Duchess of Kent, the British royal family's oldest member, dies aged 92

The British royal family is farewelling its oldest member with "deep sorrow".

Buckingham Palace has announced the death of Katharine, Duchess of Kent aged 92. She died on Thursday night at Kensington Palace surrounded by family.

Née Katharine Worsley, she married Prince Edward, Duke of Kent – cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II – in 1961 and "found her calling quietly helping the vulnerable", per The Telegraph UK.

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After years as a working royal, the duchess stepped back from her royal duties in 2002, with the blessing of Elizabeth II, giving up her Her Royal Highness (HRH) title.

Her 'secret' life as a school teacher

She had asked the late Queen for permission to step back so that she could turn her talents to something very different: school teaching.

The duchess wanted to teach singing to reflect her lifelong passion for music and found employment at Wansbeck Primary School in Hull.

"I was just known as Mrs Kent," she told the Telegraph UK in August, 2022.

"Only the head knew who I was. The parents didn't know and the pupils didn't know. No one ever noticed. There was no publicity about it at all – it just seemed to work.

"Why I don't know, but it just did.

"It was very, very rewarding because even children from really tough backgrounds – the music did such wonderful things."

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Katharine would travel by train from Wren House, the couple's London home, to the school to teach music every Friday, before returning home in the evening.

She also founded the charity, Future Talent, which provided musical opportunities for children from unprivileged backgrounds.

The 'caring' royal

Although it was the late Diana, Princess of Wales, who was known worldwide as being the hands-on and sympathetic member of the royal family, it was actually Katharine who held that unofficial title of the 'caring royal' long before.

Her own battles with illness and depression helped her find common ground with those less fortunate than she.

In 1975, she was forced to terminate a pregnancy when she caught German measles, something the duchess never forgave herself for.

Two years later she gave birth to a stillborn son, Patrick, which brought on depression and she spent seven weeks being treated for the condition at the King Edward VII hospital in London.

"It had the most devastating effect on me," she told The Telegraph UK 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."

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The Duchess of Kent was a regular in the Royal Box at Wimbledon and was known for openly sympathising with the players. One of her most famous moments was when she comforted Jana Novotná after she lost to Steffi Graf in 1993.

Marrying into the royal family

Katharine met Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, at a party in the late 1950s.

He was the son of Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark.

They married inside York Minster in June 1961, which was the first royal wedding in the church in 633 years. Katharine had chosen York Minster because she had once played the organ there.

Born Katharine Worsley on February 22, 1933, was not a typical "commoner" to marry into the family. In fact, she belonged to the landed gentry and was a direct descendant of Oliver Cromwell.

Converting to Catholicism

After the stillborn birth of her son, Patrick, she turned to religion but found the Anglican church to be at odds with her struggles.

Katharine found solace in the Roman Catholic Church and converted to Catholicism inside Westminster Cathedral in 1994.

She became the first British royal to convert to Catholicism in more than 300 years and she described it as "a long-pondered personal decision".

Part of her volunteer work with the church saw her became patron of the Samaritans, where she undertook a 10-week training course doing four-hour shifts on the telephone speaking to those who were contemplating suicide.

Visits to Australia

The Duchess of Kent embarked on her first royal tour with her husband in 1962 and came to Australia several times.

Katharine was here in 1985 and for the Expo in 1988 when she was pictured holding a koala.

The duchess was last in Australia in 1995.

The royal family pays tribute

The Duchess of Kent became the British monarchy's oldest member when the Queen died in 2022.

In a statement shared on Friday night Australian time, Buckingham Palace said: "It is with deep sorrow that Buckingham Palace announces the death of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Kent".

"Her Royal Highness passed away peacefully last night at Kensington Palace, surrounded by her family.

"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".

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