The Duchess of Kent, oldest member of Britain's royal household, dies at 92

The Duchess of Kent, the oldest member of Britain’s royal, has died, the household introduced on Friday. She was 92.

“Her Royal Highness handed away peacefully final evening at Kensington Palace, surrounded by her household,” the royals stated in a message shared on the household’s official social media accounts, including that King Charles III and Queen Camilla, together with all family members, joined her husband the Duke of Kent and his youngsters and grandchildren “in mourning their loss and remembering fondly The Duchess’s life-long devotion to all of the organizations with which she was related.”

The duchess, Katharine, spent most of her life – 64 years – married to the late Queen Elizabeth II‘s first cousin Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, whom she met in 1956.

The Duke and Duchess of Kent are seen on the State Opening of Parliament, Nov. 15, 1995.

Tim Graham Picture Library by way of Getty

“Proudly of Yorkshire heritage, Her Royal Highness was greatest recognized for her appearances at Wimbledon, the place she introduced the Girls’ Singles Trophy for a few years, and was additionally a passionate musician, music instructor and advocate for kids and younger individuals’s welfare,” an announcement on the royal household’s web site stated.

The household stated she continued enjoying the piano, organ and violin all through her life, and famous that, for the final 30 years or so, she had “targeted on her ardour for music, stepping apart as a working Member of The Royal Household in 2002 to deal with her non-public and charitable work on this sector.”

1993 Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship - Women's Singles - Final - Steffi Graf V Jana Novotná — German tennis participant Steffi Graf holds the Venus Rosewater Dish aloft after the presentation by British Royal Katharine, Duchess of Kent, after the Girls’s Singles last on the Wimbledon Garden Tennis Championship, in Wimbledon, London, July 3, 1993.

Henning Bangen/Bongarts/Getty

Earlier than leaving her official royal duties behind, she spent years instructing music at an elementary faculty in Hull, a metropolis in her dwelling area of Yorkshire.

The duchess’ demise makes her husband, the Duke of Kent, the oldest residing member of the British royal household at 89.

Diana Harry Duke Duchess Kent — Princess Diana and a younger Prince Harry are seen with the Duke And Duchess of Kent, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace through the Battle of Britain anniversary parade, Sept. 15, 1990.

Tim Graham Picture Library by way of Getty

Longevity is a household trait.

Queen Elizabeth II died in 2022 on the age of 96, and she or he was solely the fifth longest-living member of her household. Elizabeth was, nevertheless, the longest-reining British monarch, having occupied the throne for greater than 70 years.

The longest-living British royal member of the family ever was Princess Alice, the Duchess of Gloucester, who died in October 2004 on the age of 102.

Tucker Reals

Tucker Reals is CBSNews.com’s overseas editor, based mostly within the CBS Information London bureau. He has labored for CBS Information since 2006, previous to which he labored for The Related Press in Washington, D.C., and London.