support through the work of ‘Future Talent’.”
The Mail also revealed that all of the Duchess of Kent’s personal possessions were left to her husband of 64 years, the Duke of Kent, except for in some cases where she left notes behind on how she wanted particular items distributed.
Her shares from the Worsley Settlement, her family’s trust, go to the Duke of Kent during his lifetime, and then to her children afterwards. Property interest was given to her grandson, Edward Windsor, Lord Downpatrick.
The Duchess of Kent died on 4 September 2025 at the age of 92, at the time the oldest member of the British Royal Family.
