Happy 91st Birthday on February 22 to Katharine, Duchess of Kent.
Formally listed as Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Kent in the Court Circular (the official record that lists the engagements of the monarch and members of the royal family), she prefers to be known as Katharine Kent or Katharine, Duchess of Kent, having reduced her royal duties in 2002. She converted to Catholicism in 1994, being the first member of the royal family to do so since the passing of the Act of Settlement (the Act of Parliament that limited the succession to the English and Irish crowns to Protestants) in 1701, and with the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2002, she is now the oldest member of the British Royal Family.
An intensely private person, Katharine is strongly associated with the world of music and at one time, took a position as a music teacher in a primary school and taught piano lessons in a rented studio flat.
Her marriage to the late Queen's cousin, The Duke of Kent, was celebrated in 1961 at York Minster, the first royal marriage in that location in 633 years. Katharine's family is from Yorkshire so it was a natural choice for her wedding.
Although she has reduced her royal duties, she attended the weddings of Prince William and Prince Harry, as well as the festivities for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee but she was not present at either Queen Elizabeth II's funeral or the coronation of King Charles III.
I have only heard nice things said about the Duchess of Kent. Thank you for this lovely post.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. I did not know much about the Duchess of Kent.
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