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Members of the royal household are gathering at Westminster Cathedral in London this afternoon to have a good time the lifetime of the Katharine, Duchess of Kent. She handed away earlier this month on the age of 92.
“It’s with deep sorrow that Buckingham Palace broadcasts the loss of life of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Kent,” the Palace shared in a press release on September 5. “Her Royal Highness handed away peacefully final night time at Kensington Palace, surrounded by her household.”
On condition that the duchess was a uncommon Catholic member of the British royal household—she transformed to Catholicism in 1994, turning into the primary royal to take action since the Act of Settlement of 1701, which was designed to “safe the Protestant succession to the throne”— immediately marks not solely the primary royal funeral on the Cathedral since its building in 1903, but additionally the primary royal Catholic funeral in fashionable historical past. Per T&C contributing editor Victoria Murphy, “It was [the duchess’s] want to have her funeral at Westminster Cathedral, which is the mom church for Catholics in England and Wales.”
Pope Leo XIV even despatched a message to King Charles immediately to be included within the service. It learn:
“I used to be saddened to be taught of the loss of life of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Kent, and I ship heartfelt condolences, along with the reassurance of my prayerful closeness, to Your Majesty, the Members of the Royal Household, and particularly to her husband, The Duke of Kent, and their youngsters and grandchildren presently of sorrow. Entrusting her noble soul to the mercy of our Heavenly Father, I readily affiliate myself with all these providing thanksgiving to Almighty God for The Duchess’s legacy of Christian goodness, seen in her a few years of dedication to official duties, patronage of charities, and devoted look after weak folks in society. To all who mourn her loss, within the positive hope of the Resurrection, I willingly impart my apostolic blessing as a pledge of comfort and peace within the Risen Lord.
The duchess will later be buried in a non-public ceremony on the Royal Burial Floor at Frogmore in Windsor.
Whereas Westminster is a comparatively fashionable Cathedral particularly compared with the Anglican Westminster Abbey, which has held royal coronations since 1066, it has its personal spectacular historical past. Two popes have visited the Cathedral—Pope John Paul II in 1982 and Pope Benedict XVI in 2010. Moreover, the church has a historic tie to the U.S.
When President Kennedy visited the UK in 1961, previous to his now-famous dinner at Buckingham Palace with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, he attended the baptism of his goddaughter, Christina “Tina” Radziwill at Westminster Cathedral. The crowds outdoors the church had been huge. “Lee’s daughter was baptized throughout this go to. The President was the godfather,” recalled JFK’s shut good friend Kirk LeMoyne “Lem” Billings. “The gang there was unbelievable — stable lots of individuals across the church for 2 or three blocks.”
John F. Kennedy leaves Westminster Cathedral following the 1961 christening ceremony of his niece Anna Christina Radziwill. The President is seen right here after the baptism who’s being carried by her godmother Countess Potocki. Mirrorpix – Getty Photos
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