Queen Camilla withdrew from attending the Requiem Mass for Katharine, the Duchess of Kent on Tuesday afternoon "with great regret" after Buckingham Palace said she was recovering from acute sinusitis. The palace said the queen's thoughts and prayers were with the family but that she would nevertheless take part in the state visit of President Trump, who is due in Windsor on Wednesday.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement, "With great regret, Her Majesty the Queen has withdrawn from attendance at this afternoon's Requiem Mass for the Duchess of Kent as she is recovering from acute sinusitis. Her thoughts and prayers will be with the Duke of Kent and all the family." King Charles and other senior members of the royal family were due to arrive later for the service at Westminster Cathedral.
The funeral marks the first Catholic funeral for a member of the royal family in modern times, and a message from Pope Leo will be read during the service. Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who was to preside, described the event as primarily "a family funeral where the members of the family gather round," and paid tribute to the duchess's service to others.
Cardinal Nichols recalled the duchess's volunteer work at the Passage, a homelessness charity based next to Westminster Cathedral, saying she was "a very down to earth person" who had helped in the kitchen and with cleaning. "So as well as combining royal duties, she entered very wholeheartedly into serving people," he told the BBC.
The coffin of the duchess was brought to Westminster Cathedral on Monday, draped in the royal standard and accompanied by white roses in recognition of her Yorkshire roots. Katharine, the Duchess of Kent, died earlier this month at the age of 92. She was married to the Duke of Kent, a first cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II, and was the oldest member of the royal family at the time of her death.
Music selected for the requiem reflects the duchess's lifelong love of music. The programme includes Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus, which she named as a favourite during a 1990 appearance on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, selections by J.S. Bach and music from the requiem by French composer Maurice Duruflé. A piper will perform the lament "Sleep, Dearie, Sleep," a piece that was also played at the late Queen's funeral three years ago this week.
The duchess was known for her work as a primary school music teacher, where she used the name Mrs. Kent and kept her royal identity private from pupils. She was also a familiar presence at the Wimbledon tennis championships, presenting trophies and offering consolation to competitors, including a much-noted moment of empathy for Jana Novotná in 1993.
Following the requiem at Westminster Cathedral, the coffin will be taken to the royal burial ground at Frogmore on the Windsor estate for interment. Buckingham Palace said the queen's absence from the service was on medical grounds and emphasised that she intended to participate in state duties the following day.