King Charles and other senior royals gathered with friends and family yesterday to remember Katharine, the Duchess of Kent, whose Catholic funeral was held at Westminster Cathedral. Source: BBC.
Queen Camilla sent her “deep regrets” at having to miss the service because she was recovering from acute sinusitis.
The Prince and Princess of Wales, among many who have paid warm tributes to the widely-respected, music-loving duchess, joined mourners at the Requiem Mass, alongside the Duke of Kent and his three children.
This is the first Catholic funeral for a member of the Royal Family in modern times – and a message from Pope Leo was read out 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.
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.
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’s 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. She converted to Catholicism in 1994.
After the funeral, the coffin was taken to the royal burial ground in Frogmore, on the Windsor estate.
FULL STORY
King at Duchess of Kent’s funeral but ill Queen did not attend (By Sean Coughlan, BBC)
RELATED COVERAGE
King Charles III and Royal Family attend Requiem Mass for Duchess of Kent (The Tablet)
King leads royals in first royal Catholic funeral since the Reformation (Catholic Herald)
