page_title: Katharine, Duchess of Kent
section_title: Recent years
hierarchical_section_title: Katharine, Duchess of Kent / Recent years
caption_attribution_description: &lt;a href="http://www.archivessearch.qld.gov.au/Image/DigitalImageDetails.aspx?ImageId=8000" rel="nofollow"&gt;Queensland State Archives Digital Image ID 8000&lt;/a&gt;
context_page_description: Katharine, Duchess of Kent, GCVO is a member of the British royal family. Her husband, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, is a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II.
  The Duchess of Kent gained attention for her conversion to Catholicism in 1994; she was the first member of the royal family to convert publicly since the passing of the Act of Settlement 1701. The Duchess of Kent is strongly associated with the world of music and has performed as a member of several choirs.
context_section_description: In 1978, the Duchess was hospitalised for several weeks due to "nervous strain". Reports by the BBC stated that the Duchess suffered from coeliac disease and Epstein–Barr virus, whose symptoms resemble those of ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as "chronic fatigue syndrome"). She stepped down from her role as head of the ME Society in the UK, and has since energetically worked with various charities and schools.
  In 1999, the Duchess was refused permission to seat the 12-year-old son of a bereaved friend in the Royal Box at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Alternative seating outside the box was offered. She later received what The Daily Telegraph reported in a front-page story was a "curt letter" from club chairman John Curry, reminding her that children, other than members of the royal family, were not permitted in the Royal Box. She, in turn, threatened a boycott of the Royal Box.
  The Duchess of Kent decided in 2002 not to use personally the style "Her Royal Highness" and to reduce her royal duties. Since then she has been informally known as Katharine Kent or Katharine, Duchess of Kent, although her formal style (e.g. in the Court Circular) remains HRH The Duchess of Kent. Despite her decision to stay away from public life, the Duchess continues to appear at major events including the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in 2011, and the concert at Buckingham Palace and thanksgiving service at St Paul's Cathedral during the Queen's diamond jubilee celebrations in 2012.
  In December 1989, Katharine was a guest on the BBC Radio 4 programme Desert Island Discs. In keeping with her withdrawal from full royal duties in 1996, the Duchess took a position as a music teacher in Wansbeck Primary School in Kingston upon Hull. She also gave piano lessons in a rented studio flat near her official residence at Kensington Palace. The Duchess of Kent had served as the president of the Royal Northern College of Music, and was the director of National Foundation for Youth Music from 1999 to 2007. In March 2004, Katharine was the subject of Real Story on BBC One. She talked about her career as a music teacher saying "teaching [the children] is very satisfying. It's a privilege. To me it's one of the most exciting jobs anyone can do." In 2005 the Duchess spoke in an interview on BBC Radio 3 of her liking of rap music and of the singer/songwriter Dido, whose song "Thank You" she chose as one of her favourite pieces of music. She is patron of national charity, Making Music, the National Federation of Music Societies, an umbrella organisation for amateur and voluntary music groups. Katharine is among the co-founders of Future Talent, a charity that helps young children with low-income backgrounds pursue a career in music. In May 2016, she hosted a concert for young children at Buckingham Palace in her capacity as founder of Future Talent. In August 2016, the Duchess became an ambassador for Samaritans after a volunteer at the Teesside branch contacted her. She had previously been its Royal Patron from 1971 until 1999. The Duchess is also a supporter of UNICEF.
caption: The Duchess with Sir Walter Campbell and Lady Campbell in Brisbane, 1992
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