On September 16, the Duchess of Kent, Katharine Worsley, will receive a Catholic funeral at Westminster Cathedral. According to La Razón, this is an unprecedented event in over four centuries, given that the British royal family has been historically linked to Anglicanism since Henry VIII’s break with Rome. The mass will be presided over by the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster and will be attended by King Charles and Queen Camilla, along with other members of the Windsor family.
Katharine’s Conversion and Her Discreet Life
The decision to hold a Catholic funeral cannot be understood without the turn that the Duchess herself took in 1994, when she converted to Catholicism. She was the first member of the royal family to take that step since the promulgation of the Act of Settlement 1701, which prohibited any heir married to a Catholic from acceding to the throne. Despite the historical weight of her decision, Elizabeth II welcomed the gesture naturally.
Away from public life, Katharine dedicated herself to teaching music in state schools, where her students barely knew of her connection to the Crown. True to her style, she refused the title of “Royal Highness” and preferred to be remembered as “the Yorkshire girl”, a nickname that the press used in a derogatory tone but which she wore with pride.
The Gesture of Charles III and Religious Openness
The attendance of the British monarch at this Catholic funeral has strong symbolic content. Since his coronation in 2023, Charles III has sought to project a more inclusive monarchy, inviting representatives from various faiths—Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, and Jews—to official events. As La Razón recalled, his presence at the requiem mass challenges centuries of Anglican tradition, while at the same time reinforcing his role as head of state and head of the Anglican Church.