The Princess of Wales yesterday paid a moving tribute to Prince Philip as she attended the funeral of the Duchess of Kent at Westminster Cathedral in London.
Dressed in a sophisticated all-black ensemble complete with a veiled hat Kate, 43, stepped out in an elegant number fromRoland Mouret as she paid tribute to the late royal, who died aged 92 earlier this month.
It’s a look that will be a familiar one to royal fans, as the princess also wore the item when she attended Prince Philip’s funeral in 2021.
The chic black £1,605 Roland Mouret features an asymmetrical neckline and is styled with a large bow and button detailing – and was worn by the royal once more for the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrancein 2018.
She also paid a subtle tribute to thelate Queen Elizabeth by wearing her choker necklace – wornmultiple times during her 70-year reign, and which was also seen on Diana, Princess of Wales.
It will come as no surprise at the royal mother-of-three chose to give a nod to her late grandfather-in-law as Kate and Prince Philip enjoyed a good relationship, with Prince Williampreviously saying he was thankful that Kate, who joined the royal family following their wedding in 2011, had ‘so many years’ to get to know his grandfather.
Following Philip’s death, William pledged ‘Catherine and I will continue to do what he would have wanted’ and said they would continue to support his grandmother the Queen in his memory.
In a piece published byThe Times earlier this year, sources even claimed Kate had been inspired by the late Duke of Edinburgh‘s role as Britain’s longest-serving royal consort to form her own ‘supportive’ attitude towards her husband Prince William.
The Princess of Wales yesterday paid a moving tribute to Prince Philip as she attended the funeral of the Duchess of Kent at Westminster Cathedral
When William becomes King, this will mean Kate ‘acts as a gatekeeper to ensure that William can do his work while also finding time to be a hands-on father, and that everyone understands that this is the deal’.
Yesterday, Kate chose to complete her look with a statement item from the late monarch’s jewellery collection, which has a special meaning.
The necklace, described as a Japanese choker, features four rows of pearls and a curved central diamond clasp.
It is said to have been commissioned by the Queen using pearls which were a gift from the Japanese government after her first state visit to the nation in 1975.
The late Queen was pictured wearing the set during an engagement in Bangladesh in 1983, having loaned the set a year earlier to Diana to wear during a state visit from Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.
Kate joined senior royals including King Charles and her husband Prince William to pay tribute to the late royal, the Duchess of Kent.
Among the other royals attending were Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and Prince Andrew with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.
The Duke of Kent looked stricken as he followed closely behind his late wife’s coffin after the funeral as it was slowly carried outside and watched while it was placed inside the royal hearse.
Dressed in a sophisticated all-black ensemble complete with a veiled hat Kate, 43, stepped out in an elegant number from Roland Mouret
She re-wore herchic black £1,605 Roland Mouret dress, which she wore to Prince Philip’s funeral in 2021 (pictured)
Following the announcement of the Duchess of Kent’s death, the Prince and Princess of Wales made a loving tribute , saying that she would be ‘much missed’
Kate and Prince William, all sporting black, made an appearance for theRequiem Mass service together yesterday afternoon
Earlier, the Duke had entered the cathedral holding a walking stick in poignant scenes, surrounded by his family including his daughter Lady Helen Taylor.
Buckingham Palace announced just two hours before the private family service began that Queen Camilla had pulled out as she recovers from acute sinusitis.
Andrew, who no longer carries out official duties for the monarchy after stepping down six years ago amid the furore over his friendship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, exited his car first and joined Sarah as they walked in together.
The King arrived with his top aide, principal private secretary Sir Clive Alderton, and smiled after arriving before the doors of the cathedral were closed behind him.
William had a white handkerchief tucked in his top pocket, while Kate wore a black hat with a large bow at the back and netting detail at the front, and pearl earrings, with her hair down at the back, as well as a necklace belonging to the late Queen.
Former Formula One world champion Sir Jackie Stewart and actresses Rula Lenska and Dame Maureen Lipman were among the other mourners in attendance.
The requiem mass, a Catholic funeral, is the first to be held for a member of the monarchy in modern British history and featured a Scottish bagpipe lament performed during Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral at Windsor Castle in 2022.
A piper from The Royal Dragoon Guards played the lament – Sleep, Dearie, Sleep – while processing from the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary, past the Duchess’s coffin in the Nave and down the cathedral’s central aisle. The late Queen’s funeral service in St George’s Chapel ended with a piper playing the same tune.
The Princess of Wales looked as elegant as ever
Kate leaving Westminster Cathedral as the Royal Family came together to lay the Duchess of Kent to rest
The Duke of Kent, 89, was visibly emotional after he laid his wife of 64 years to rest at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral service at Westminster Cathedral in London yesterday
Following the announcement of the Duchess of Kent’s death, the Prince and Princess of Wales made a loving tribute, saying that she would be ‘much missed’.
The future King and Queen described how she had ‘worked tirelessly’ in her life to help others.
In a statement signed ‘W & C’, the Prince and Princess of Wales said: ‘Our thoughts today are with The Duke of Kent and his family, particularly George, Helen and Nicholas.
‘The Duchess worked tirelessly to help others and supported many causes, including through her love of music. She will be a much missed member of the family’.
The Duchess of Kent, who had been unwell for some time, died at Wren House, her maritalhome in Kensington Palace, surrounded by close family.
The duchess attended events marking the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and was present for the then-Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s 2011 wedding, and the Sussexes’ nuptials in 2018.
In recent years, her health grew increasingly poor and she did not attend Queen Elizabeth’s funeral or the King’s coronation.
The Duchess’s life-long passion for music and making it accessible to all saw her co-found the Future Talent charity.
King Charles put on a sombre display as he arrived for the Requiem Mass service for the Duchess of Kent
Lady Amelia Windsor and Lady Marina Windsor arrived at Westminster Cathedral ahead of the funeral
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson are pictured arriving at Westminster Abbey ahead of the funeral
Prince Michael of Kent, Lord Frederick Windsor, Lady Gabriella Windsor, King Charles III with Sophie Winkleman leave after the Requiem Mass service for the Duchess of Kent, who was laid to rest yesterday
The grief-stricken Duke of Kent looks at the coffin of the Duchess of Kent following the requiem mass yesterday
She gave up full-time royal duties and her HRH title to pursue a life away from the spotlight in 2002.
She subsequently spent more than a decade anonymously teaching music in a Hull primary school, where she was simply known as Katharine, or plain ‘Mrs Kent’.
Married to Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, cousin to Queen Elizabeth, the couple have three children: George, Earl of St Andrews, Lady Helen Taylor, and Lord Nicholas Windsor.
Katharine met Prince Edward, the eldest son of Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, while he was based at Catterick Camp in Yorkshire in 1956.
They married at York Minster on June 8 1961, the first royal wedding to be held there for 633 years, with the bride sporting the spectacular Kent Diamond and Pearl Fringe Tiara.
The best man was Edward’s brother, Prince Michael of Kent, while Princess Anne was one of the bridesmaids.
