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Queen Camilla | Source: Getty Images
Buckingham Palace Confirms Queen Camilla Skipped Duchess of Kent's Funeral Due to Illness
Sep 17, 2025 - 08:39 A.M.
Queen Camilla was forced to pull out of the Duchess of Kent’s funeral at the last minute after falling ill, Buckingham Palace confirmed on Tuesday. Her absence meant King Charles led the royal family through the service without his wife by his side.
Buckingham Palace has announced that Queen Camilla was unable to attend the funeral of the Duchess of Kent on Tuesday, after being advised to rest while recovering from acute sinusitis.
Queen Camilla during the Braemar Royal Highland Gathering at The Princess Royal and Duke of Fife Memorial Park on September 6, 2025 in Braemar, Scotland. | Source: Getty Images
In a statement, the Palace said the Queen was withdrawing from the service "with great regret" and emphasized that her thoughts were with the Duke of Kent and his family on the day of the requiem mass. The Duke, who is the Duchess's widower, was informed of the decision and has expressed his understanding, sending best wishes for her recovery.
Pallbearers from The Royal Dragoon Guards carry Katharine, Duchess of Kent's coffin, draped in the Royal Standard, into Westminster Cathedral for a Vigil for the Deceased with Rite of Reception and Vespers for the Dead ahead of her funeral tomorrow on September 15, 2025 in London, England. | Source: Getty Images
The service, a Catholic requiem mass, took place at Westminster Cathedral and was attended by King Charles, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and several other senior members of the royal family.
King Charles III, Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales attend the funeral of The Duchess of Kent at Westminster Cathedral on September 16, 2025 in London, England. | Source: Getty Images
The King led the mourners, with Princess Anne and her husband Sir Timothy Laurence, the Duchess of Edinburgh, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent also present.
King Charles III, Prince William, Prince of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh leave after the Requiem Mass service for the Duchess of Kent, at Westminster Cathedral on September 16, 2025 in London, England. | Source: Getty Images
Queen Camilla had last been seen in public on Sunday, when she attended church at Crathie Kirk near Balmoral. She travelled from Scotland earlier in the day but will now rest at Windsor as she continues her recovery.
The Duchess of Kent, Katharine, who married Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, in 1961, was remembered during the service attended by generations of the royal family, marking the end of a chapter in royal history.
