The Duchess of Kent, Katharine, has died at the age of 92, Buckingham Palace has confirmed. She passed away peacefully at Kensington Palace on Thursday night, surrounded by her family. Flags at royal residences, including Buckingham Palace, were lowered to half-mast on Friday as the Royal Family entered a period of mourning. Known to many for her long association with Wimbledon, where she presented trophies and comforted players in defeat, the duchess was also admired for her deep commitment to music, education and charity.
Royal Mourning and Tributes
In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: “The King and Queen and all members of the Royal Family join the Duke of Kent, his children and grandchildren in mourning their loss and remembering fondly the duchess’s life-long devotion to all the organisations with which she was associated, her passion for music and her empathy for young people.”
King Charles was informed of her death while in Balmoral. A period of official mourning will continue until the duchess’s funeral, during which members of the Royal Family will wear black, and troops on duty will wear black armbands.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer praised the duchess for bringing “compassion, dignity and a human touch to everything she did.”
A Wimbledon Icon
For many, the Duchess of Kent was most familiar at Wimbledon. She became part of the tournament’s history, not just for handing out trophies but for moments of kindness. One of the most famous came in 1993, when she consoled Czech player Jana Novotná after her heartbreaking loss in the women’s final. Five years later, she was there again to present Novotná with the championship trophy. The duchess remained a regular in the Royal Box for years, though later reports suggested tensions with organisers after she attempted to bring the son of a bereaved friend into the box.
Early Life and Marriage
Born Katharine Worsley in Yorkshire in 1933, she grew up in a landowning family before marrying Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, in 1961. Their wedding at York Minster was attended by Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, who was a bridesmaid. The marriage brought her into the heart of the Royal Family, where she carried out a steady programme of public duties. Yet she always carved out her own role, choosing causes that reflected her personal passions.
Faith and Charity Work
In 1994, she made headlines by converting to Roman Catholicism — the first senior royal to do so in more than 300 years. She described her conversion as “a long-pondered personal decision” and was received into the church by Cardinal Basil Hume. Her faith underpinned much of her charitable work, particularly with the homelessness charity The Passage, which Hume helped found. In later years, the duchess stepped away from the spotlight but continued her support for charitable organisations quietly and consistently.
Personal Struggles
The duchess and the Duke of Kent had three children together, though they also endured the stillbirth of a son in 1977. The loss left her hospitalised for what palace officials then described as “nervous exhaustion.” In later interviews she was frank about suffering from “acute depression,” a rare admission for a royal of her generation. Her honesty about mental health was unusual at the time and earned respect for its candour.
Passion for Music and Teaching
Music was at the centre of her life. She sang with the Bach Choir, often spoke of how deeply music moved her, and once chose Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus as her favourite piece on BBC’s Desert Island Discs. Later, she surprised listeners by admitting she also enjoyed rap. In the mid-1990s she quietly began teaching music at a primary school in Hull, where pupils knew her only as “Mrs Kent.” She worked there for more than a decade, later saying she loved the children and the community deeply. She also set up a charity to widen access to musical education, convinced of music’s power to give children “confidence and self-belief.”
Legacy
The Duchess of Kent is survived by her husband, the Duke of Kent, now 89, along with their two sons and a daughter. She will be remembered as a senior royal who chose her own path, combining duty with a genuine passion for music, education and faith. From comforting tennis stars at Wimbledon to teaching children in Hull, she remained grounded and empathetic throughout her life. Her death marks the loss of one of the most distinctive and quietly influential members of the modern Royal Family.
