The Duchess of Kent’s grandchildren gathered in sombre dress on Monday evening for a private vigil at Westminster Cathedral as the duchess’s coffin was conveyed from Kensington Palace.
The coffin, draped with the royal standard and bordered in white, left the royal residence in a hearse designed by the late Queen and travelled the three miles to the cathedral under a police escort. A lone piper from the Royal Dragoon Guards — the regiment the duchess supported as deputy Colonel-in-Chief since 1992 — played as the coffin departed Kensington Palace. Members of the duchess’s immediate family accompanied the coffin on arrival.
Close relatives seen outside the cathedral included Lady Amelia Windsor and her sister Lady Marina Windsor, both dressed in black, together with cousins Columbus, Cassius, Eloise and Estella Taylor and the duke and duchess’s son Lord Nicholas Windsor. The family members were among those who had earlier paid private respects when the coffin rested in the private chapel at Kensington Palace in the days following the duchess’s death on Sept. 4. Buckingham Palace said she died "peacefully" at Kensington Palace, surrounded by family.
The vigil on Monday evening comprised a Rite of Reception for the deceased, the sprinkling of holy water, and evening prayers known as Vespers to be led by Bishop James Curry, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster. The rites precede a requiem mass scheduled for Tuesday that is expected to be attended by the King, the Queen and other senior members of the royal family.
Katharine, Duchess of Kent, who preferred to be called Mrs. Kent, was 92. She became the oldest living member of the royal family after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022. She was the wife of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, and mother to Lady Helen Taylor, George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews, and Lord Nicholas Windsor. Her grandchildren who attended the vigil reflect that family: Lady Amelia Windsor, 30; Lady Marina Windsor, 32; Edward Windsor, 36; Columbus Taylor, 31; Cassius Taylor, 28; Eloise Taylor, 22; Estella Taylor, 20; and Lord Nicholas’s sons Albert and Leopold Windsor, 17 and 15 respectively.
Several grandchildren posted tributes on social media. Lady Amelia shared a vintage monochrome photograph of her grandmother accompanied by a small red heart. Lady Marina posted photographs and wrote in an Instagram story, "My amazing Amama, I love you always and forever and more than words could ever say. Thank you for everything, all the deep love, special friendship, giggles and hugs, I will miss you so much and you will always be in my heart." Other friends and godchildren, including India Hicks, also posted personal photographs and condolences.
The duchess was known both for her public role and for stepping back from full-time royal duties following personal tragedies. She converted to Roman Catholicism in 1992 — with permission from the late Queen — becoming the first member of the royal family to do so in more than 300 years, according to family accounts. She continued to support charitable causes, including founding Future Talent, a charity to support promising young musicians, and worked as a music teacher in a Hull primary school after leaving full-time royal life.
Service personnel from the Royal Dragoon Guards formed the bearer party at Westminster Cathedral, reflecting the duchess’s long association with the regiment. The Union flag flew at half-mast over royal residences on Monday. Following the vigil, the duchess’s coffin will remain at the cathedral ahead of the requiem mass, a Catholic funeral service that will be held on Tuesday.
Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, and other close family members are surviving relatives. The duke, a cousin of the late Queen and grandson of King George V, is now the oldest living member of the royal family. The requiem mass will be the most senior public funeral marking the duchess’s life and faith and will be the first Catholic funeral for a member of the modern royal family in recent history.