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


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Status
Not open for further replies.
The Duchess of Kent attended the royal wedding with the Duke in a pink skirt suit and pink pillbox hat. She is a true lady. My question is was their daughter, Lady Helen, with them? I still can't find pics of her at the wedding..Anyone?
 
It's so nice to see her "out and about." She's looking more well than she has on other appearances in recent years. Perhaps her time out of the public eye has been refreshing for her.:flowers:


Really?
To me she looked quite ill!
She had a glazed expression when she first entered the Abbey (an expression I associate with someone heavily medicated).
 
She also seemed to be walking with some difficulty (i.e. a slight limp). I hope everything is alright.

Lady Helen Taylor was in attendance as well.
 
Yes, I thought that the Duchess of Kent [one of my very favourite Royals] was looking rather ill. I then thought that this was perhaps because I haven't seen her for some years - whilst she was undertaking royal duties, she always looked fresh and blonde and this all helped to make her look 'young'. She has however not enjoyed the best of health over the years, having suffered a miscarriage, a termination following exposure to german measles whilst pregnant, considerable depression [I am no doctor, but presumably this was due, at least in part, to her pregnancy tragedies] Coeliac disease [which was finally diagnosed after the Duchess had been suffering from 'tiredness' for years. She is now of course nearly 80, and as she has not enjoyed the best of health, I suppose it is inevitable that she looks as she does. I do hope though that her health continues to improve and that we also see more of her in the future. Truly a very gracious lady.

Alex
 
I'm given to understand that she is also suffering a neurological disorder which could help to explain, what seems to be, her difficulty with walking. This lovely lady, whose inner beauty has always shone brightly, has born innumerable sorrows, with quiet dignity.
 
It was lovely to see her with the Duke. I know that their marriage is effectively over but they do still attend functions together.

She didn't look well at all, in my opinion, unfortunately.
 
It was wonderful to see the Duchess of Kent at the wedding -- but I was shocked by her appearance, not at all as I remember her from even a short few years ago.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The poor Duchess of Kent looked like she was very, very ill--and like she forgot to put on makeup. She looked dreadful--such a shame when she's always been so beautiful. And, as usual, you could fire a cannon between herself and her husband. Such a sad lady and such a sad marriage. I feel for both being "stuck" as they seem to be. Lady Helen looked lovely. She is really the best looking of all the royal women.
 
The poor Duchess of Kent looked like she was very, very ill--and like she forgot to put on makeup. She looked dreadful--such a shame when she's always been so beautiful. And, as usual, you could fire a cannon between herself and her husband. Such a sad lady and such a sad marriage. I feel for both being "stuck" as they seem to be. Lady Helen looked lovely. She is really the best looking of all the royal women.

Its a shame that the marriage didn't work out. I just purchased some old Majesty magazines and one of the old editions focused on the Duke and Duchess...some pics posed (which I know can be faked to an extent of smiling and looking happy when you are in fact not) and some that were spontaneous. At one time, they were very close indeed.
 
I also was very glad to see the Duchess at the wedding, but was very sad to see how frail she had become and even stumbled at one point, but her husband gently helped her along.
 
I also was very glad to see the Duchess at the wedding, but was very sad to see how frail she had become and even stumbled at one point, but her husband gently helped her along.

She is slightly older than her husband and has had many episodes of bad heath and bad mental health. I hope it's not something awful like early-onset of Alzheimers. I hope she is just "frail elderly" a little early. She is such a wonderful lady.
 
__________________


On May 10, the Duke of Kent visited the Isle of Wight to celebrate the 40th anniversary
of the Isle of Wight Steam Railway and to attend a lunch in aid of the Isle of Wight
Scouts Corf Camp Appeal in his role as president of the Scouting Association.


** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Duke's fourth visit to Island **
 
____________________


On May 12, the Duke of Kent visited Harvard Engineering plc., Tyler Close, Normanton to officially open a new
manufacturing facility and to present Harvard with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise, within the innovation
category. Harvard is a manufacturer of wireless street lighting solutions, as well as LED and HID lighting controls.


** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 **


On May 17, the Duke as President in Chief of the British Racing Drivers' Club officially opened the new Wing at
Silverstone Circuit, Towcester, Northamptonshire.


** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 ** daylife gallery **
 
___________________


Today, June 20, the Duke of Kent attended the opening match on court 3 on Day One of the
Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London.


** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 **
 
I'm curious~ are the Duke and Duchess of Kent estranged? I thought I read that some where.
 
I really miss the Duchess at wimbeldon. It's not the same without her.
 
I'm curious~ are the Duke and Duchess of Kent estranged? I thought I read that some where.

No formal announcement has ever been made about the state of the marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Kent, but it is tacitly acknowledged that they lead almost completely separate lives; this is in part due to the Duchess's wish to 'drop out' of active royal engagements, which was announced, although at the time of making that announcement [when she also gave up many of her royal patronages] I do know that she was doing a lot of 'private' work both for the hospice movement, the Samaritans and the Catholic Church. Rumours have also persisted that the Kents wished to divorce but that this was discouraged by the Queen, particularly as there was no 'other person' involved, and no possibility of a remarriage - the idea being that the royal couple need not see much of each other if that was what they wanted. Whether the rumours about the marriage are true or not I do not know and have no way of knowing.

As people have noted on this forum, the Duchess is somewhat frail - generally she has not enjoyed the best of health.

I love her because of her humanity; years ago when I was in the crowds watching her do a 'walkabout', I remember a young girl had a nosebleed just as the Duchess passed by on 'bouquet collecting duties'; whilst everyone 'oohed and aahed' at the 'bad timing', the Duchess immediately sprang into action and produced her own handkerchief, i.e. giving real practical help.

I also used to adore the Duchess at Royal Ascot; when she used to return to the Royal Box, passing amongst the on-lookers, she didn't just smile and / or wave like the other royals, she used to say to everyone 'So good to see you', as if she really was both genuinely pleased to see them and as if seeing them was the reason for her being there, not the races.

The Duchess used to be a regular at Wimbledon, and although she has effectively dropped out of royal life, I am sure that she would still have attended the tennis, which she loved, except for a horrible row that emerged between the Duchess and Wimbledon when she asked if she could bring with her to the Royal box a young child who had suffered a terrible misfortune (from memory the death of a parent) to give him a treat [I am sorry, my memory is not good on this one, but I will check] and the horrid Secretary or whoever it was at Wimbledon said 'No'. whereupon the Duchess stuck to her principles and refused to turn up.

The Royal Box at Wimbledon is something of a misnomer - although it is called by Wimbledon 'The Royal Box' and Royals do sit there, I think that in effect the box is controlled by the All England Club [i.e. not the BRF] and the Club sanctions which Royal can attend and they -Wimbledon, not the Royals - choose the strange assortment of other guests who join the royals in the box - a smattering of politicians, celebrity chefs, DJs, reality tv stars etc, not all of whom are in my very humble opinion the sort of people who should be there....

One slightly more hopeful note about the Duchess of Kent; if you read her profile on the Royal Family website, there is no reference now to her dropping out of royal life and in fact, in my very humble opinion, the entry seems quite upbeat, as if the Duchess is carrying on some form of royal work.
 
Last edited:
No formal announcement has ever been made about the state of the marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Kent, but it is tacitly acknowledged that they lead almost completely separate lives; this is in part due to the Duchess's wish to 'drop out' of active royal engagements, which was announced, although at the time of making that announcement [when she also gave up many of her royal patronages] I do know that she was doing a lot of 'private' work both for the hospice movement, the Samaritans and the Catholic Church. Rumours have also persisted that the Kents wished to divorce but that this was discouraged by the Queen, particularly as there was no 'other person' involved, and no possibility of a remarriage - the idea being that the royal couple need not see much of each other if that was what they wanted. Whether the rumours about the marriage are true or not I do not know and have no way of knowing.

As people have noted on this forum, the Duchess is somewhat frail - generally she has not enjoyed the best of health.

I love her because of her humanity; years ago when I was in the crowds watching her do a 'walkabout', I remember a young girl had a nosebleed just as the Duchess passed by on 'bouquet collecting duties'; whilst everyone 'oohed and aahed' at the 'bad timing', the Duchess immediately sprang into action and produced her own handkerchief, i.e. giving real practical help.

I also used to adore the Duchess at Royal Ascot; when she used to return to the Royal Box, passing amongst the on-lookers, she didn't just smile and / or wave like the other royals, she used to say to everyone 'So good to see you', as if she really was both genuinely pleased to see them and as if seeing them was the reason for her being there, not the races.

The Duchess used to be a regular at Wimbledon, and although she has effectively dropped out of royal life, I am sure that she would still have attended the tennis, which she loved, except for a horrible row that emerged between the Duchess and Wimbledon when she asked if she could bring with her to the Royal box a young child who had suffered a terrible misfortune (from memory the death of a parent) to give him a treat [I am sorry, my memory is not good on this one, but I will check] and the horrid Secretary or whoever it was at Wimbledon said 'No'. whereupon the Duchess stuck to her principles and refused to turn up.

The Royal Box at Wimbledon is something of a misnomer - although it is called by Wimbledon 'The Royal Box' and Royals do sit there, I think that in effect the box is controlled by the All England Club[i.e. not the BRF] and the Club sanctions which Royal can attend and they -Wimbledon, not the Royals - choose the strange assortment of other guests who join the royals in the box - a smattering of politicians, celebrity chefs, DJs, reality tv stars etc, not all of whom are in my very humble opinion the sort of people who should be there....

One slightly more hopeful note about the Duchess of Kent; if you read her profile on the Royal Family website, there is no reference now to her dropping out of royal life and in fact, in my very humble opinion, the entry seems quite upbeat, as if the Duchess is carrying on some form of royal work.

I did notice at both William and Kate's wedding as well as Trooping the Color, that the Duke and Duchess seemed to be getting along rather well. I saw them chatting together on the balcony at Trooping the Color and it wasn't as if they knew the cameras were zoomed directly on them, so maybe everything is not as bad as it has been reported to be (or maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part).
 
__________________


The Duke of Kent attended the second round match between Lleyton Hewitt of Australia
and Robin Soderling of Sweden on Day Four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships
on June 23, 2011 in London.



** Pic **
 
_________________


Today, June 28, the Duke of Kent attended the quarterfinal round match between Sabine Lisicki
of Germany and Marion Bartoli of France on Day 8 of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships.
Princess Beatrice was present as well.




** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** gettyimages/daylife gallery **
 
___________________


The Duke of Kent and Dame Maggie Smith attended the Women's semi final match between Victoria
Azarenka of Belarus and Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic on Day Ten of the Wimbledon Lawn
Tennis Championships on June 30, 2011 in London.



** Pic **
 
The Duchess used to be a regular at Wimbledon, and although she has effectively dropped out of royal life, I am sure that she would still have attended the tennis, which she loved, except for a horrible row that emerged between the Duchess and Wimbledon when she asked if she could bring with her to the Royal box a young child who had suffered a terrible misfortune (from memory the death of a parent) to give him a treat [I am sorry, my memory is not good on this one, but I will check] and the horrid Secretary or whoever it was at Wimbledon said 'No'. whereupon the Duchess stuck to her principles and refused to turn up.

The Royal Box at Wimbledon is something of a misnomer - although it is called by Wimbledon 'The Royal Box' and Royals do sit there, I think that in effect the box is controlled by the All England Club [i.e. not the BRF] and the Club sanctions which Royal can attend and they -Wimbledon, not the Royals - choose the strange assortment of other guests who join the royals in the box - a smattering of politicians, celebrity chefs, DJs, reality tv stars etc, not all of whom are in my very humble opinion the sort of people who should be there....


My understanding of this incident is that the Duchess didn't actually ask anyone if she could take the boy and so they weren't prepared for him.

As a result she was refused the right to take him in. Had she actually asked she might have been able to do so but she basically turned up with him.

The club has the right to refuse anyone the right to sit in those seats and in this case, as they hadn't been asked and thus weren't prepared acted appropriately.

She did attend Wimbledon for another three years - as this event was in 1999 and she was still attending into about 2001 or 2002.
 
___________________


The Duke of Kent together with his daughter Lady Helen attended the Ladies' final round match between Maria
Sharapova of Russia and Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic on Day 12 of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis
Championships on July 2, 2011 in London. Petra Kvitova has won!



** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** gettyimages/daylife gallery **
 
___________________


The Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships are over! The Duke of Kent also attended the Men's final
between Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Rafael Nadal of Spain and handed out the trophy to winner
Novak Djokovic on July 3, 2011 in London.



** Pic **
 
__________________



The Duke of Kent as President in Chief of the British Racing Drivers' Club attended a qualifying session
for the Grand Prix at Silverstone, Towcester, Northamptonshire, July 9, 2011.



** Pic **
 
My understanding of this incident is that the Duchess didn't actually ask anyone if she could take the boy and so they weren't prepared for him.

As a result she was refused the right to take him in. Had she actually asked she might have been able to do so but she basically turned up with him.

The club has the right to refuse anyone the right to sit in those seats and in this case, as they hadn't been asked and thus weren't prepared acted appropriately.

She did attend Wimbledon for another three years - as this event was in 1999 and she was still attending into about 2001 or 2002.


As promised, I've now checked this and have got some background information and in fact its not correct to say that the Duchess turned up with someone. Everything took place beforehand - the Duchess asked well in advance if she could bring the bereaved 12 year old son of a friend to the Royal Box and Wimbledon refused as the only children allowed in the Royal Box are royal children.

As a general point, I am sure that any member of the Royal Family of the Duchess' generation would never just turn up with a 'spare' person unannounced - apart from politeness etc, all royal visits are minutely planned and 'spares' would be hard to accommodate.

Hope this helps,

Alex
 
Mrs Kent the musical royal and her life teaching at a school in Hull

Duchess of Kent: The musical royal and her life teaching at a school in Hull | Mail Online

" When ill health caused her to vanish from the royal circuit, many thought the Duchess of Kent had become something of a recluse.

The truth was very different. It later emerged she had been teaching music at a state primary school in Hull – most of the time in anonymity."

---------------------
This was a really heartwarming article to read, and I am in awe of someone who puts herself forward at the age of 70 to help others in a meaningful, personal way.


I think this dovetails well with Diarist's warm memories of the Duchess of Kent.


There are so many wonderful traits to admire in Katharine Kent. She has lived her life with honor and grace.


It's a great read.
 
Last edited:
It is a good read but I am surprised that it is making the news now. She had already done tv interviews about teaching in Hull and about her charity so this is not exactly new information.
Good PR for a new interview I guess.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom