LONDON : She passed away peacefully on Thursday night at Kensington Palace, surrounded by family, leaving behind a legacy of compassion, music, and quiet service.

Born Katharine Worsley into a Yorkshire aristocratic family, she married Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, in 1961, becoming part of the Royal Family and later the oldest living royal. She will be remembered as a warm, empathetic figure — notably for consoling Czech tennis player Jana Novotna in 1993 at Wimbledon, where she was a fixture for decades.

Buckingham Palace said: “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.”

Music was at the heart of her life. In the mid-1990s, she famously taught incognito as “Mrs Kent” at a primary school in Hull, where neither parents nor children knew her royal background. A strong believer in the power of music to transform lives, she later established charities to support disadvantaged young people in learning instruments.

Her life was not untouched by hardship. The loss of a stillborn son in 1977 led to what palace officials then described as “nervous exhaustion,” though she later spoke openly about her struggles with acute depression, at a time when mental health was rarely discussed.

In 1994, she became the first senior royal in more than 300 years to convert to Catholicism, describing it as “a long-pondered personal decision.” She also volunteered for homelessness charities, often working away from the spotlight.

The Duchess and Duke of Kent had three surviving children. She is survived by her husband, Prince Edward, 89, their two sons, and a daughter.

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