The funeral of the Duchess of Kent will take place at Westminster Cathedral on September 16, Buckingham Palace has announced. The service will mark the first Catholic funeral held for a member of the royal family in modern British history.
In a significant move, the King will attend the requiem mass despite being head of the Church of England. Katharine, the wife of the late Queen's cousin the Duke of Kent, died peacefully at home late on Thursday night at the age of 92.
The duchess became the first member of the royal family to convert to Catholicism for more than 300 years when she did so in 1994. It was her express wish to have her funeral at Westminster Cathedral, making this the first royal funeral at the cathedral since its construction in 1903.
Funeral proceedings
Ahead of the funeral, the duchess's coffin will rest in the private chapel at Kensington Palace. It will then be taken by hearse to Westminster Cathedral on the eve of the requiem mass for funeral rites including the Rite of Reception and evening prayers known as Vespers.
Bishop James Curry, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster and Titular Bishop of Ramsbury, will conduct the evening rites, which typically involve the coffin being sprinkled with holy water. The coffin will rest overnight in the Lady Chapel.
The following day, the King and Queen will join other members of the royal family, the Duke of Kent, and the duchess's family for the funeral service beginning at 2pm. The requiem mass will be led by the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, after which the duchess's coffin will be taken by hearse to the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore, Windsor.
Royal Catholic precedent
The King will not be the first monarch to attend a Catholic funeral, as Queen Elizabeth II attended the Catholic state funeral of King Baudouin of the Belgians in Brussels in August 1993. Charles, as Prince of Wales, represented his mother at Pope John Paul II's funeral in 2005, while his son William attended Pope Francis's funeral mass earlier this year.
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
