Abbey mourns The Duchess of Kent
Friday, 5th September 2025
Prayers are being said in Westminster Abbey for The Duchess of Kent and for her family, following her death at the age of 92.
The Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, said:
‘The Abbey remembers The Duchess of Kent with great affection. She lived a long life of dedicated public service and private commitment to values that hold us all in community. We give thanks for her quiet witness and pray for those who feel this loss so deeply. May she rest in peace.’
The Abbey flag is flying at half mast in her memory.
The Duchess of Kent was born Katharine Lucy Mary Worsley, in February 1933. She married Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, at a service in York Minster in 1961.
Music was a particular focus for the Duchess. In 2004 she founded a charity, Future Talent, aiming to give every child an equal opportunity to excel in music. The Duchess was also an ambassador for Aldeburgh Productions in Suffolk for over 35 years, the President of the Royal Northern College of Music (Manchester), and a Trustee of the National Foundation for Youth Music (London).
Her last visit to the Abbey was in June 2013 when she attended A Service to Celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Photograph: Press Association
