King Charles, Andrew, William and Kate lead mourners in paying emotional tribute to the Duchess of Kent at her funeral - after Queen Camilla pulled out after illness.
The King today led senior members of his family including Prince William and Kate and his brother Prince Andrew as they paid their respects to Duchess of Kent after her death aged 92.
The royals gathered en masse for the Catholic funeral this afternoon - with the Duchess's frail widower the Duke of Kent entering Westminster Cathedral holding a walking stick, surrounded by his family including his daughter Lady Helen Taylor.
But Buckingham Palace announced just two hours before the private family service began that Queen Camilla had pulled out as she recovers from acute sinusitis.
Among the other royals attending were Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and Prince Andrew with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.
Andrew, who no longer carries out official duties for the monarchy after stepping down six years ago amid the furore over his friendship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, exited his car first and joined Sarah as they walked in together.
The Duke of Kent's brother, Prince Michael of Kent, also arrived, appearing frail and walking slowly using a stick as he made his way into the church for the funeral. He was accompanied by his wife Princess Michael of Kent, who was also using a stick.
With them was their daughter Lady Gabriella Windsor, and they led a large contingent of royals all dressed in black in mourning, including Lord Frederick Windsor and Lady Sophie Windsor, with some of the party arriving together by bus.
Lady Helen Windsor, wearing a hat with tulle detail, joined her father, the Duke of Kent, followed by her brothers the Earl of St Andrews and Lord Nicholas Windsor.
The King arrived with his top aide, principal private secretary Sir Clive Alderton, and smiled after arriving before the doors of the cathedral were closed behind him.
William had a white handkerchief tucked in his top pocket, while Kate wore a black hat with a large bow at the back and netting detail at the front, and pearl earrings, with her hair down at the back, as well as a necklace belonging to the late Queen.
Former Formula One world champion Sir Jackie Stewart and actresses Rula Lenska and Dame Maureen Lipman were among the other mourners in attendance.
The requiem mass, a Catholic funeral, is the first to be held for a member of the monarchy in modern British history and featured a Scottish bagpipe lament performed during Queen Elizabeth II's funeral at Windsor Castle in 2022.
A piper from The Royal Dragoon Guards played the lament - Sleep, Dearie, Sleep - while processing from the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary, past the Duchess's coffin in the Nave and down the cathedral's central aisle.
The late Queen's funeral service in St George's Chapel ended with a piper playing the same tune.
The choir and organist of Westminster Cathedral provided choral music, composed by Maurice Durufle.
The music included Mozart's Ave verum corpus, selected by the Duchess as her favourite piece when she was on Desert Island Discs in 1990.
Katharine, the wife of the late Queen's cousin the Duke of Kent, died peacefully at her Kensington Palace home, surrounded by her family, on the evening of September 4.
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, and it was her wish to have her funeral at Westminster Cathedral.
Meanwhile the announcement about Camilla's absence today raised questions over her attendance at US President Donald Trump's high-stakes and busy state visit, which begins in full at Windsor tomorrow and is being hosted by the King.
The Queen, is, however, hopeful that she will have recovered sufficiently to be able to attend all royal elements of the controversial American leader's trip as planned, with highlights including a lavish state banquet.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: '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.
'Her thoughts and prayers will be with The Duke of Kent and all the family.'
Tags: Queen, Prince Charles, Camilla, Prince Louis, Prince William and Kate Middleton, Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Meghan, Lilibet
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