King Charles attends Duchess of Kent's funeral with William and Kate - but without Camilla due to illness
The King was joined by the Prince and the Princess of Wales for the 2pm mass at Westminster Cathedral, along with Princess Anne and the Duchess's immediate family.
King Charles and several other senior Royal Family members led mourners at the Duchess of Kent's funeral at Westminster Cathedral today.
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The King was joined by the Prince and the Princess of Wales for the 2pm mass, along with Princess Anne and the Duchess's immediate family.
He arrived to pay his respects without Queen Camilla, who pulled out of attending just two hours before the private family service began, as she continued her recovery from acute sinusitis.
The disgraced Duke of York also made a rare appearance outside Windsor, accompanied by his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York.
His public career was effectively ended after details of his friendship with American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein became public six years ago.
Among the other royals attending were the Princess Royal and Sir Tim Laurence, the Duchess of Edinburgh, the Duke of Kent's brother, Prince Michael of Kent, and his wife, Princess Michael of Kent.
Former Formula One world champion Sir Jackie Stewart and actresses Rula Lenska and Dame Maureen Lipman were also among the mourners at the cathedral for the funeral, which was conducted by Cardinal Vincent Nichols, leader of the Roman Catholic church in England and Wales.
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The requiem mass, a Catholic funeral, is the first to be held for a member of the monarchy in modern British history.
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.
During the requiem mass, a message from Pope Leo XIV was read out by Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendia, the apostolic nuncio - the diplomatic representative in the UK of the Holy See, the government of the Roman Catholic Church.
Once the service finished, the coffin of the Duchess of Kent was slowly carried from Westminster Cathedral and placed inside the royal hearse.
Following closely behind was the Duke of Kent, who used a walking stick before carefully making his way down the front steps.
Behind him stood other family members, as well as the King and the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Katharine, the wife of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s cousin the Duke of Kent, died peacefully at home, surrounded by her family, on the evening of September 4, aged 92.
The Duchess 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 secretly teaching music in a state primary school in Hull.
Camilla's absence from funeral raises questions over her attendance at US President Donald Trump’s high-stakes state visit, which begins in full at Windsor on Wednesday and is being hosted by the King.
The Queen is, however, hopeful that she will have recovered sufficiently to be able to attend all royal elements of the trip as planned, with highlights including a lavish state banquet.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: "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.
"Her thoughts and prayers will be with the Duke of Kent and all the family."