William and Kate pay tribute to the Duchess of Kent who has died aged 92

The Prince and Princess of Wales have paid tribute to the Duchess of Kent, who has died aged 92, saying she worked “tirelessly to help others” and would be a “much missed member of the family”.

The King, Queen and the royal family are in mourning for Katharine, the wife of the late Queen’s cousin the Duke of Kent, who died peacefully at home, surrounded by her close family, late on Thursday night.

Since the death of Queen Elizabeth in 2022, the Duchess had been the oldest member of the Royal Family.

A statement from Buckingham Palace said: "It is with deep sorrow that Buckingham Palace announces the death of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Kent."Her Royal Highness passed away peacefully last night at Kensington Palace, surrounded by her family."The King and Queen and all Members of The Royal Family join The Duke of Kent, his children and grandchildren in mourning their loss and remembering fondly The Duchess’s life-long devotion to all the organisations with which she was associated, her passion for music and her empathy for young people."

In a message on Kensington Palace’s official social media accounts, William and Kate wrote: “Our thoughts today are with the Duke of Kent and his family, particularly George, Helen and Nicholas.

“The duchess worked tirelessly to help others and supported many causes, including through her love of music.

“She will be a much missed member of the family.”

The message was signed “W & C”.

The union flag at Buckingham Palace was lowered to half mast at midday as a mark of respect and a formal framed announcement has been posted on the railings of the royal residence.

The Duchess of Kent was married to The Duke of Kent, cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II. They shared three children and ten grandchildren.

Born Katharine Lucy Mary Worsley on February 22, 1933, she grew up at the family home, Hovingham Hall near York, where the Worsleys have lived since the early 18th century. Katharine suffered heartbreak after catching German measles while pregnant in 1975, forcing her to have a termination, and then two years later she endured the devastation of giving birth to a stillborn son, Patrick.

She went on to suffer from depression and nervous strain, and also faced a number of other health issues including a recurrent gallbladder problem, treatment for an ovarian cyst, and the Epstein-Barr virus with symptoms resembling those of ME or chronic fatigue syndrome.

For many years she led a separate life from the duke but the couple did not divorce.

But the duke and duchess were said to be closer than ever after Edward suffered a stroke in 2013, with Katharine moving back to their Wren House home.

Katharine was a keen musician and advocate for children and young people's welfare.

From an early age she demonstrated a talent for music. She was taught to play the piano, organ and violin.

Katharine preferred to be known as Mrs Kent and dropped her HRH style, retreating from royal life to spend more than a decade teaching music in a state primary school in Hull.She worked for some time in a children's home in York and taught at a nursery school in London, before going on to Oxford to study music. Her passion for music continued throughout her life, with her founding the charity Future Talent in 2004.

The duchess also volunteered for the Samaritans, toured countries as a Unicef ambassador.

She taught part-time in a school attended by children who lived in Grenfell Tower and in 2018 attended a memorial service at the base of the high-rise building to mark the first anniversary of the fire which claimed 72 lives.

Katharine was also known for consoling losing Wimbledon finalists, notably a tearful Jana Novotna in 1993, and presented trophies at the championships for many years.

Her appearance at Wimbledon to present winners’ trophies became a familiar feature of the summer sporting calendar and she was famed for offering support to disappointed runners-up.She put aside royal formalities in 1993, hugging Novotna after she lost the ladies’ singles final to Steffi Graff.The duchess also backed tennis champion Martina Navratilova in her campaign to persuade the Czech authorities to allow her parents to witness her Wimbledon triumph, which was rewarded with success in 1979.

Katharine later became disenchanted with the Wimbledon authorities when, in 1999, she was refused permission to take the young son of murdered headmaster Philip Lawrence into the royal box.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.The duchess will be expected to have a Catholic funeral, attended by senior royals including the King and Queen.It will be the first Catholic funeral service held for a member of the royal family in modern British history.

This is the Talking Royals - our weekly podcast about the royal family, with ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship and Producer Lizzie Robinson