The late Queen Elizabeth II’s cousin-in-law Katharine, the Duchess of Kent secretly picked up a job after giving up her royal role.
Katharine is the wife of Her late Majesty’s younger cousin Edward, the Duke of Kent who, at 88, remains an active working member of the Royal Family.
But the Duchess started taking on fewer official duties in the mid-1990s and then officially retired in 2002, spending the following two decades mostly away from the spotlight.
As she eased away from her royal career, she however embraced her love for music and started working as a teacher – a career she pursued for well over 10 years.
Professional composer Robert Emery admitted to being surprised about the Duchess of Kent’s choice of job while he reviewed the Royal Family’s relationship with music.
Emery said: “It was especially fascinating to learn of the Duchess of Kent’s secret career as a music teacher.
“For over a decade, she shared her love of music with students without them realising her royal status.
“It shows how music has the power to unite us regardless of social standing or background.”
The Duchess of Kent opened up about her teaching career to mark her 90th birthday last year. She is now the oldest living member of the Royal Family.
She revealed she taught music at Hull’s Wansbeck Primary School for 13 years and neither the students nor the parents were none the wiser about her royal links.
She told The Telegraph: “I was just known as Mrs Kent. Only the head knew who I was.
“The parents didn’t know and the pupils didn’t know. No one ever noticed. There was no publicity about it at all, it just seemed to work.”
The Duchess explained she had sought the late Queen’s approval before accepting the new role and received support from both her and the rest of their family.
She added: “There was nothing that I felt I wanted to hide away from. It was just something that happened in my life.
“I was always—I wouldn’t say proud of it, but I was glad I did it. I was supported through it as well. The Queen said: ‘Yes, go and do it,’ so I did.”
The Duchess of Kent shares her passion for music with her niece Lady Gabriella Kingston, the daughter of her brother-in-law Prince Michael of Kent.
In 2020, she released two singles for charity under the stage name Ella Windsor.
