The late Duchess of Kent passed away aged 92 in September, but her memory lives on, particularly with her daughter, Lady Helen Taylor. She has spoken out about some wonderful memories she has of her mother.
Telling Tatler, Helen remarked that she would often sell some of her older clothes to make way for new ones. "At the end of each season, she sold all her clothes to finance buying new ones." The fashion-loving royal enjoyed how much clothes gave her confidence when she carried out public engagements.
As a fashion editor who writes about royal style daily, I loved hearing this style titbit, because it's just so relatable! Purchasing new clothes every season can be pretty expensive, no matter what your budget is. If you are one for following trends, investing in new pieces can prove a big strain on your bank balance. To hear that a royal used to sell items to make way for new ones is great to hear, and is also pretty sustainable too - reselling clothes is a great way to reduce fashion waste.
Lady Helen also recounted how the musically gifted duchess, who played the piano, almost lost the tip of her finger after a friend accidentally shut it in a car door. "She was playing the piano a lot then, and so had to have the tip of her finger sewn back on", she recalled.
All about the Duchess of Kent
Katharine Worsley was the wife of the late Queen Elizabeth II's cousin, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, 90, who still carries out royal duties. During their 64-year marriage, the couple welcomed three children, George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews, Lady Helen Taylor and Lord Nicholas Windsor, as well as ten grandchildren.
Born in the sprawling Yorkshire estate of Hovingham Hall in 1933, Katharine was the fourth child and only daughter of Sir William Worsley, the fourth Baronet, who captained the Yorkshire Cricket Club Team and was also President of the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club). For 14 years, he held the title of Lord Lieutenant of the North Riding of Yorkshire. Her mother was Joyce Morgan Brunner, the daughter of chemical industrialist and Liberal Party politician Sir John Brunner, 1st Baronet.
Katharine's marriage to the Duke of Kent
The royal was 24 years old when she met the Duke of Kent. The pair first crossed paths while Edward was living at Catterick Camp, an English military base. Their wedding was held in 1961 at York Minster, marking the first royal marriage to take place at the seventh-century building in 633 years. Katharine wore a wedding dress designed by John Cavanagh for the ceremony, accessorising with the Kent Diamond and Pearl Fringe Tiara.