The Duke of Kent has carried out his first royal engagement weeks after the death of his wife, Katharine, Duchess of Kent.
According to the Court Circular, the official record of royal engagements, Prince Edward, 89, attended a concert in London on Tuesday (October 7).
The Duke of Kent, Queen Elizabeth II’s cousin, attended a concert at Wigmore Hall as patron of the venue.
The Duke of Kent attended a concert in London this week (Credit: Cover Images)
Duke of Kent carries out first engagement after Duchess of Kent’s death
According to reports, the Duke of Kent last made a royal outing in August. He presented the Duke of Kent medal to Mr James Malcolmson of The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Regimental Association.
At the start of September, Buckingham Palace announced the death of the Duchess of Kent at the age of 92.
The Duke and Duchess of Kent had been married for 64 years, tying the knot in 1961.
The palace’s statement read: “It is with deep sorrow that Buckingham Palace announces the death of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Kent.
“Her Royal Highness passed away peacefully at Kensington Palace, surrounded by her family.”
It added: “The King and Queen and all Members of The Royal Family join The Duke of Kent, his children and grandchildren in mourning their loss and remembering fondly The Duchess’s life-long devotion to all the organisations with which she was associated, her passion for music and her empathy for young people.”
The Duchess of Kent died in September (Credit: Photo by Shutterstock)
Duchess of Kent’s funeral
The duchess’ funeral service took place on September 16 at Westminster Cathedral.
The service was a Requiem Mass as the Duchess of Kent was Catholic. She became the first member of the royal family to convert to Catholicism for more than 300 years, doing so in 1994.
Her Royal Highness passed away peacefully at Kensington Palace.
Her funeral service marked the first royal funeral at Westminster Cathedral since 1903 when it was constructed. It was the first royal Catholic funeral in modern history.
The Duke of Kent, who turns 90 on October 9, attended the service, supported by his children. Members of the royal family attended, including King Charles and the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Queen Camilla didn’t attend as she was “recovering from acute sinusitis”.
The Duke of Sussex reportedly visited the Duke of Kent during his UK trip last month (Credit: Cover Images)
Prince Harry’s ‘visit’ to Duke of Kent
During his visit to the UK days after the Duchess of Kent’s death, Prince Harry reportedly paid a visit to the Duke of Kent.
A source close to the duke told HELLO! that he “travelled privately to Kensington Palace to offer condolences” to the Duke of Kent in person before departing the UK.
The Duke of Kent became a working royal after retiring from the British Army in 1976. Over the years, he was seen supporting Queen Elizabeth II at various royal events.
