The coffin of Katharine, the Duchess of Kent, was brought into Westminster Cathedral on Monday evening ahead of a requiem Mass on Tuesday, a rare Catholic funeral for a member of the British royal family in modern times. Soldiers from the Royal Dragoon Guards carried the coffin from a royal hearse into the cathedral after it was driven from Kensington Palace, with a piper playing as it left the palace.
Members of the duchess’s immediate family, including her husband Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, and their three children, attended a service marking the reception of the coffin into the cathedral. The coffin was draped in the royal standard and will remain overnight in the cathedral’s Lady Chapel before the Requiem Mass, which King Charles and Queen Camilla and other senior royals are due to attend. After the Mass, the coffin will be taken to the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore for a private interment.
Music for the service will include Mozart’s "Ave verum corpus," the duchess’s favourite piece as revealed when she was a guest on the BBC programme Desert Island Discs in 1989. A piper will play the lament "Sleep, Dearie, Sleep," which was used at the late Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. The wreath on the coffin includes white roses, the emblem of Yorkshire, sprigs of yew from the gardens of Hovingham Hall, and rosemary for remembrance.
Katharine, who died on Sept. 4 at the age of 92 at Kensington Palace, had been the oldest living member of the royal family since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022. She converted to Roman Catholicism in 1994, becoming the first member of the royal family to do so for more than 300 years, and had expressed a wish to have her funeral at Westminster Cathedral. She withdrew from public duties in 2002 because of ill health.
The duchess was long associated with music and education, having worked as a primary school music teacher and being known to pupils as "Mrs Kent." She was a familiar presence at Wimbledon for many years, presenting trophies and consoling players, notably the tearful Jana Novotná in 1993. She had served as deputy colonel-in-chief of the Royal Dragoon Guards since 1992, and personnel from the regiment formed the bearer party for the cathedral reception.
Members of the royal family and public figures paid tribute following her death. The Prince and Princess of Wales said the duchess had "worked tirelessly to help others and supported many causes, including through her love of music." Prime Minister Keir Starmer described her as bringing "compassion, dignity and a human touch" to her public roles. Several of the duchess’s grandchildren posted personal tributes and photographs on social media.
On Monday evening the duchess’s daughter, Lady Helen Taylor, appeared sombre in black as she supported her father at the vigil. The royal hearse that carried the coffin — a claret-coloured vehicle built by Jaguar Land Rover in consultation with the late Queen — was last used at the Queen’s funeral in 2022. The coffin’s short journey from Kensington Palace to the cathedral took about 15 minutes.
The requiem Mass on Tuesday represents an uncommon public acknowledgment of the duchess’s Catholic faith at a senior family ceremony. After the cathedral service, the funeral party will travel to Windsor for the private burial at Frogmore where family and close friends will attend a separate interment.