King Charles and other senior royals gathered with friends and family to remember Katharine, the Duchess of Kent, whose funeral took place at Westminster Cathedral. Queen Camilla expressed her “deep regrets” for missing the service due to her recovery from acute sinusitis via BBC.
The Prince and Princess of Wales, along with many others who paid warm tributes to the widely respected and music-loving duchess, attended the Requiem Mass. They were joined by the Duke of Kent and his three children.
This marks the first Catholic funeral for a member of the Royal Family in modern times, and a message from Pope Leo was read during the service.
The Pope’s message praised the duchess for her “dedication to official duties, patronage of charities and devoted care for vulnerable people” and sent his “heartfelt condolences, together with the assurance of my prayerful closeness” to the King, the Duke of Kent and their family.
Queen Camilla’s absence because of ill health was announced by the palace ahead of the funeral.
“Her thoughts and prayers will be with the Duke of Kent and all the family,” said a statement from Buckingham Palace.
However, the palace stated that despite this painful inflammation of the sinuses, the Queen still plans to take part in the state visit of President Trump, who will be in Windsor on Wednesday.
Crowds gathered outside the Byzantine-style church in Westminster on Tuesday afternoon as the family and friends of the duchess arrived for the funeral, which was a private service.
Princess Anne and her husband Sir Tim Laurence and Prince Andrew with his former wife Sarah Ferguson were among the royals attending. Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh was at the funeral, but her husband Prince Edward was on an overseas visit.
There were also famous faces such as actresses Maureen Lipman and Rula Lenska and champion racing driver Sir Jackie Stewart.
Readings at the service were given by the children and grandchildren of the duchess.
The coffin of the duchess had rested in front of the cathedral’s altar during the Requiem Mass, draped in the royal standard and with white roses among the flowers, in honour of the duchess’ Yorkshire roots.
The duchess was the oldest member of the Royal Family when she died earlier this month at the age of 92. She was married to the first cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
