The coffin of Katharine, Duchess of Kent, was carried out of Kensington Palace on Monday and taken to Westminster Cathedral for a private vigil ahead of a Requiem Mass scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.
The claret-coloured Royal Hearse, designed in consultation with the late Queen Elizabeth II, left the west London palace at 4:45 p.m. and made the roughly 15-minute journey to the cathedral under police escort. The coffin, draped in the Royal Standard, was accompanied on departure by a lone piper from The Royal Dragoon Guards, of which the duchess had served as Deputy Colonel-in-Chief since 1992.
The duchess, who died Sept. 4 at the age of 92 after a period of ill health, had lain in the private chapel at Kensington Palace since her passing to allow members of the family to pay respects. The visit to Westminster Cathedral includes a Rite of Reception and Vespers for the Dead, an evening prayer service, for the immediate family. The coffin will rest overnight in the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary before the Requiem Mass.
A bearer party from The Royal Dragoon Guards will receive the coffin at the cathedral. A full turnout of the Royal Family is expected to join the Duke of Kent and members of the duchess’s family at Tuesday’s service; the king and queen are also due to attend, royal sources said.
The Royal Hearse, sometimes referred to as the State Hearse, was built by Jaguar Land Rover in consultation with the Royal Household and the late queen. It features expansive rear windows and a glass roof, design elements noted for offering a clear view of the coffin inside; the vehicle was previously used at the 2022 funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
Katharine, who preferred to be known as Mrs. Kent, was noted both for her public roles and for stepping back from full-time royal duties after a series of personal tragedies. She sought and received permission from the late queen to convert to Catholicism, after which she resumed work outside the full-time royal rota, including a period teaching music at a primary school in Hull and founding the charity Future Talent to support young musicians.
Family members began arriving at Westminster in the late afternoon. Prince and Princess Michael of Kent traveled by minibus with other relatives. The duke’s sister, Princess Alexandra, arrived by taxi and was assisted in a wheelchair. With the duchess’s death, the Duke of Kent is now the oldest living member of the Royal Family.
The private vigil and subsequent Requiem Mass at Westminster Cathedral represent the first royal Catholic funeral in modern history, a reflection of the duchess’s conversion and long association with the Catholic community in Britain. Officials have said the services will combine private family rites with elements of public ceremonial tradition appropriate to her status and service.
Katharine, Duchess of Kent, was 92. She is survived by her husband, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, and members of the extended royal family. Arrangements for public attendance and televised coverage of the Requiem Mass were to be confirmed by the Royal Household on the day of the service.