Katharine, Duchess of Kent

Katharine, Duchess of Kent — latest news, discussion & facts — IJR

Marriage

Worsley met Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, the eldest son of Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, while he was based at Catterick Garrison. Princess Marina reportedly disapproved of her son's choice of bride and twice forbade the match before agreeing to the marriage in 1961. On 8 June 1961, the couple married at York Minster, the first royal marriage in that location in 633 years (the last one being between Edward III and Philippa of Hainault). The bride's father escorted her, and the best man was Edward's brother Prince Michael of Kent. Princess Anne was one of the bridesmaids. The Archbishop of York, Michael Ramsey, officiated the marriage service. Guests included actors Noël Coward and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. as well as members of the British, Greek, Danish, Norwegian, Yugoslavian, Romanian, and Spanish royal families. Her white silk gauze dress was designed by John Cavanagh, used 273 yards (250 m) of fabric and had "a high neckline and long sleeves and a commanding train". The Kent Diamond and Pearl Fringe Tiara secured her veil.

They had three living children:

George, Earl of St Andrews, born 26 June 1962 at Coppins; married Sylvana Tomaselli

Lady Helen Taylor, born 28 April 1964 at Coppins; married Timothy Taylor

Lord Nicholas Windsor, born 25 July 1970 at King's College Hospital in London; married, 2006, Paola Doimi de Lupis de Frankopan

Katharine had a miscarriage in 1975 owing to rubella and gave birth to a stillborn son, Patrick, in 1977; this loss sent her into a severe depression which she spoke about publicly. "It had the most devastating effect on me", she told The Daily Telegraph in 1997. "I had no idea how devastating such a thing could be to any woman. It has made me extremely understanding of others who suffer a stillbirth."

She moved to the married quarters in Hong Kong and Germany while her husband was serving with the Royal Scots Greys. The couple later took numerous royal engagements on behalf of the Queen, including the Ugandan independence celebrations and the coronation of the King of Tonga.

At the time of her death, Katharine and her husband lived at Wren House, Kensington Palace, in London. After their 1961 wedding, she and Edward moved into Coppins, where they lived until 1972. In the early 1970s, they moved to York House at St James's Palace before moving to Wren House at Kensington Palace in 1997. From 1972 to 1990, they leased Anmer Hall in Norfolk, part of the Sandringham Estate. They subsequently purchased Crocker End House in December 1989 before selling it the early 2000s. In 2002, Katharine purchased the Old Forge in Brightwell Baldwin and sold it in 2017.

Later years and activities

In 1978, Katharine was hospitalised for several weeks owing to "nervous strain". Reports by the BBC stated that she suffered from coeliac disease and Epstein–Barr virus, whose symptoms resemble those of ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as "chronic fatigue syndrome").

In December 1989, Katharine was a guest on the BBC Radio 4 programme Desert Island Discs, choosing Mozart's Ave verum corpus (sung by the Swedish Radio Choir with the Berlin Philharmonic), seven other pieces of music, a DIY manual, and a lamp with solar batteries as her favourite song, book and luxury item respectively. In 1996, Katharine took a position as a music teacher at Wansbeck Primary School in Kingston upon Hull. Known to staff and pupils as "Mrs Kent", she taught there for many years, maintaining a low profile and allowing her royal identity to remain largely unrecognised within the school community. She also gave piano lessons in a rented studio flat near her official residence at Kensington Palace. She had served as the president of the Royal Northern College of Music, and was the director of National Foundation for Youth Music from 1999 to 2007. In March 2004, Katharine was the subject of Real Story on BBC One. She talked about her career as a music teacher saying "teaching [the children] is very satisfying. It's a privilege. To me it's one of the most exciting jobs anyone can do." In 2005, Katharine spoke in an interview on BBC Radio 3 of her liking of rap music and of the singer-songwriter Dido, whose song "Thank You" she chose as one of her favourite pieces of music. She was one of the co-founders of Future Talent, a UK-based charity established in 2004 to support gifted young musicians from low-income backgrounds. Inspired by her years teaching music in Hull, she partnered with Nicholas Robinson to provide financial awards, mentoring, masterclasses, and performance opportunities to help children pursue careers in music. She was patron of BBC Young Musician in 2004 and 2006.

She decided in 2002 not to use the style "Her Royal Highness" herself and to reduce her royal duties. From that point onward, she was informally known as Katharine Kent or Katharine, Duchess of Kent, although her formal style (e.g., in the Court Circular) remained HRH The Duchess of Kent. Despite her decision to stay away from public life, Katharine continued to appear at major events including the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in 2011, the concert at Buckingham Palace and thanksgiving service at St Paul's Cathedral during Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012, and the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018. She did not attend Queen Elizabeth II's funeral in 2022 or the coronation of King Charles III in 2023.

In 2011, close associates of private investigator Jonathan Rees, who was linked to the News International phone hacking scandal, alleged that he had accessed the bank accounts of Katharine and her husband.

In May 2016, she hosted a concert for young children at Buckingham Palace in her capacity as founder of Future Talent. In August 2016, Katharine became an ambassador for Samaritans after a volunteer at the Teesside branch contacted her. She had previously been its royal patron from 1971 until 1999. Katharine was also a supporter of UNICEF. In 2022, she expressed her love and penchant for gangsta rap, typified by Eminem and Ice Cube.

Katharine made her final public appearance on 9 October 2024 to mark her husband's 89th birthday.

Katharine, Duchess of Kent

Katharine, Duchess of Kent

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