Duchess of Kent, First Senior Royal to Become Catholic in 300 Years, Dies at 92

Her 1994 reception into the Church by Cardinal Basil Hume marked the first public conversion of a senior British royal since the Stuart era.

LONDON — Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, who became the first senior British royal to be received into the Catholic Church since the 17th century, has died at the age of 92.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace said that the duchess died peacefully on Thursday evening at her Kensington Palace home, 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 lifelong devotion to all the organisations with which she was associated, her passion for music and her empathy for young people,” the statement read.

Renowned for her natural charm, compassion for the sick and downtrodden, and commitment to serving others, the duchess was a much-loved and hard-working British royal whose popularity was enhanced by her own personal suffering and self-effacing nature.

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