Katharine, the Duchess of Kent was the oldest member of the royal family prior to her death at age 92, but what was her relation to King Charles III?
Buckingham Palace confirmed Katharine’s death in a statement released on Friday, September 5.
“Her Royal Highness passed away peacefully last night at Kensington Palace, surrounded by her family,” the statement read. “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.”
Katharine married into the British royal family in 1961. Her husband, Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, is the late Queen Elizabeth II’s first cousin. Through her marriage to Edward, 89, Katharine became Charles’ cousin as well.
Charles and Queen Camilla were informed of Katharine’s death on Thursday, September 4, according to Buckingham Palace.
Katharine is survived by Edward, their three children — George, Earl of St. Andrews, Lady Helen Windsor and Lord Nicholas Windsor — and 10 grandchildren. (Katharine and Edward also welcomed a stillborn son, whom they named Patrick, in 1997.)
Throughout her time within the royal family, Katharine was seen awarding trophies at the annual Wimbledon tournament. The duty has since been taken over by Princess Kate Middleton.
In 1996, the late duchess decided to step away from her royal duties and focus on a teaching career. She was known as Mrs. Kent while teaching music at the Wansbeck Primary School in Kingston upon Hull.
Katharine discussed her teaching career during an interview with BBC Radio 3 in 2005, revealing that only a limited number of people knew about her relationship to the royal family.
“Only the head knew who I was. The parents didn’t know and the pupils didn’t know. No one ever noticed,” she said at the time. “There was no publicity about it at all — it just seemed to work.”
While she appeared at several royal family events over the years, Katharine opted to stop using “Her Royal Highness” as a title in 2002.
“I don’t like being a public figure and I say that very humbly,” she shared in an interview, per the BBC. “It’s my nature, the way I was born. I like to do things quietly behind the scenes. I’m a very shy person.”
