King Charles III attends Catholic Requiem Mass

The Requiem for Katherine, Duchess of Kent, who converted to Catholicism in 1994 and died aged 92, was celebrated by Cardinal Vincent Nichols, and included a message from Pope Leo XIV, read by the Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendia and sent to the King. The service took place on September 16.

The Pope, offering his condolences to the King and his family, especially the Duke of Kent and the couple’s children, wrote that he wanted to associate himself “with all those offering thanksgiving to Almighty God for the Duchess’s legacy of Christian goodness, seen in her many years of dedication to official duties, patronage of charities and devoted care for vulnerable people in society”. He went on to offer his apostolic blessing “as a pledge of consolation”.

Cardinal Nichols recalled the Duchess’s long involvement with The Passage, the Westminster charity for the homeless, where she had volunteered in the kitchen and helped with cleaning. He said she had shown a down-to-earth spirit that touched the lives of those most in need.

The public were not allowed into the funeral, and only one reporter from a news agency was allowed to attend.

Dozens of members of the extended Royal Family attended the Requiem, which was the first royal funeral to be held at Westminster Cathedral since it opened in 1903. As well as the King, the mourners included the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Princess Royal, and the Duke of York, accompanied by Sarah Ferguson, and the Duchess of Edinburgh.

Music was a central part of the service, reflecting a lifelong passion for the late Duchess. Pieces included Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus and music from the Requiem Mass by Duruflé.

Crowds lined the streets outside the cathedral as the coffin, draped in the royal standard and adorned with white roses symbolising the Duchess’s Yorkshire roots, was carried inside.

FULL STORY

King Charles III and Royal Family attend Requiem Mass for Duchess of Kent (By Catherine Pepinster/The Tablet)

King leads royals in first royal Catholic funeral since the Reformation (Catholic Herald)