In 2002, the Duchess chose to step back from her royal duties and stopped using the style “Her Royal Highness,” becoming informally known as Katharine Kent or Katharine, Duchess of Kent. But she never fully disappeared from the public eye, attending major events like Prince William and Catherine Middleton’s wedding in 2011, Buckingham Palace concerts and St. Paul’s Cathedral services during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding in 2018.

She notably did not attend Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in 2022 or King Charles III’s coronation in 2023, quietly marking her own path through decades of royal life.

The Duchess of Kent leaves behind her husband, the 89-year-old Duke of Kent, and their two sons and daughter.