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Topics: Queen Camilla, Royal Family
Jen Thomas
Topics: Queen Camilla, Royal Family
Earlier this month, the Duchess of Kent sadly passed away at the age of 92 and her funeral is being held today (16 September).
Buckingham Palace has issued a statement confirming that Queen Camilla has had to pull out, and will not be attending the memorial as planned.
The Duchess of Kent's funeral is reported to be the first Catholic funeral for a member of the Royal Family since the Reformation. In 1994, she became the first member of the Royal Family to convert to Catholicism in 300 years.
Despite Queen Camilla's absence, King Charles and the Prince and Princess of Wales will still be attending the service at Westminster Cathedral later on this afternoon.
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The Duke of Kent has been informed, and is said to be 'fully understanding' about why.
It is hoped that Queen Camilla will still attend Donald Trump's state visit to Windsor later this week.
Buckingham Palace shared the update, which read: “With great regret, Her Majesty The Queen has withdrawn from attendance at this afternoon’s Requiem Mass for The Duchess of Kent as she is recovering from acute sinusitis.
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“Her thoughts and prayers will be with The Duke of Kent and all the family.”
It is understood that Camilla travelled down from Scotland today and is 'resting' and recovering at the Windsor estate.
A message on the Kensington Palace social media page read: “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.”
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On 5 September, Buckingham Palace said that the duchess 'passed away peacefully' on 4 September at her Kensington Palace home 'surrounded by her family'.
Born Katharine Worsley, the Duchess of Kent was the wife of the late Queen Elizabeth II's cousin, the Duke of Kent, and she spent 13 years working as a primary school teacher in Hull, shunning her 'HRH' title.
The Duchess of Kent was also a charity worker, volunteering for the Samaritans as well as working as a Unicef ambassador around the world.
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She was transported to the Cathedral in a wicker coffin, after spending the night at Kensington Palace.
According to The Express, a Catholic funeral typically lasts two days, and soldiers from the The Royal Dragoon Guards have been playing a major role.
A piper lead the funeral cortege, while other soldiers from the regiment carried the coffin into the cathedral on Monday evening (15 September), which was draped with the royal standard.
The royal standard had a white ermine border, which symbolises the fact she was the spouse of a prince.