click here to see the photo at Yachting Monthly

 The Duke of Kent recently participated in a ceremony to unveil and dedicate a new memorial created to honor the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) members who have lost their lives while trying to save the lives of others. During the ceremony at the RNLI headquarters in Poole, Dorset, the Duke of Kent unveiled the 4.5 meter-high memorial. It was designed by Sam Holland ARBS. It shows a person in a boat, saving another person in the water. According to an article in Yachting Monthly, the memorial “symbolizes the history and the future of the RNLI in its most basic and humanitarian form”. 778 people from all over the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland are commemorated on the memorial. Their family members, friends, and crew members were present at the ceremony.

The RNLI headquarters will have an open house on September 5 and 6. Members of the public are invited to see the memorial and learn more about RNLI. To learn more about the RNLI, please visit this website.

To read about, and to discuss the Duke and Duchess of Kent, please visit this thread.

sgl British Royals Duke of Kent, Memorial, Royal National Lifeboat Institution

The scoreboards at Wimbledon have undergone a change. They are no longer listing the names of the players with “Miss” or “Mrs.” (or even Ms.). In the past, female players have been listed with “Mrs.” or “Miss” before their names on the scoreboards, but men have never had a title before their names. A spokesman for the prestigious tennis tournament said, “We decided to bring it in line with the men”, according to a recent article in the Daily Mail.

In addition to dropping the titles, players no longer have to bow to the royal box when entering and leaving Centre Court. This change was brought about by the Duke of Kent, who is the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club. When asked about this change, the Duke stated that “it no longer fitted in with the modern game”.

Not all royal protocol has been abandoned though. Female players are still expected to curtsy to the Queen and the Prince of Wales, if they are present at Wimbledon. The Queen has not attended the tournament since 1977, and the Prince of Wales last attended in 1970; however, there is a lot of speculation (and hoping) that the Queen will attend if Andy Murray advances to the finals.

For more information about Wimbledon, please visit this website.

To read about, and to discuss the Duke of Kent, please visit this thread.

sgl British Royals Bowing & Curtseying, Duke of Kent, Elizabeth II, Protocol, Wimbledon

From the TRF avatar collection

 On the 8th June 1961, Miss Katharine Lucy Worsley married Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent in York Minster. It was the first royal wedding to take place there for over six hundred years when King Edward III had married in 1328. The bride, who had been born in 1933, was the only daughter of the late Sir William Worsley of Hovingham Hall. The couple had met in 1956 whilst Edward was stationed with the Royal Scots Greys at their barracks in Catterick, Yorkshire. Their engagement was announced on the 8th March 1961. (Offical engagement picture image) The wedding was attended by all the senior members of the family (image) as well as some foreign royalty including Crown Prince Harald of Norway, Crown Prince Constantine of Greece, Crown Princess Margrethe of Denmark, Princess Sophia of Greece and Don Juan Carlos of Spain. image

The bride chose John Cavanagh of Mayfair to make her wedding dress. Cavanagh was Princess Marina’s favourite designer and she persuaded her future daughter-in-law to give him the task of creating the wedding dress. The dress was made of a shimmering white silk gauze with a pearlized motif. image The details on the dress were kept simple with a stand away collar and as series of buttons on the long fitted sleeves. The tight bodice fell into a full bell-shaped skirt with a long train. image The bride’s tulle veil was held in place with a small diamond tiara. image Katharine also wore a simple pearl necklace and earrings. The bride carried a small rose bouquet. image The dress out on display in London. image

The bride was attended by eight bridesmaids including Princess Anne and three pageboys. The bridesmaids wore long white organdie dresses trimmed with yellow ribbon and they carried posies of roses to match the rosebuds which were in their hair. image The reception was held at the bride’s family home of Hovingham Hall where the official pictures were taken. image

The couple have three children, George, Earl of St Andrews born in 1962, Lady Helen Windsor (now Taylor) born in 1964 and Lord Nicholas Windsor born in 1970. image The Duchess also had a stillborn child in 1977. The couple also have 8 grandchildren – Edward Lord Downpatrick, Lady Marina-Charlotte Windsor, Lady Amelia Windsor, Columbus Taylor, Cassius Taylor, Eloise Taylor, Estella Taylor and Albert Windsor. Today, the Duchess is rarely seen in public and only attends a small number of family functions. She converted to Roman Catholicism in 1994 and now prefers to be known simply as Katharine Kent.

More information and pictures of the wedding can be found at this thread.

PrincessofEurope British Royals Duchess of Kent, Duke of Kent, Wedding Anniversary