The British royals have arrived to pay their final respects at the funeral of Katharine, Duchess of Kent, following her death earlier this month.
The royal, who was the oldest member of the Firm, died peacefully at home on Sept. 4 at the age of 92. She was married to Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent — who was the first cousin to the late Queen Elizabeth II.
On Tuesday, senior members of the Firm arrived at Westminster Cathedral for the poignant ceremony. All attendees were dressed in black for the somber occasion.
The Duke of Kent was joined by senior members of the royal family, including King Charles, Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Also in attendance was Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson. The duo were seen arriving together just minutes before the service commenced.
Queen Camilla missed the service, as he pulled out of attending at the eleventh hour due to a painful inflammation of the sinuses, Buckingham Palace confirmed.
The palace added that Camilla still plans to take part in the state visit of President Trump, who is set to touch down in the UK Tuesday night.
Another notable absence was Prince Harry, who chose not to attend the ceremony and instead to return to the US late last week after a brief four-day visit to the UK. It’s understood that the Duke of Sussex sent his condolences privately earlier this month.
In keeping with Katharine’s personal faith, the service marks the first Catholic funeral for a member of the British royal family in modern history. A message from Pope Leo will be read aloud during the ceremony.
Senior members of the Firm arrived for the requiem mass Tuesday to see the duchess’s coffin arrive at her requested final resting place of Westminster Cathedral.
Other servicemen from the regiment will be carrying the coffin into the cathedral. It will remain there overnight in the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Today, The Royal Family will gather at Westminster Cathedral to remember the life of The Duchess of Kent.
Proudly of Yorkshire heritage, Her Royal Highness became a working Member of The Royal Family following her marriage to The Duke of Kent in 1961.
The service is conducted by the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols.
The duchess’s coffin is adorned with a large wreath consisting of British garden flowers that were personally selected by her loved ones.
