Duchess of Kent’s funeral underway – with one notable absence

WorldPolitics
16 Sep 2025 • 8:34 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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  • Queen Camilla has withdrawn from attending the funeral of the Duchess of Kent due to acute sinusitis.
  • Buckingham Palace expressed "great regret" over her absence, saying her thoughts and prayers are with the family.
  • Camilla hopes to recover sufficiently to attend all elements of the state visit by Donald Trump on Wednesday and Thursday.
  • The Duchess of Kent, who died aged 92, was the first royal in over 300 years to convert to Catholicism.
  • Her funeral, a traditional Catholic requiem mass, is the first for a royal family member in modern British history and is being attended by senior royals at Westminster Cathedral on Tuesday.

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