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

[tiaraprin]

Thank you Emily for sharing that information. I did not know the Duchess had Celiac disease and I pray she is doing better.
Your information about a Spanish Royal is highly interesting. We will be sitting here trying to guess who it was!!

 

[Warren]

Noel & George

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)

It is no secret that the late Duke of Kent was bisexual, but the "affair with Noel Coward" seems to have been more wishful thinking on Noel Coward's part.
.

 

[kelly9480]

The Duke and Duchess of Kent still live together at Wren House, Kensington Palace. When WH was being renovated last year, they lived in a rented house in London - together. They also purchased a house together in Oxfordshire several years ago. Katharine's flat is for her music students, and she doesn't live there herself. They may not be happily married, but neither seems willing to divorce.

 

[Queen Mother]

Actually if anyone is interested, there is a wonderful biography on her titled The Ducheess of Kent The Troubled Life of Katharine Worsley by Mary Riddell. It's filled with wonderful pictures and a truly captivating story of her life.

 

[Emily]

Thank you for the information about the biography. I am fascinated that for so many years (at the Wimbledon prizegiving, at royal engagements, in photos by Norman Parkinson) the Duchess of Kent was such a fragile looking beauty -- always immaculately dressed. And yet in recent years she has emerged, for me at least, as more of a "Steel Magnolia". And as for responses to my earlier post -- I feel I only have part of the picture on the Spanish Royals and Celiac Disease -- if anyone has other information I, top, would love to hear it!

 

[kelly9480]

The Duchess has denied that she still suffers from the disease. She's said she was cured a while back, but I've never been able to find much info on the illness or when/how this cure came about.

 

[Emily]

Do you mean she was cured of Celiac Disease? I am curious where you read that. I wonder if she is following the diet and so her symptoms are no longer. I have it on completely reliable authority that there is currently no known cure except to stick with the gluten free diet, in which case - depending on the person and how long they have had the disease - many people experience an absence of symptoms. Research is rapidly progressing on a "cure" but to date there is none.

 

[tiaraprin]

From what I have read, there is no cure. But if she is following her treatment, her symptoms may have abated or disappeared.

 

[Harry's polo shirt]

ummm...what is celiac disease? what are the symptoms?

 

[Warren]

Gluten intolerance

ummm...what is celiac disease? what are the symptoms?

Otherwise spelt as 'coeliac': "a digestive disease of the small intestine brought on by contact with dietary gluten".

Gluten is found in most processed wheat products, so for those who have this condition it means no "normal" bread, biscuits, hamburgers, certain breakfast cereals, cakes, pastries, etc etc. They can only eat gluten-free foods, so correct food labelling is very important. These days there is an increasing number of gluten-free foodstuffs available.
.

 

[Harry's polo shirt]

Thank you so much for that information. I am glad its not like a STD or something because I was like oh no! am I gonna get someone in trouble or offend someone, and so on...I hope I never get it. What would I do with my hamburgers!?

 

[kelly9480]

She spoke with a writer a few years ago, I can't recall where I read it, either Majesty or perhaps the Telegraph, and denied she still suffered from the illness. The writer described it as a cure.

 

[Emily]

Kelly, thank you. I really don't know what to think about that -- perhaps the Duchess of Kent meant the absence of active symptoms, perhaps the word "cure" was inaccurate or maybe the initial report I read was inaccurate. I can't remember where I read it but most likely it was either Hello or Majesty. I recall it quite clearly, though, because in the same report they said that Tiggy Legge-Bourke has it also, which accounted for a dramatic weight loss in her as she lived on the restricted diet.

 

[james]

There is a big party being held tonight for his birthday and a lot of Royals are going. It is being held in the London mansion of his friend Paul Channon and is a joint birthday party as Mr. Channon was also 70 years old on 9/10/05. The Daily Mail newspaper said that the Queen,Charles and Camilla and most of the rest of the Royal Family will attend.

There are photographs of the Queen, Phillip, the Duke and Duchess of Kent and Lady Gabriella Windsor at the Duke of Kent's birthday party on Rex Features. Does anyone know how to enlarge and post these here?

 

[HMQueenElizabethII]

By Larzen's help, i had got a chance to see those pics, and i'm really appreciate Larzen for her help so much for me to get a chance to see those wonderful pics from UKPress:
They such great photos, and Her Majesty got really cool new dress and Happy Birthday to The Duke of Kent:

 

[zeap]

Who is the woman touching the Queen's back??? You would think they would have known better...

 

[BeatrixFan]

Re:

Queen Anne-Marie looks fabulous! The Queen looks quite old sadly. Princess Alexandra rather snazzy in dress and the Duchess of Gloucester......very blue.

 

[Warren]

...the Duchess of Gloucester....very blue.

ELECTRIC blue. She looks fabulous!

I don't think the camera flash has done Her Majesty any favours in this pic.
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[Lady Marmalade]

Happy b-lated birthday to the Duke of Kent! and many more....

I think The Duchess of Kent truly is a model of how a commoner can become royal and still retain a wonderful sense of humility and grace.

 

[Elspeth]

The Duchess of Kent doesn't look happy at all in that picture; I hope that was just an unfortunate photo, although I'm afraid it might not have been.

Who's the man she was with?

 

[Von Schlesian]

HRH THe Duchess of Kent almost looks nun-like with her combination of black-white and the very obvious display of the cross...

 

[Elspeth]

It looks like the same dress that she was wearing at the Classical Brit awards (see post 101), but with a different necklace. I wouldn't have thought that a great big cross like that was the most appropriate thing for a birthday party, but then I'm not exactly knowledgeable about fashion.

 

[ElisaR]

The Queen's dress is unusual. I would like a front view.

 

[auntie]

Even today the it is evident that the duchess was a beatiful lady in her younger years, she also seems a very sad person,

On a different note, it seems to me that Princess Michael of Kent has more Jewels and Tiaras than the Duchess, could it be, or is Princess Michael just more ostentatious?

 

[Elspeth]

I think the Duke and Duchess sold at least one tiara or maybe an entire parure. It's rumoured that Princess Michael has kept hers intact by replacing the precious stones with fakes and selling the former, but I have no idea if there's any truth to that.

 

[iowabelle]

I know that the Duchess of Gloucester probably has more tiaras than either the Duchess of Kent or Princess Michael. I have seen reports that the Duchess of G. has 5 (and possibly 6) with royal origins.

 

[Lady Marmalade]

I know that the Duchess of Gloucester probably has more tiaras than either the Duchess of Kent or Princess Michael. I have seen reports that the Duchess of G. has 5 (and possibly 6) with royal origins.

She does seem to have quite a bit of royal jewels compared to some of the other minor members of the royal family.

I think because Queen Mary gave and then left so many to Princess Alice as gifts and in her will. She then in turn passed them on to the current Duchess.

Princess Alexandra only seems to have one tiara and she was born a royal.

Most of the Kent tiaras went to the Duchess of Kent and Princess Michael.

 

[Elspeth]

Well, the Kent inheritance had to be split, whereas the current Duke of Gloucester is the only heir to his parents since his brother predeceased both parents and died unmarried. Also, the current Duke was godson and heir of Princess Marie Louise, which is where that amazing diamond, pearl, and sapphire tiara comes from, so he had jewels from more than one source.

I think Princess Alexandra's tiara was bought for her when she married, not inherited from her mother, who was still using her jewels herself at that time.

 

[Lady Marmalade]

Wasn't she Princess Helena's (Lenchen) daughter, Maria Louise?

 

[Elspeth]

Yes, that's the one. She had an early marriage followed by a divorce and then never remarried or had children, and apparently Prince Richard was her heir.

The tiara is near the bottom of this page:

http://www.angelfire.com/realm2/coronation/jewels.html