The Duchess of Kent has died at the age of 92 (Image: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
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DepressionCoeliac diseaseEpstein Barr and MEDeclining mobility
Katharine, Duchess of Kent, sadly passed away last night at the age of 92. As a member of the Royal Family for decades, having married the Duke of Kent in 1961, the Duchess led an incredibly interesting life.
While she spent many decades in the public spotlight as a working royal, the Duchess decided to leave this behind in 2002,expressing a desire to give up her HRH title. It is believed that while she was not against life as a working royal, she had a true desire to teach music, which she achieved.
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She also founded a charity in 2004 called Future Talent, with the aim to help gifted young musicians from low-income backgrounds achieve. While the Duchess had a busy life filled with countless great moments, she also faced plenty of struggles and challenges, especially when it came to her health.
Here at Express.co.uk we have looked at the challenges the Duchess faced.
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The Duchess of Kent has died aged 92, Buckingham Palace announces
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Duchess of Kent statement in full:
Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Friday: "It is with deep sorrow that Buckingham Palace announces the death of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Kent. Her Royal Highness passed away peacefully last night at Kensington Palace, 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 life-long devotion to all the organisations with which she was associated, her passion for music and her empathy for young people."
Depression
One of the main health challenges the Duchess faced was depression. While she had given birth to three healthy children - George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews, Lady Helen Taylor and Lord Nicholas Windsor - she also faced some loses.
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The Sun reports that the Duchess had to have an abortion after contracting German measles in 1975. She later gave birth to a stillborn son called Patrick in 1977.
This devastated the Duchess, who told the Daily Telegraph in 1997: “It had the most devastating effect on me. I had no idea how devastating such a thing could be to any woman. A couple of months later, I had a bad patch. I suffered from acute depression for a while.”
She then revealed that she underwent hospital treatment and supervised rest as she came to terms with the loss. She said: “I’m not ashamed of that patch at all. It was not a good period, but once I’d come out and returned to a sense of reality, I quickly realised that, awful as it was, it does happen to a lot of people.”
The duchess once suffered with depression (Image: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
Coeliac disease
The Duchess also experienced some problems with her physical health over the years, including her challenges with Coeliac Disease - a condition where your immune system attacks your own tissues when you eat gluten.
The disease can be managed by eating a strict gluten-free diet.
While she hardly spoke about her experiences with the condition, the royal did once tell The Telegraph that she thinks it was her Coeliac Disease that contributed to her feeling unwell during a humanitarian trip to India in March 1996.
She told the paper shortly after: "I think I had just burnt all my cylinders out. I was working 24 hours a day, possibly thinking I was the only one who could do anything.”
The duchess suffered with the disease (Image: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
Epstein Barr and ME
The Duchess also once suffered from a viral infection called Epstein Barr in the late nineties, which had similar symptoms to ME - a condition she was diagnosed with in 1996.
As reported by The Herald and Times at the time, a spokesman for the duchess said: “She has been diagnosed as suffering from ME or chronic fatigue syndrome.
“She made it known earlier this year, at the time of her visit to India, that she was suffering from a virus which has symptoms similar to ME. She was later diagnosed with ME.''
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The royal also reportedly had ME (Image: Karwai Tang/WireImage)
Declining mobility
The duchess was last photographed in 2024 and was in a wheelchair (Image: Jordan Pettitt - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
While the Duchess had only been seen a handful of times over recent years, her last appearance showed that she was experiencing some mobility issues.
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Last year, she was photographed alongside her husband the Duke of Kent as he marked his 89th birthday. On his big day, a brief musical performance took place outside their Kensington Palace home Wren House.
The Duchess watched from her wheelchair by the front door of the couple’s home, with this being the last time she was photographed in public.
This was also the first time she had been seen in a wheelchair, although the duchess appeared to have some struggles walking at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s 2018 wedding, which saw her holding onto the arm of a member of royal staff.
The duchess had helped from a staff member at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's 2018 wedding (Image: Pool/Max Mumby/Getty Images)
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