The coffin of the Duchess of Kent was received during a solemn ceremony at Westminster Cathedral on the eve of her funeral service.
Soldiers from The Royal Dragoon Guards, a regiment she supported as deputy Colonel-in-Chief, were given the duty of carrying the coffin from the royal hearse into the place of worship.
Katharine, the wife of the late Queen’s cousin the Duke of Kent, died peacefully at home, surrounded by her family, on the evening of September 4 aged 92.
A devout follower of the Roman Catholic faith, the duchess became the first member of the royal family to convert to Catholicism for more than 300 years, doing so in 1994, and it was her wish to have her funeral at Westminster Cathedral.
Immediate family, including her widower, the Duke of Kent and their daughter Lady Helen Taylor, had been welcomed by the Dean of Westminster Cathedral Father Slawomir Witon and watched from the cathedral steps as the soldiers slowly carried the coffin.
It was draped with the royal standard which had a white ermine border signifying she was the spouse of a prince, and there was a large floral display on top of the standard.
Ahead of the coffin’s arrival the Duke of Kent’s siblings Prince Michael of Kent and Princess Alexandra entered the cathedral to take their place before a series of private funeral rites.
The rites included a Vigil for the Deceased, Rite of Reception, which usually involves the coffin being sprinkled with holy water, and evening prayers known as Vespers taken by Bishop James Curry, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster and Titular Bishop of Ramsbury.
The requiem mass, a Catholic funeral, will be held on Tuesday attended by the King, Queen and other senior royals and will be the first Catholic funeral service held for a member of the royal family in modern British history.
