King Charles III and Queen Camilla will lead the Royal Family at the Duchess of Kent’s requiem mass on Tuesday afternoon at Westminster Cathedral.
The monarch and his wife will be joined by other senior royals for the Catholic funeral service, according to new details announced by Buckingham Palace.
The 92-year-old duchess, who passed away on September 4 at her Kensington Palace residence, was the spouse of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s cousin, the Duke of Kent.
Tuesday’s service will be the first Catholic funeral for a Royal Family member in modern British history, honouring the the duchess’s conversion from the Anglican Church.
Buckingham Palace have revealed new details about the funeral of the Duchess of Kent, who died on September 4
|
GETTY
In 1994, she became the first member of the Royal Family to embrace the faith since the 1700s following a consultation with Queen Elizabeth.
The Duke of Kent, aged 89, will attend Monday’s private vigil alongside their “immediate family” – extending to the couple’s three children and ten grandchildren.
Their eldest son, George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews, 63, has three children: Edward Windsor, Lord Downpatrick, Lady Marina Windsor and Lady Amelia Windsor.
Lady Helen Taylor, 61, will attend with her four children – Columbus, Cassius, Eloise and Estella – whom she shares with her husband Timothy Taylor.
The Duke of Kent will attend Monday’s private vigil alongside his their three children he shared with the duchess and their ten grandchildren
|
GETTY
The Kent’s youngest son, Lord Nicholas Windsor, 55, has three sons: Albert, Leopold and Louis.
The intimate gathering will include a rite of reception as the coffin arrives at Westminster Cathedral, followed by vespers for the dead.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, will lead the service with assistance from Bishop James Curry, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster, and the Dean of Windsor.
The ceremony will take place at Westminster Cathedral, England and Wales’s largest Roman Catholic church.
King Charles and Queen Camilla will lead the Royal Family during the duchess’s requiem mass on Tuesday
|
GETTY
In line with her Catholic faith, the duchess had specifically requested her funeral be held at the cathedral.
Members of The Royal Dragoon Guards will play a prominent role in the ceremonies, with a piper leading the hearse as it departs Kensington Palace on Monday.
The regiment, where the Duchess served as Deputy Colonel-in-Chief since its formation in 1992, will also provide the bearer party to receive her coffin at Westminster Cathedral.
The coffin will remain overnight in the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary before Tuesday’s service.
The Duchess of Kent was Wimbledon’s trophy presenter for many years, which saw her famously console Jana Novotna in 1993
|
GETTY
After the requiem mass concludes, the hearse will transport the Duchess to her final resting place at the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore, Windsor.
The Duchess of Kent died at Kensington Palace on September 4, surrounded by her family.
Buckingham Palace announced her death with the statement: “The King and Queen and all Members of The Royal Family join The Duke of Kent, his children and grandchildren in mourning their loss and remembering fondly The Duchess’s life-long devotion to all the organisations with which she was associated, her passion for music and her empathy for young people.”
Throughout her life, the music loving duchess also captivated Wimbledon crowds as the tournament’s trophy presenter.