Online book of condolence opens in memory of the Duchess of Kent

An online book of condolence for the Duchess of Kent has opened on the monarchy’s official website.

Members of the public wishing to pay their respects to the duchess’s family can do so at royal.uk.

Katharine, who died last Thursday at the age of 92, was married to the late Queen’s cousin the Duke of Kent.

The virtual book of condolence opened on Tuesday, a week ahead of the duchess’s funeral, which will take place on September 16.

The requiem mass at London’s Westminster Cathedral will be the first Catholic funeral service staged for a member of the royal family in modern British history.

In a significant move, the King, head of the Church of England, will attend, alongside the Queen and others members of the family.

A devout follower of the Roman Catholic faith, the duchess became the first member of the royal family to convert to Catholicism for more than 300 years, doing so in 1994, and it was her wish to have her funeral at Westminster Cathedral.

Katharine, who died peacefully at her Wren Cottage home at Kensington Palace, was known for consoling losing Wimbledon finalists, notably a tearful Jana Novotna in 1993, and presented trophies at the championships for many years.

She preferred to be known as Mrs Kent and dropped her HRH style, retreating from royal life to spend more than a decade teaching music in a state primary school in Hull.