The Duke of Kent marked his 90th birthday on 9 October, but on Tuesday evening, the royal had a celebration thrown for him by the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI). RUSI is the world's oldest independent think tank that is dedicated to defence, security and geopolitics. The Duke of Kent has served as the organisation's president for 50 years, while its chairman is Charles Wellesley, 9th Duke of Wellington, whose wedding the Duke attended back in 1977.
The Duke of Kent wasn't the only royal at the event, as his second cousin, King Charles, also visited the group for the first time. During his visit, the monarch was seen shaking hands with his cousin and also met some of the group's directors, where they discussed their current research priorities. Charles also got the chance to observe some of the organisation's historic items, including its founding charter.
The Duke of Kent's birthday
The Duke of Kent celebrated turning 90 a month after the death of his wife, the Duchess of Kent, on 4 September. A party was thrown for the royal towards the end of the month, with the confirmation coming in the Court Circular. Several senior royals were in attendance for the party, including Charles, Queen Camilla, the Duke of Kent, Prince Michael of Kent, Princess Alexandra, Prince Edward, Princess Anne and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence and the Duke of Gloucester.
The Duchess of Edinburgh and the Prince and Princess of Wales were absent from the event, however. Sophie had pre-existing commitments, while Prince William and Kate were busy with their young family, as the event fell during the October half-term, when George, Charlotte and Louis were away from school.
On the Duke's birthday, Charles and Camilla shared a previously unseen image of the Duke shaking hands with the monarch at Buckingham Palace on the day of the coronation in May 2023. On the actual day, the 90-year-old royal attended a lunch at Ognisko Polskie, the Polish Hearth Club, in South Kensington.
Sad loss
The milestone came just weeks after the death of the Duke's wife, Katharine Worsley, the Duchess of Kent. The royal, who retreated from public life in the latter years of her life, having given up her HRH style in 2002, died aged 92 on 4 September. The Kents, who were married for 64 years, resided together at Wren House at Kensington Palace, where the Duchess passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family. Poignantly, her last public appearance was on her husband's 89th birthday in October 2024, as the pair watched a performance from bagpipers outside their royal residence.
The Duke and Duchess shared three children - George, Earl of St Andrews, Lady Helen Taylor and Lord Nicholas Windsor – as well as ten grandchildren, including model Lady Amelia Windsor and her sister, Lady Marina Windsor. Katharine's funeral took place at Westminster Cathedral in London on 16 September, with the King, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and other senior royals in attendance. It was the first Catholic funeral to be held for a member of the royal family in modern history.