Duchess of Kent has died aged 92, says Buckingham Palace.
Palace says duchess, who was married to late queen’s cousin, ‘passed away peacefully surrounded by family’
A MESSAGE FROM OUR FOUNDER DAVID FAIRMAN
Today I have heard the sad news from the Palace of the death of Duchess of Kent. I first met the Duchess when she was the guest of honour at the premier of my feature film “Lighthouse Hill” that I produced and directed at the Empire Cinema in Leicester Square.
As we talked after the screening of the movie, I found her a really warm and engaging lady. Yes she was a real pleasure to talk to. She was a refreshing character, full of energy and enthusiasm. She had a strong interest in film and the arts and especially music. Her tireless charity work and her hands on teaching to children in London was extraordinary.
She was a really great asset to The Royal Family and will certainly be sadly missed… David Fairman
And here are few details about the Duchess
The Duchess of Kent, the first Catholic convert in the royal family for centuries and who was known for presenting numerous Wimbledon trophies and consoling runners-up, has died aged 92..The duchess was married to the late queen’s cousin the Duke of Kent but for decades led a separate life from him.
She will be best remembered for a moment in 1993 when she put her arm around a distraught Jana Novotná after the Czech tennis player narrowly lost the Wimbledon women’s singles final to Steffi Graf. Novotná cried on the duchess’s shoulder after blowing a 4-1 lead in the third set.
During the exchange the duchess, whose husband was president of the All England Club for more than 30 years, told Novotná: “I know you can do it. Five years later the duchess presented her with the winning trophy.
The duchess, who preferred to be referred to as Katharine or Mrs Kent, dropped her HRH title when she stepped back from public life in 2002.
The duchess was married to the late queen’s cousin the Duke of Kent but for decades led a separate life from him.
She went on to spend more than a decade teaching music in a state primary school in Hull. After visiting Wansbeck primary school in the city in 1996, she offered to help with music teaching and gave a weekly 40-minute lesson, as
well as working with its choir. She also taught part-time in a school in Hammersmith, west London, which was attended by some of the children who lived in Grenfell Tower.
After retiring as a royal she also volunteered for Samaritans, toured countries as a Unicef ambassador and, in 2004, founded the charity Future Talent. The organisation works to breadown barriers and give children from low-income backgrounds equal opportunities to excel in music.
After the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, Katharine was the oldest member of the royal family.
Born Katharine Lucy Mary Worsley on 22 February 1933, the future duchess had an aristocratic upbringing as the only daughter of the landowner Col Sir William Worsley – a baronet – and Lady Worsley of Hovingham Hall, near York.
She married King George V’s grandson Edward, Duke of Kent, labelled Steady Eddie by the royal family for his dependable service, in a grand ceremony in York Minster in 1961 and became known for her elegant style.