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

[HRHHermione]

How dreadful. This is definitely a poignant reminder that so many of the current working royals are aging rapidly and could use some help and support.

 

[Elly C]

Yes, I couldn't believe it when I read he is 77. There does seem to be a gap, which I had never really noticed before, of very few royals undertaking engagements who are in their 40's and 50's. Just Andrew, Edward and Sophie ( I think).

 

[Molly2101]

Thoughts with Edward's family and wish him well and a speedy recovery.

Elly C, it is just Andrew, Edward and Sophie who are in their 40's and 50's at present. Then the next gap is 20's/30's with William, Catherine and Harry.

 

[HRHHermione]

Thoughts with Edward's family and wish him well and a speedy recovery.

Elly C, it is just Andrew, Edward and Sophie who are in their 40's and 50's at present. Then the next gap is early 30's with William, Catherine and Harry.

And none of those in their 30s are full time working royals.

 

[PrincessofEurope]

Hope the Duke recovers fully - it is a sad reminder that the many of the working royals are eldery and past retirement age yet continue to do so many engagements. I think i read that the Duke of Kent last year carried out about 250 engagements including foreign visits during the Diamond Jubilee. I do believe that the time is now for the young members to increase their workload to ease the burden on the family - William, Harry, Kate and to an extend when they can Beatrice and Eugenie.

 

[vkrish]

I dont know what is going to happen at The Birthday Parade. I am not at all sure he will be able to ride. Then what will he do..Ironically, I raised a similar scenario in another thread regarding DoE. Now, will the Duke of Kent (if he not able to ride) join the Queen and DoE in their carriage? I think thats mostly likely..Rather than having a separate carriage or going in civil dress or skipping parade altogether..
Ha ha we (or only me) are so bothered about that..I dont think anyone, inclding the most 'important' media gives any damn..I dont think even 0.5% of people watching Trooping know that DoK also rides..or he even exists..

 

[GömdNatt]

Hope the Duke recovers fully - it is a sad reminder that the many of the working royals are eldery and past retirement age yet continue to do so many engagements. I think i read that the Duke of Kent last year carried out about 250 engagements including foreign visits during the Diamond Jubilee. I do believe that the time is now for the young members to increase their workload to ease the burden on the family - William, Harry, Kate and to an extend when they can Beatrice and Eugenie.

Does anybody ever stop to think that maybe the older generation is perfectly happy doing as many engagements as they do? Maybe most of them don't want to lessen their "burden". and if they did, I'm sure the Queen would tell the younger generation to step up or lose title/privileges, etc.

 

[HRHHermione]

Does anybody ever stop to think that maybe the older generation is perfectly happy doing as many engagements as they do? Maybe most of them don't want to lessen their "burden". and if they did, I'm sure the Queen would tell the younger generation to step up or lose title/privileges, etc.

At this point, for some of them, it's not a matter of whether they want to or not. It's a simple fact that many of the elderly members of the royal family have ongoing health problems at this point, and that this problem will continue to crop up again and again. They need the younger members to start transitioning into a full time role so that this can be worked around.

My grandmother is a bit like that- she's 87, and she's had cancer twice, and last year she broke a hip. My mother and her sisters have to be at the house all the time now to prevent her from trying to go about her life as she always has, because it's actually dangerous for her to do it now. If they didn't watch her like hawks, she'd be walking around, trying to lift heavy things, and she'd probably be back in the hospital with another broken hip pretty quickly.

 

[tommy100]

Hope the Duke makes a quick recovery, was so surprised when I heard the news.

 

[Iluvbertie]

The current working royals by age group:

over 90 - 1
over 80 - 1
over 70 - 2
over 60 - 5
over 50 - 1
over 40 - 2
over 30 - 2
over 20 - 1

75% of all engagements are done by the over 60s and 50%+ by those in their 60s.

Charles and Anne between them do over 40% of all engagements.

The Duke of Kent, this year, according to my count has performed public duties on 24 days for a total of 52 engagements or 7.4% of the total engagments for the year so far including three engagements overseas.

 

[Spheno]

Hope the Duke recovers fully - it is a sad reminder that the many of the working royals are eldery and past retirement age yet continue to do so many engagements. I think i read that the Duke of Kent last year carried out about 250 engagements including foreign visits during the Diamond Jubilee. I do believe that the time is now for the young members to increase their workload to ease the burden on the family - William, Harry, Kate and to an extend when they can Beatrice and Eugenie.

Young royals can't simply replace older royals.
Many engagements are done being Patron or Head of some organisation, so this hypothetic organisation must invite a young royal to be their Patron/Head and say 'good bye' for present Patron.

 

[Dman]

I think the process is for the senior royals to resign as patron or president of a charity or organization and recommend it to another member of the royal family. I think it's up to the royals and officials of the charities and organizations to take things from there. Some new roles will be accepted and some won't.

 

[padams2359]

In a video interview Prince Andrew said when partonages have to be filled, the family meets at Sandringham. The name of the partonages are written on cards and laid on a card table. Everyone picks cards until they are all gone.

 

[Dman]

In a video interview Prince Andrew said when partonages have to be filled, the family meets at Sandringham. The name of the partonages are written on cards and laid on a card table. Everyone picks cards until they are all gone.

That was when they were choosing the charities and organizations that were left from Princess Margaret & The Queen Mother. I imagine they probably do the same thing with the duties The Queen & Duke of Edinburgh hand down to them.

 

[Nice Nofret]

At this point, for some of them, it's not a matter of whether they want to or not. It's a simple fact that many of the elderly members of the royal family have ongoing health problems at this point, and that this problem will continue to crop up again and again. They need the younger members to start transitioning into a full time role so that this can be worked around.

My grandmother is a bit like that- she's 87, and she's had cancer twice, and last year she broke a hip. My mother and her sisters have to be at the house all the time now to prevent her from trying to go about her life as she always has, because it's actually dangerous for her to do it now. If they didn't watch her like hawks, she'd be walking around, trying to lift heavy things, and she'd probably be back in the hospital with another broken hip pretty quickly.

True; but on the other hand, mightn't it be, that one would be happier continuing doing the things one loves, and maybe poping off earlier, but fulfilled?

I have such a case around me atm. One relative would prefer to protect the old lady - which means for her, to leave her beloved cottage & garden and move in an one room apartment for the elderly, where she has nothing to do but wait around and misses her garden - and gardening sorely? In the past years she broke a wrist, and another time sth or other, because of falling - but overall she was happy in her home. I can see her point in wanting to stay in her home and doing what she loves to do...

 

[HRHHermione]

True; but on the other hand, mightn't it be, that one would be happier continuing doing the things one loves, and maybe poping off earlier, but fulfilled?

I have such a case around me atm. One relative would prefer to protect the old lady - which means for her, to leave her beloved cottage & garden and move in an one room apartment for the elderly, where she has nothing to do but wait around and misses her garden - and gardening sorely? In the past years she broke a wrist, and another time sth or other, because of falling - but overall she was happy in her home. I can see her point in wanting to stay in her home and doing what she loves to do...

Agreed but there has to be some balance. We've chosen, with my family to do what we can to keep her in her home and only cared for by family, but we also can't let her try to pick up heavy boxes or do heavy housework.

Here, some of these folks may want to keep doing royal engagements but trim down how many they do or be accompanied by another member of the family so the burden is shared. As family members age, you have to sort that stuff out.

 

[An Ard Ri]

Not sure if this is being discussed in a seperate area


The Duke of Kent suffers a stroke

The Duke of Kent suffers a stroke - Independent.ie

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21888315

 

[AdmirerUS]

He's in many of our thoughts, I am sure!

 

[irish_royalist]

Any news on the progress of the Duke of Kent after his recent illness?
Nothing posted for a week now.

 

[vkrish]

I am surprised no one from the "proper" RF went to visit him..Maybe some of the Queen's children did go, but it was kept low profile, anyway media hardly cares for the old Duke..

 

[NGalitzine]

I am surprised no one from the "proper" RF went to visit him..Maybe some of the Queen's children did go, but it was kept low profile, anyway media hardly cares for the old Duke..

It would be pretty unusual if they did.

 

[Iluvbertie]

He is the Queen's first cousin. How many first cousins would even visit? Siblings maybe and children definitely but first cousins or further distant relatives - no.

 

[Nice Nofret]

The BRF doesn't like to make a fuss and visiting in a hospital disrupts the organisation. I'm sure they visit when he's back at home.

 

[Roslyn]

He is the Queen's first cousin. How many first cousins would even visit? Siblings maybe and children definitely but first cousins or further distant relatives - no.

It depends on the circumstances of the particular family, but first cousin is not a distant relationship and first cousins can be very close if they are similar in age and have mixed together a lot as they were growing up.

And sometimes even if they didn't mix much when young. Queen Victoria had a particularly close relationship with her first cousin!

 

[Ish]

Queen Victoria had a particularly close relationship with her first cousin!

And before she had that a close relationship with that cousin it was suggested that she might have a similar one with several of her other first cousins.

I do agree with the thought that the BRF doesn't typically visit family members in hospitals. Regardless of the relationship or the closeness it tends to be uncharacteristic (the exception being spouses and parents with young children).

 

[NGalitzine]

How many of us go to visit our mothers cousins in the hospital? Heck, the BRF don't even always attend the funerals or weddings of their first cousins, so a hospital visit unless he was on his death bed probably wasn't even on the radar.

 

[Roslyn]

My mother is 97 and was in hospital a lot last year. One of her first cousins, once removed, made a special trip from Melbourne to Sydney to visit her. A few of her first cousins, once removed, who live in Sydney, visited her regularly when she was in hospital. They also visited her regularly when she was at home. My mother now lives with me, much closer to Brisbane than Sydney, and the Melbourne cousins are travelling up here for her birthday in June. As I said above, it depends a lot on the family and one really cannot generalise because the circumstances from family to family can vary widely.

 

[AdmirerUS]

I am surprised no one from the "proper" RF went to visit him..Maybe some of the Queen's children did go, but it was kept low profile, anyway media hardly cares for the old Duke..

How do we know no one visited? Clearly, the paps are not camped out in front of the hospital to find out who and when.

 

[VictoriaB]

I am surprised no one from the "proper" RF went to visit him..Maybe some of the Queen's children did go, but it was kept low profile, anyway media hardly cares for the old Duke..

Wasn't aware we had a proper and improper RF.

 

[Iluvbertie]

The Duke and The Queen are first cousins but with nearly 10 years difference in age and their father's weren't the closest of brothers. They probably enjoy each other's company but not spend a lot of time socialising together.

As for the children of the Queen visiting their second cousin in hospital - why - they didn't visit their own mother in hospital and although they all visited their father during the Christmas hospitalisation didn't all visit him during his later hospitalisations.

Security and the disruption to hospital routine is the reason usually given for them not visiting relatives in hospital. Even if her were at death's door I doubt any of the Queen, Margaret's children or even the Gloucesters would be there.

The first cousin that The Queen was closest in age to on her father's side - the late Earl Harewood died last year and if my memory serves me correctly she didn't attend his funeral.