The British royals have arrived to pay their final respects at the funeral of Katharine, Duchess of Kent, following her death earlier this month.
The royal, who was the oldest member of the Firm, died peacefully at home on Sept. 4 at the age of 92. She was married to Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent — who was the first cousin to the late Queen Elizabeth II.
On Tuesday, senior members of the Firm arrived at Westminster Cathedral for the poignant ceremony. All attendees were dressed in black for the somber occasion.
The Duke of Kent was joined by senior members of the royal family, including King Charles, Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Also in attendance was Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson. The duo were seen arriving together just minutes before the service commenced.
Queen Camilla missed the service, as he pulled out of attending at the eleventh hour due to a painful inflammation of the sinuses, Buckingham Palace confirmed.
The palace added that Camilla still plans to take part in the state visit of President Trump, who is set to touch down in the UK Tuesday night.
Another notable absence was Prince Harry, who chose not to attend the ceremony and instead to return to the US late last week after a brief four-day visit to the UK. It’s understood that the Duke of Sussex sent his condolences privately earlier this month.
In keeping with Katharine’s personal faith, the service marks the first Catholic funeral for a member of the British royal family in modern history. A message from Pope Leo will be read aloud during the ceremony.
Senior members of the Firm arrived for the requiem mass Tuesday to see the duchess’s coffin arrive at her requested final resting place of Westminster Cathedral.
A piper from the Royal Dragoon Guards — a regiment Katharine supported as deputy Colonel in Chief since it began in 1992 — will lead the procession.
Other servicemen from the regiment will be carrying the coffin into the cathedral. It will remain there overnight in the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The service is conducted by the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols.
The duchess’s coffin is adorned with a large wreath consisting of British garden flowers that were personally selected by her loved ones.
The floral arrangement prominently features white roses, the symbol of Yorkshire — the county in which she was born.
Charles is not the first monarch to attend a Catholic requiem mass, as the late Queen Elizabeth II attended the Catholic state funeral of King Baudouin of the Belgians in Brussels in 1993.
The king, for his part, represented the royal family at Pope John Paul II’s funeral in 2005, when he was the Prince of Wales. (William similarly attended Pope Francis’s funeral in his father’s place earlier this year.)
On Monday, the beloved royal’s coffin — accompanied by her close family — made its way from her home at Kensington Palace to Westminster Cathedral.
Katharine, a practicing Roman Catholic, converted to Catholicism in 1994 — becoming the first member of the British royal family to do so in over 300 years.
It was Katharine’s final wish for her funeral to be held at Westminster Cathedral — making it the first funeral to take place there since the cathedral’s construction in 1903.
The royals are currently in a period of official mourning for the duchess up until the end of the funeral service.
While they are still carrying out official engagements, senior members of the Firm are wearing black. King Charles has also ordered for flags to be flown at half mast at royal residences across the country.
Katharine’s death was announced by Buckingham Palace in a statement on Sept. 5.
“It is with deep sorrow that Buckingham Palace announces the death of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Kent,” the palace wrote. “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 organizations with which she was associated, her passion for music and her empathy for young people,” the palace’s statement concluded.
Following Queen Elizabeth II’s death in Sept. 2022 at age 96, Katharine became the oldest living member of the royal family.
While her life as a duchess saw her carry out regular royal engagements, she stepped back from using her HRH title in 2002 to live a life away from the public spotlight.
In a surprising career move, the virtuoso went on to become a school music teacher, being affectionally known as “Mrs. Kent” to pupils and fellow staffers. She continued to advocate for children’s welfare well into the later years of her life.
Born as Katharine Worsley in 1933, the aristocrat — whose family owned acres of land in Yorkshire, England — became part of the royal family in 1961 after tying the knot with the Duke of Kent, a grandson of King George V.
Princess Anne served as one of the bridesmaids at the lavish nuptials, which took place at the York Minster Cathedral.
Queen Elizabeth II and her son, then-Prince Charles, were part of the congregation.
She is survived by her husband, the Duke of Kent, aged 89, their sons George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews, and Lord Nicholas Windsor, and daughter Lady Helen Taylor.
