Duchess of Kent, who was married to Queen Elizabeth's first cousin passes away: Know all about the oldest royal family member

On September 5th, 2025, the Royal Palace announced the death of The Duchess of Kent, Katharine Worsley. "Her Royal Highness passed away peacefully last night at Kensington Palace, surrounded by her family," said the statement on the royal website."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."Who was the Duchess of Kent? Know all about her below!

Who was Katharine, The Duchess of Kent?

Since the death of Queen Elizabeth in 2022, the Duchess of Kent became the oldest member of the Royal Family.

She passed away at the age of 92.Katharine Worsley, entered the royal family after her marriage to Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent and the grandson of King George V, in 1961.The daughter of Sir William Worsley, the 4th Baronet of the Worsley family estate at Hovingham Hall she grew up in North Yorkshire.She met her future husband, the cousin of Queen Elizabeth II in 1956 at Blenheim Palace and continued their relationship while the Duke was stationed at the Catterick army base in Yorkshire.

Following their engagement, the couple chose to get married at the York Minster, which broke six centuries of royal tradition and became the first wedding at the York Minster since 1328.Katharine worked for three decades as a working member of the royal family and in 1994, she sought and received permission from Queen Elizabeth to convert to Catholicism. It was a significant decision, as the Act of Settlement of 1701 stated that any royal who married a Roman Catholic would lose their place in the Line of Succession.She also worked as a music teacher for 13 years, where she took a train to Hull and taught the children of a state primary school. The staff, children and parents had no idea of "Mrs Kent's" identity.After she stepped back from teaching and royal duties, she set up a charity called Future Talent. The organisation supports gifted children with programmes to develop their musical talents and awards grants to other pupils to help them buy instruments, go to lessons or attend auditions.She is survived by her husband and three children: George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews, Helen Taylor and Nicholas Windsor.