The Duchess of Kent has granted a rare interview to the Sunday Telegraph in which she revealed that she has a love of gangsta rap.
The Duchess, who is prefers to be known informally as Katharine Kent, told Camilla Tominey that American rappers Ice Cube and Eminem are two of her favourite artists.
The 89-year-old royal said: “I just love music. Something that catches my ear on the radio – I don’t really listen to records. If it makes my feet tap, then I’m happy.”
She added: “I’ll listen to anything. I even like beatboxing.”
Katharine said that although she cannot remember the names of all of her favourite rappers, she has a particular fondness for both Ice Cube and Eminem.
The Duchess stepped down from royal duties in 2002, and has since led a quiet life away from the public spotlight.
The 89-year-old royal’s biggest passion in life is music, and the very few engagements which she still conducts are usually musically based. As well as teaching in Hull and London, the Duchess also rented out a flat in London where she taught piano lessons.
Her musical talents came to fruition when she was very young. As a schoolgirl, she was taught to play the piano, the violin and the organ, and narrowly missed out on a place at the Royal Academy of Music.
In her 2011 interview, she said: “When I was teaching the first thing I began to notice was the power of music as a stimulant to these children to give them confidence and self-belief. I began to see that happen all the time.
“Some of the children I taught haven’t necessarily become musicians, but the confidence it has given them, some have joined the Army, some to university, which they might not have done otherwise.
“I have always loved talent; I love that tickle up the neck when you see talent, and I began to realise I was teaching some very, very gifted children.”
