Royal family — minus one senior member — puts on united front at Duchess of Kent funeral

The royal family — minus one senior member — is putting on a united front as they mourn Katharine, Duchess of Kent.

Katharine, who was the oldest member of the royal family, died earlier this month at the age of 92. She was married to Queen Elizabeth II’s first cousin, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, 89.

King Charles III and other senior members, including Prince William and Kate Middleton, were in attendance Tuesday at London’s Westminster Cathedral.

Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, were among those who showed up to pay their respects.

However, Charles’ wife, Queen Camilla, 78, was noticeably absent.

“With great regret, Her Majesty the Queen has withdrawn from attendance at this afternoon’s Requiem Mass for the Duchess of Kent as she is recovering from acute sinusitis,” Buckingham Palace announced ahead of the event.

“Her thoughts and prayers will be with the Duke of Kent and all the family.”

BBC News noted that this marks the first Catholic funeral for a member of the royal family in modern times, with a message from Pope Leo XIV being read aloud during the service.

Following the mass, the duchess’ coffin will be taken by hearse to the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore.

Her coffin rested overnight in the Lady Chapel following Monday’s rite of reception and vespers.

Union flags were flown at half-mast at all official royal residences on Tuesday.

The funeral comes shortly after renegade royal Prince Harry visited the UK.

Last week, Harry, 41, traveled across the pond to visit his grandmother Queen Elizabeth’s gravesite, attend events for his charities and meet with his cancer-stricken father for the first time in over a year and a half.

Us Weekly reported that the reunion came about after the prince “wrote [Charles] a handwritten letter … earlier this year expressing his desire to reconnect.”

Page Six was told that the father-son duo had “private tea” at the king’s London home, Clarence House, on Wednesday for just shy of an hour, during which Harry showed his dad photos and videos of his children.

Us Weekly added that there were “hugs and tears” during the meeting, noting that the overall “mood was genuine and positive.”

The Duke of Sussex told reporters immediately after the reunion that Charles, 76, is doing “great” following his February 2024 cancer announcement, which was the last time they had seen each other in person.

Following his trip, Harry — who stepped down from his royal duties and moved his family to the US in 2020 — revealed that he “would” like to spend more time in his native England and bring his kids with him.

“This week has definitely brought that closer,” the duke — who shares Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4, with wife Meghan Markle — admitted to the Guardian.