The royal family attend the Duchess of Kent's funeral.
Queen Camilla pulled out of attending the Duchess of Kent’s funeral because of illness on Tuesday, as King Charles and other family members bade farewell to the British royal who died this month.
Pope Leo XIV praised the Duchess of Kent, who converted to Catholicism in 1994, notingher “legacy of Christian goodness” in a message delivered during the funeral.
The Requiem Mass was the first Catholic funeral to be held for a member of the royal family in modern British history.
Buckingham Palace announced just hours before the ceremony and before the arrival in the UK of US President Donald Trump on a state visit that the Queen would not be attending.
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson at the funeral of Katharine, the Duchess of Kent. Photo / AFP
“With great regret, Her Majesty The Queen has withdrawn from attendance at this afternoon’s Requiem Mass for the Duchess of Kent as she is recovering from acute sinusitis,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said.
The Queen, 78, is scheduled to accompany the King for a busy programme of royal events during Trump’s state visit on Wednesday and Thursday.
The Prince and Princess of Wales, William and his wife Catherine, also joined the mourners at Westminster Cathedral.
Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, and his ex-wife Sarah, the Duchess of York, were also seen in attendance.
The Duchess of Kent, who died on September 5 at the age of 92, was known for her links to the Wimbledon tennis tournament and for anonymously teaching music at a primary school.
Pallbearers from the Royal Dragoon Guards carry Katharine, Duchess of Kent's coffin. Photo / Getty Images
A talented pianist, organist and singer, she was born Katharine Worsley into an aristocratic family in Yorkshire, northern England.
In 1961, she married Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, who is a first cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth and remains, at 89, a working member of the royal family.
Camilla is due to receive the Donald and Melania Trump alongside the King at Windsor Castle on Wednesday, around noon local time.
