UK's Duchess of Kent Passes away at 92

On Friday, the UK's Buckingham Palace announced that Katharine, the Duchess of Kent, passed away at the age of 92.

The palace said in a statement, "It is with deep sorrow that Buckingham Palace announces the death of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Kent."

"Her Royal Highness passed away peacefully last night at Kensington Palace, surrounded by her family," the statement continued. 

"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 organizations with which she was associated, her passion for music and her empathy for young people."

The Duchess of Kent got married to Queen Elizabeth’s cousin, Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, in 1961. 

The couple had three children: George, Earl of St. Andrews, Lady Helen Windsor and Lord Nicholas Windsor. 

Prince William and Kate Middleton released a separate statement on their social media pages.

"Our thoughts today are with The Duke of Kent and his family, particularly George, Helen and Nicholas," they wrote. "The Duchess worked tirelessly to help others and supported many causes, including through her love of music. She will be a much missed member of the family."

Their note was signed "W & C," their first initials, indicating that the message came directly from them.

The Duchess of Kent withdrew from royal duties in 1996, according to Royal Central. 

She then spent a decade teaching music at a primary school in Hull, where she went by Mrs. Kent.

“Only the head knew who I was. The parents didn’t know, and the pupils didn’t know. No one ever noticed. There was no publicity about it at all — it just seemed to work,” she told BBC Radio 3 in 2005, The Times reported.

The Duchess of Kent took another step away from royal life in 2002 when she abandoned using the "Her Royal Highness" title.

However, she continued to attend certain events with the royals, including Prince William and Princess Kate's 2011 wedding and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's 2018 nuptials. 

However, she was absent from Queen Elizabeth's funeral in 2022 as well as King Charles' coronation.