Duchess of Kent dies: Katharine was the first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II.
Duchess of Kentย Katharine has died at the age of 92, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday. In a statement, the Palace said she “passed away peacefully last night at Kensington Palace, surrounded by her family”. The flag at Buckingham Palace has been lowered to half-mast.
Katharine, the Duchess of Kent, was the oldest member of the Royal Family and the wife of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, a first cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
She was a familiar figure at the Wimbledon tennis championships, often presenting trophies and comforting players, most notably consoling a tearful Jana Novotna in 1993.
“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,” the Palace said.
A lifelong music lover, the duchess supported many music charities and taught music at a Hull primary school, where pupils knew nothing of her royal identity and knew her simply as “Mrs Kent”.