How the Duchess of Kent shunned the spotlight and turned her back on royal life: ‘No one ever noticed’

The royals are in mourning following the death of the Duchess of Kent, who passed away aged 92 on 4 September 2025.  The death of the late Queen’s cousin, Prince Edward’s, wife was announced via a statement which read: “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 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.” 

During her lifetime, the late Duchess was renowned for her mysterious character. She withdrew from royal duties in 1996 and pursued a career as a music teacher in Hull for 13 years. Join HELLO! as we take a closer look at Katharine’s unexpectedly low-key and philanthropic life away from the royal spotlight…

Her Wimbledon controversy

In 1999, the Duchess of Kent landed herself in hot water when she requested to bring the 12-year-old son of a bereaved friend into the coveted Royal Box at Wimbledon. While her husband was President of the All England Club for over 30 years, Katharine was a regular at the SW19 Championships and frequently handed out trophies to winners. 

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Her heartwarming request was nonetheless rejected as children were forbidden from joining guests in the exclusive box. Indeed, unless they are members of the royal family, youngsters are not allowed to sit in the Royal Box under any circumstances.

While the child was moved to alternative seating, Katharine received a letter from Wimbledon’s tennis chief reminding her of the rules. According to the BBC, the late Duchess was thought to be “deeply upset” by the letter and even considered boycotting the Championships. 

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In a subsequent statement, tennis chief John Curry apologised by saying: “I regret any unintentional hurt this may have caused to her Royal Highness. Because of demand for space in the royal box, we also ask that, apart from children of the royal family, children are not invited as they exclude other worthy people from attending, many of whom contribute to tennis.”

Turning down her HRH title and stepping back from royal life

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The Duchess of Kent officially stepped back from royal duties in 2002. At the time, she told the late Queen Elizabeth II that she no longer wished to use her HRH title. Prior to her death, she only made a handful of public appearances, including at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding, which took place in 2018. Nonetheless, she wasn’t present at the late Queen’s funeral in 2022 or at King Charles’s coronation, which took place in May 2023.

Her double life as a music teacher

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After stepping back from the Firm, Katharine didn’t fully retire, but instead worked as a music teacher at Wansbeck Primary School in Hull, where she was known as “Mrs Kent”. Speaking to The Telegraph in 2022, she said: “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 described her job as “very, very rewarding” seeing the positive impact music could have on children from all backgrounds.

While Katharine’s career move may have been a surprise to many, the late Duchess actually had a lifelong interest in music. She played the piano, the violin and the organ as a child and later studied music in Oxford and was “very sad to slowly have to give it up.” Speaking to Sue Lawley on Desert Island Discs in 1989, she added: “I hoped music would be my life.”

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During an interview on The Alan Titchmarsh Show, she opened up about accidentally falling into the role when she agreed to a friend’s request to visit Wansbeck Primary School and heard about their struggles in the music department. Gushing about her time there, she said: “When I was teaching the first thing I began to notice was the power of music as a stimulant to these children to give them confidence and self-belief. I began to see that happen all the time.

“Some of the children I taught haven’t necessarily become musicians, but the confidence it has given them, some have joined the Army, some to university, which they might not have done otherwise.“I have always loved talent, I love that tickle up the neck when you see talent and I began to realise I was teaching some very, very gifted children.”

Charitable endeavours

Meanwhile, in 2004, she founded a charity called Future Talent, which aims to give every child an equal opportunity to excel in music. A summary on the royal family’s official website reads: “Through tailor-made partnerships with primary schools, Future Talent is bringing music into the lives of all children, spotting talent, equipping talented children with instruments and tuition and, in exceptional cases, providing master tuition to enable them to make music their future.”

She was also an ambassador for Aldeburgh Productions in Suffolk, President of the Royal Northern College of Music and a trustee of the National Foundation for Youth Music.