The Duke and Duchess of Kent News and Events 1: October 2003- Sep 2022

[A.C.C.]

Arms of TRH The Duke and Duchess of Kent​

Welcome to The Duke and Duchess of Kent's
Current Events, Part One

Commencing October 2003​

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[hrhcp]

The Duke and Duchess of Kent news and pictures

http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page422.asp

Born in 1935, HRH The Duke of Kent is the son of the late Prince George, fourth son of King George V, and the late Princess Marina, daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece. He is cousin to both The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh.

The present Duke of Kent inherited his title following the death of his father in 1942.

In 1961 The Duke of Kent became engaged to Miss Katharine Worsley and they married in York Minster. The couple have three children: George, Earl of St Andrews, born in June 1962; Lady Helen Taylor, born in April 1964 and Lord Nicholas Windsor, born on 25 July 1970.

The Duke and The Duchess of Kent undertake a large number of official Royal engagements. Each has close associations with many charities, professional bodies and other organisations.

 

[A.C.C.]

The Duke of Kent meets a member of the English Rugby team at a reception held for them at Buckingham Palace by The Queen. Dec. 8, 2003.

 

[wymanda]

The SM carries a report that the Duke and Duchess are set to divorce after 43 years of marriage.

 

[Elizajane]

Originally posted by jun5@Feb 1st, 2004 - 10:09 am
Is it really?

This doesn't really surprise me ~ but, I'm sure it surprises the Queen (if this is true) and their children, grandchildren, and siblings ~ OR ~ maybe not. I think her "spiraling downfall" stretches back to when she had to abort one child because she contracted german measles while pregnant, and after that, she had a miscarriage. She has had a troubled "spirit" since those two pregnancies up until now, IMHO. (Gracious, woman! You already have three beautiful children! Think about women who cannot bear a child!!)

Then, a long while after that, she converted to Catholicism (after having been married and a member in the Church of England for over 30 years) and began to be a traveling "nun" of sorts ~ making long pilgramages to France, Africa, and other countries, practically dressed in rags, seeking some sort of "individual spirit self satisfaction" I think she felt that "others" and "other countries" needed her in some way ~ at least, by her understanding of their plight.

She reminds me of one of my sisters who just "floats and floats" from one day to another, not really knowing what day it is" ~ because their "spiritual side" needs a lot more attention than her family, children (who are all grown up), and grandchildren. It's my opinion that "hormones" cause a lot of this for some women. I'll be so bold as to say that their "ilk" have probably told others that she " .. received a message from God .. OR .. God came and sat on her bed one night, revealing the secret of life .. " ( and, I'm not being "sacrilegious" here by saying this ~ it's just a matter of fact ), and " .. to go out and evangilize and bring help to those who are disadvantaged .. ". ~ sort of like what DIANA, THE PRINCESS OF WALES was doing ~ bringing and exposing areas which need a great deal of help, as in Ethiopia, etc. ~ but, if "this" is the basic core of the "divorce", it's very unfortunate.

It's really too bad and very sad for the Duke of Kent if this is true. I think he's an exceptional man, along with his brother, Prince Michael. From where I sit, over here in America, (and after reading several books), the Duke of Kent has bent over backwards to satisfy her when she had ME, notwithstanding giving her a "very long leash" for anything she wanted to do ~ which has obviously happened. I just can't see that man mistreating her in any way. If she said, "Jump!" to him, he'd probably pull out the trampoline.

IMHO, the Duchess has "jumped ship" ~ (Ooops! QEII needs some smelling salts !!)~ but, I don't think the Duke, PP Michaels, and Princess Alexandra would personally dishonor the Queen in this way. This is very sad ~ "twisted views" ~ It's split up more families than one may realize ~

Elizajane

 

[timtonruben359]

Originally posted by wymanda@Feb 1st, 2004 - 6:35 am
The SM carries a report that the Duke and Duchess are set to divorce after 43 years of marriage.

It is true. The Duke and Duchess of Kent have been living seperate lives for years now. The Duchess has willing given up her HRH title because she felt "it has no bearing or place in modern society."

It has been well known that the Duke has been trying to ask the Queen to allow them to divorce since the 70's, but Her Majesty was dead against such a thing. Also the Duchess is a devout Catholic doesn't believe in divorce. The Queen is very close to the Duchess as well and doesn't want to see her officially gone from the royal circle (although she has done few royal duties in years).

I wouldn't be surprised if they did divorce, but I wouldn't surprised if they didn't either.

 

[sophie25]

My heart goes out to the Duke and Duchess on the breakdown of their marraige as they both appear to be very decent people. Unlike some people on this page I can't profess to have been privy to their very private affairs. I do think however that the Duke himself would take exception to the vicious attacks which have been aimed at the woman who is the mother of this children and grandmother of his grandchildren. The beakdown does not seem to have been acrimonious but one where the two parties drifted too vastly apart whilst still retaining great respect for one another. "There by the Grace of God go us all!" a sentiment which I am sure Her Majesty herself would agree with as she has not had her own sorrows to seek given her own husbands disgraceful behaviour with Lady Romsey to this day.

 

[Elspeth]

According to the biography of the Duchess by Mary Riddell, it sounds as if she was unsure about the marriage from the start but was pushed into it by her mother, who was ambitious for her, and by the opposition of Princess Marina, which made the Duke more determined than ever. It sounds like one of those desperately sad cases of two fundamentally incompatible people trying for years to make the best of an impossible situation.

 

[Elspeth]

Does she do any public engagements any more?

 

[A.C.C.]

No. The Duchess is retired (offcially or unofficially???) from public life. She only attends certain events where the entire royal family is present like the service for the 50th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

 

[A.C.C.]

The Duke of Kent visited an exhibition to commemorate soldiers that disappeared in World War I, Thieval, France, September 27, 2004.

The Duke of Kent at the exhibit

A close picture of the Duke of Kent at the commemoration

The Duke looking at those lost in WWI

 

[wymanda]

What has happened to the Duchess of late. She used to be so pretty and dress so nicely. Now she looks as though she doesn't care????????

 

[Denis]

The Duchess has suffered periodically from extended bouts of ill health particularly sinced with her miscarriage in 1977. Rumours of marital probelms didn't help. She has also has concerns over her son's Nicholas' well-being in recent years. It was with the Queen's permission she ceased performing public duties and generally does not use the HRH style. She does however attend some family cleebrations such as the funeral of Princess Alice. She takes great comfort from her catholicism. I think she looks relatively good for a 71 year old grandmother.

 

[mybags]

The duchess has suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome.

 

[florawindsor]

does the duchess's conversion to catholism affect the duke's status in the line of succession, theorectically?

 

[Warren]

Still in Line

does the duchess's conversion to catholism affect the duke's status in the line of succession, theorectically?

No. The relevant law (Act of Settlement) states that anyone MARRYING a Roman Catholic is excluded from the line of succession to the Throne. It does not exclude someone whose spouse BECOMES a Roman Catholic after the marriage.

So that Prince Michael of Kent forfeited his right of succession when he married the Roman Catholic Baroness Marie Christine von Riebnitz, but the Duke of Kent retains his rights because the Duchess converted after they were married.
.

 

[Benjamin]

I feel so sorry for the Duchess. I hope that maybe she can recover from whatever depression she may be suffering. From what I have heard she was highly commended for the royal duties she used to carryout. It worries me greatly the way she seems to have retreated from public duties, which is one of the main functions of a member of the British Royal Family. Does anyone have thoughts on the state of the Kents' marriage? From what I have heard it is rather broken down, but the Queen doesn't think it would be a good idea for them to divorce. Are they separated?

 

[kelly9480]

She's denied several times that she suffers from depression. She may have been depressed in the 70s, but she says she's not depressed now. The Kents still live together in the same residence, so they aren't separated. They may not be deliriously happy together, but how many couples are? The Queen didn't want them to divorce in the early 80s, but there's no evidence that they've talked about divorce since then -- regardless of what the tabloids print.

 

[florawindsor]

i read in the newspaper that the Duchess teaches music at some school. ppl at that shool didn't even know her real identity for a long time.

 

[kelly9480]

She seems to be some sort of music tutor who young musicians come to for extra practice

 

[HMQueenElizabethII]

Yorkshire Post Today:http://www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=55&ArticleID=1058994

Duchess proves that love of music has lesson for all ages

THE badge on her jacket said it all: "I love singing".
And yesterday the Duchess of Kent continued to spread her love of music to the children on a deprived Hull estate
"Mrs Kent", as she is known by staff and children, taught music incognito at Wansbeck Primary School, coming to Hull once a week from her home near Oxford for 12 years, before "retiring" at Christmas.
But yesterday she revealed that as well as remaining as school governor, she would continue to teach there on a supply basis, as well as pouring her efforts into her new charity Future Talent.

 

[rchainho]

DUKE WILL SEE CENTRE
http://www.thisisexeter.co.uk/displ...tentPK=12755404

ROYAL VISITOR
http://www.essexchronicle.co.uk/dis...tentPK=12734627


Duke to open Parklands centre
http://www.okehampton-today.co.uk/today/options/news/newsdetail.cfm?id=14145

 

[HMQueenElizabethII]

Princess Michael and the Duke of Kent watch the mixed double final between Mahesh Bhupathi of India and his teammate Mary Pierce of France and Paul Hanley of Australia and his teammate Tatiana Perebiynis of Ukraine at the 119th Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, 03th July:

 

[lamonkman]

The Act of Settlement and the Line of Succession

I have two questions:

Recently I discovered when I googled "Prince George, Duke of Kent" that a profile aired on him nearly two years ago, entitled "The Queen's Lost Uncle."

1) I would like to ask if any forum members out there have seen this program and what their impressions of it were. Did you find it credible?

Judging by the synopsis I read on the Internet, the program rehashed many of the allegations already made about the Queen's late uncle; that he was bisexual ( an affair with Noel Coward has been alleged) that he was addicted to drugs in the late twenties, and that he was unfaithful during his marriage.

Regarding his drug addiction, I did find this confirmed in the official biography of Edward VIII written by Paul Ziegler. Given his credentials and his access to the Royal Archives Ziegler is a credible source, and morever he does quote from the then Prince of Wales' correspondence regarding his supervision of his errant brother's rehabilitation.

2) I have recently read on this forum that the present Duke and Duchess of Kent lead separate lives. However, correct me if I'm wrong, they apparently both still reside at St. James's Palace. Do they have separate apartments?

- One post also stated that the Duke and Duchess were soon to divorce. Can anyone provide any links to this story? Or suggest further reading regarding this matter?

- I understand that they are not officially separated, in consideration of the Queen's wishes?

 

[Emily]

I have not seen the program but for a while I did follow the history of the British Royal Family very closely. I think the allegations you make about the present Duke of Kent's father - drug use, questionable sexuality - have been substantiated. He was a very hard living man. It is somewhat understandable given the rigid and somewhat repressed upbringing of the children of George V and Mary...a few of those brothers had difficulties. I don't know about the living situation of the current Duke and Duchess. I have read that they are essentially living separate lives. The Duchess (and I think she prefers to be known simply as Katharine/Kate now) has given up all royal duties and until recently was teaching piano lessons -- something at which she is quite gifted. And the issue of them divorcing has surfaced but whether they will go through with it or not I don't know. Much of what I know about this you have already written -- the Duke won't go through with it because of the Queen. And, since the Duchess converted to Catholicism several years ago, I don't know if, from a religious standpoint, she would agree to a divorce or not. Perhaps someone else can fill us in more.

 

[branchg]

The Duke and Duchess have no plans to divorce, but they agreed to a private separation several years ago. Katherine nows lives in her own flat in London that she purchased with family money, while the Duke continues to live at St. James Palace. The Queen supposedly approved their separation and offered to provide an apartment for the Duchess at Kensington Palace, but she declined.

Why they have not formally divorced is unclear. There was press speculation the Duke wished to divorce, but Katherine did not due to the prohibition in the Catholic Church. Who knows if this is true or not. They definately have gone their separate ways for now.

In any case, Katherine remains HRH and spends most of her free time giving piano lessons, with a very occasional royal duty or two when asked.

 

[tiaraprin]

I feel so sorry for the Duchess. She has been through so much trauma. I wonder what drove her and the Duke apart?

 

[iowabelle]

The Duchess has had terrible health problems since the 1970s, with losing 2 babies and depression (and I heard somewhere she had chronic fatigue syndrome).

I have also heard that the marriage suffered from many of the same royal-non-royal issues that posed a problem for Anne, Princess Margaret, Charles and Andrew. It seems that royal spouses expect the world to revolve around them because they're raised that way.

In the end, though, probably only they know what happened.

 

[Emily]

She has had substantial health problems over the years. About ?5 maybe 7 years ago she was diagnosed as having Celiac Disease. Last year an article in the New England Journal of Medicine listed several diseases that can occur whose underlying cause appears to be Celiac Disease and depression and chronic fatigue syndrome are two of those. In light of this, and her relatively recent diagnosis, I am hoping she is doing better. As an aside, one of the leading physicians in the diagnosis of Celiac Disease lived in our town until recently. He was instrumental in helping a store for gluten free goods get started so that he could refer newly diagnosed patients to it. The owner of the store mentioned to me one day that "some member of the Spanish royal family" had been in! I've never found out who it was but have always been curious!

 

[lamonkman]

Thank you for your new information Emily. I appreciate it!