I’ll admit that I’ve never paid much attention to the Kents, so I’m playing catch-up on their lives now, after the Duchess of Kent passed away last Thursday. The Duke of Kent was Queen Elizabeth II’s first cousin, and they were apparently pretty close throughout their lives. It also feels like QEII liked Katherine, the Duchess of Kent, and there were certain arrangements made to ensure that Katherine still lived a comfortable and protected life even when the Kents’ marriage fell apart. While theirs was an estranged marriage, they never divorced and continued to live (somewhat) together, just with separate lives, in true “Catholic divorce” style. Around the time of the Kents’ marital estrangement, Katherine stepped back from being a working royal, she gave up her HRH and she began working as a music teacher at a London school. She also taught piano lessons privately. All while retaining her general position in society, a home in the palace and her marriage on paper. Well, the British royalist media didn’t even wait 24 hours after the Duchess’s death before they began comparing her to the Duchess of Sussex. Some highlights from this audaciously vile Telegraph piece: “The Duchess of Kent epitomised the selflessness and duty Meghan should have shown; Both were seen as beautiful, stylish additions to the The Firm and both gave up their royal duties, but only one handled it well.”
Giving up the HRH: In 1996, the Duchess of Kent – who died yesterday at the age of 92 – gave up her HRH title and royal duties after a long period of ill-health so that she could teach singing at a state school in Hull. The split came with the blessing of the Queen and the full support of the British public, proving that break-ups can be amicable if they are handled well. “There was no scandal at all when she stepped back – people thought it was a bit of a shame, but because she was such a gentle character they just accepted it,” says Ingrid Seward, a royal biographer and the editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine. “The Queen was relaxed because she saw Kate Kent as being a truly good person who had gone through some well publicised problems; if this was going to make her happier, then it was the right thing.”
Meghan & Harry should have just faded away!! Equally, giving up royal duties to become a music teacher called Mrs Kent, is not all that similar to signing an array of multi-million dollar entertainment deals in California, and then going on the Oprah Winfrey Show to talk about how badly you have been treated. “It’s chalk and cheese,” says Seward. “Kate just quietly faded into the background and I think that suited her very well. In fact, I couldn’t even begin to think of two more opposite people: Meghan is all about Meghan and Kate Kent was all about people other than herself.”
Tominey chimes in on the comparison: Telegraph associate editor Camilla Tominey, who interviewed the Duchess of Kent for these pages, adds that she had a post-royal career the family could be proud of, rather than one that caused them immeasurable distress. “The Queen really admired her sense of duty,” says Tominey. “The trouble with Meghan is that she would want a Netflix show following her around a school in Hull, whereas the Duchess of Kent was very discreet.”
Meghan & Katherine both traveled overseas for tours & royal work: But according to biographer Tina Brown, Meghan didn’t enjoy any of it. “So Meghan must have been thrilled with it all… right? No,” she wrote in her book Palace Papers. “She apparently hated every second of it. She found the itinerary of engagements “pointless”. On the other hand, the Duchess of Kent radiated warmth – even if her apparent ease in public did not come naturally. “I think in her heart she was still a country girl and it didn’t come naturally going on royal tours,” says Seward. “I think she would rather have been back in Yorkshire – but she did it all with a smile and never made any fuss.”
Meghan & Katherine both lost pregnancies: The Duchess of Kent was no stranger to mental health issues and understood all too well the difficulties that being in the limelight can cause. In 1975, she caught measles and was advised to terminate her fourth pregnancy (at this point she already had three healthy children) for medical reasons. Two years after that, she became pregnant again but tragically had a stillbirth at 36 weeks. “The miscarriages and the depression and the lost baby must have really taken a toll,” says Seward. “I don’t know if she enjoyed being a royal – she was very close to her father and she wanted him to be proud of her, but when she’d had enough she’d had enough and was brave enough to follow her own path.” One could say the same for Meghan, who lost a pregnancy of her own in 2020, between the births of Archie and Lilibet – but where the Duchess of Sussex turned her pain into fury at the Queen, William and Kate, the courtiers and the whole British public, the Duchess of Kent appeared to look outwards and discovered that helping others brought her the peace and meaning she had been searching for.
Meghan’s flower sprinkles: “I always remember Diana saying she thought the Duchess of Kent was one of the members of the Royal family who truly cared about others – not because of duty or for appearances sake, but because she really wanted to help,” says Seward. And while the Duchess of Sussex would argue that she too has helped in her way (anyone who yearns to know more about crudités platters and edible flowers must have found her work invaluable) most of her projects have ended up being more about Meghan than anything or anyone else.
If the Duchess of Kent really was so lovely, empathetic and genuine, she probably wouldn’t want to be used as a prop to attack Meghan or any other woman. These bitter, racist fools don’t even understand that their every comparison shows exactly why Meghan needed to get the f–k away from them. “Meghan should have done it this way, like the perfect white duchess!” “How dare Meghan make crudite platters, she could be doing charity work which we would also denigrate!” How quickly they forget too – Meghan and Harry offered to stick around and be half-in. They were told that no one had ever done that, and it couldn’t be done! Except for white royals, then it’s done all the time. This reminds me so much of the “Harry should have been more like Princess Margaret” stories – they’re incandescent with rage that Harry isn’t a drunken, damaged mess, and they’re furious that they can’t force Meghan to divorce her husband.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- (170118) — DAVOS, Jan. 18, 2017 () — U.S. Vice President Joe Biden speaks at the 47th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 18, 2017.(/Xu Jinquan)(gl)
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- HRH DUCHESS OF KENT (Seen at Guildhall, for the State Banquet for President Mugabe of Zimbabwe) COMPULSORY CREDIT: UPPA/Photoshot Photo UIW 007764/A-34a 18.05.1994,Image: 502657740, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: World Rights – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries call Photoshot Global HQ – London + 44 (0)20 7421 6000 , also New York Office Tel : + 1 646-429-8731 and Hamburg Office Tel +49 (0)40 530 240 5959, Model Release: no, Credit line: Photoshot/Avalon
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- WEDDING OF HRH PRINCE EDWARD AND SOPHIE RHYS-JONES HRH DUCHESS OF KENT arriving at St George’s Chapel, Windsor for the wedding ceremony. COMPULSORY CREDIT: UPPA/Photoshot Photo UA 016284/E 19.06.1999,Image: 502725887, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: World Rights – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries call Photoshot Global HQ – London + 44 (0)20 7421 6000 , also New York Office Tel : + 1 646-429-8731 and Hamburg Office Tel +49 (0)40 530 240 5959, Model Release: no, Credit line: Photoshot/Avalon
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- Meghan Markle and Prince Harry ride in an Ascot Landau carriage at Windsor Castle after their wedding,Image: 515242488, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR SEVEN DAYS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: /Avalon
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- 176162, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex attend Trooping the Colour for the official birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. London, United Kingdom – Saturday June 9, 2018. Photograph: © PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000,Image: 515356518, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – DIRECT SALES ONLY – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: PacificCoastNews / Avalon
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- The Duke and Duchess of Sussex depart after attending the christening of Prince Louis at the Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace, London.,Image: 515593248, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR SEVEN DAYS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
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- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend an event at Millennium Point to celebrate International Women’s Day in Birmingham on 8th March 2018,Image: 534151125, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR SEVEN DAYS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
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- Katheine Duchess of Kent, State dinner at the Mansion House,Image: 1034409561, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: /Avalon
And yet in these endless comparisons of who Meghan’s should’ve emulated (Sophie, Duchess of Kent, etc.) they never understand the irony. The irony being that the goalposts keep being moved and Meghan never would have done it just the way they wanted it. They would’ve denigrated and abused her no matter what and these articles are just a lame attempt to get their SEO numbers up.
Be a good girl, don’t make a fuss and just do as you’re told. Can’t count the many times I heard his in my youth.
Exactly this…
My mom was telling everyone a story this weekend of when I was a girl and she told me to load the dishwasher. Later when she went to get something out of it, and saw all the dirty dishes, she asked me why I hadn’t turned it on. Smart-alec me replied “you’re always telling me to just do what I’m told. So that’s exactly what I did, just what I was told. You said to load it, which I did, but never mentioned turning it on!”.
Meghan always spoke highly of QEII. And Just want to emphasise that Katharine kept her HRH (it’s used by the Palace now in announcements) and used ‘Kent’ as her last name. It’s great that she wasn’t thrown to the wolves by the royal family and left alone by the press (in a pre-digital age). I wonder why Meghan wasn’t protected 🤔
And the things that are different between Kent and Sussex (cameras, etc.) are the very things that Kate Middleton is praised for (bringing awareness to refugees by having photographers follow her around, taking pictures of her browinies)
From what you read from the likes of Ingrid C-word, the whole existence of married in royal women is suppose to be silent suffering and grief. Is that considered noble? Meghan said No thank you. When did Meghan aim her fury at the Queen, and the other members of the RF? This is an absolute lie, Also, Meghan quite enjoyed her royal duties and made them seem effortless. Well what do you expect from a woman who did a whole assed analysis of the Oprah interview before it aired, She is a chronic, consummate liar.
1st Meghan is Black and would never have been shown grace. They tormented her endlessly and Harry removed himself and her to save her sanity and life. All of the coulda, woulda, shoulda is just posturing and another opportunity for those gutter rats to hate. Meghan’s natural light shines far to bright for a racist institution.
I think the obvious comparison should be keen and Katherine. Katherine was gracious at Wimbledon. Keen made it all about her. Katherine was not lazy keen has always been lazy. Seward should keep quiet about Diana after her Diana bashing and gaslighting. Seward blamed Diana for Charles cheating. Meghan was never given a chance.
When they claim Meghan should be more like Mrs Kent, they mean as Mrs Kent is now, no longer alive. That’s it, that’s the comment and I fully believe it.
That was my first thought too when I read, “Meghan Should Have Tried To Be More Like the Duchess of Kent.” You mean, the one who’s dead? Hm.
Now that you have pointed it out it sure comes across as sinister and threatening doesn’t it… I’m sure the wording was not an accident whatsoever.
The true takeaway I get from this is that these crusty racist white women are triggered too much by Meghan’s flower sprinkles 🤷🏻♀️
Also “her projects have been about Meghan than anything or anyone else”. The Parents’ network; Hubb Community Kitchen (whom this same racist woman vilified with her Islamophobia); Smartworks; and literally every other project would like a word
CT they could never make me like you. NEVER
What a thoroughly unpleasant article from The Telegraph. I’m with Kaiser, The Duchess of Kent would have been appalled by it.
Guys, they left and are not coming back. You backed the wrong horse. Build a bridge, and get over it.
“Telegraph associate editor Camilla Tominey, who interviewed the Duchess of Kent for these pages, adds that she had a post-royal career the family could be proud of, rather than one that caused them immeasurable distress.”
Yes in the RF women should be seen and not heard, deal with their pain privately and put on a face as the dutiful royal.lets praise this woman for staying in a bad marriage.
Meghan is too mouthy, she just needed to just suffer in silence while they continued to abuse. She should have just been a puppet doing whatever they wanted. These people are sick.
The Duchess of Kent was a broken woman. Her lost pregnancies caused severe depression and the breakdown of her marriage but the firm wouldn’t allow her to divorce. She seems to have been a lovely person who did a lot of good but she was also someone whose life was extremely unhappy causing mental and physical illness. I guess that’s what they want for Meghan!
Yikes, what a horrible remembrance of the Duchess of Kent. Is this the way royal obituaries will be written from now on – always in relation to Harry or Meghan?
Of course. And it won’t be limited to royal obituaries; it will include royal anything. Somebody on Xwitter posted a graph that appears to have been published in DailyFail from data source Click Intelligence, headlined ‘Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got the record for most Googles in a single month: Monthly peak in Google searches between September 2024 and August 2025.’ Duchess Kent deserved better, but as Meghan told Emily Chang “There’s a very powerful machine…”
Kate Kent just quietly faded into the background, always smiled and never made a fuss. Wow, I’m thinking there was a lot more to Kate Kent than what these witchy nasty ladies are saying and they’re doing her memory a disservice with this article. But it’s also v clear what they’d like Meghan to do, quietly fade into the background, apparently.
I could guarantee that none of these female reporters would quietly fade into the background, always smile and never make a fuss! They would be screaming from the rooftops over every real or imagined slight.
The snark and pure nastiness of these people is exactly why they left. Good riddance BRF. And to think YOU people think you’re better??? Fuck off.
Why the insistence that all these people really don’t want the royal job/status and would, deep down inside, prefer to be elsewhere, doing other things? And what does it tell them that their best people all cannot function within the royal establishment and ultimately choose to leave the Firm?
Meghan never turned fury on the queen.such falsehoods. She corrected very calmly the crying story. St keen actually lunged at meghan.
That claim stood out to me as particularly hateful – the usual made-up fantasy and projection. We found out about Meghan’s miscarriage, not because she ” turned her pain into fury at the Queen, William and Kate, the courtiers and the whole British public” but because she wrote a Thanksgiving piece in the NYT telling to people to remember to reach out and be kind to one another because we don’t know what others are going through? To the extent that anyone exhibited pain and fury it was Prince Harry and he turned that on the Daily Mail, and in as balanced a way as could possibly be expected (I think he said that he had no evidence but he felt it must have played a part?). Meghan has never complained about the Queen, William or Kate OR the British Public, much as she might be justified in this.
I know everyone’s big on comms and big in getting your side out but I really think Sussexes can take the Telegraph off the list of British papers they apparently brief (and the Guardian too)? The hatred and lies are absolutely out of control, is it coming up to performance review time on Fleet Street? Or I guess they are trying to poison people’s minds so that they don’t notice the British Press on trial again in January. It’s really incredible how they leave themselves out of this story so completely,
Every royal obituary from now on will be overshadowed by Harry & Meghan’s existence. What an insecure bunch the royals really are.
Oh please what a load. They couldn’t let this woman rest in peace they had to try to bring Meg into it negatively. Meg liked royal work just fine and she did it well! What she didn’t like was all the hate thrown her way for every little thing she did. The constant comparisons to the lazy one and all the non existent protocols she broke. The jealousy and racism are always on display when talking about Meg.
It’s always the same old vultures: Camilla Tominey, Ingrid Seward, and Tina Brown. A bunch of bitter biddies getting money from bullying Meghan. Can’t wait for a comeuppance.
Worth noting I think, that the Duke of Kent was a major source of royal news for the Daily Telegraph’s former society diarist back in the day. They were very good friends until that man died.
I hope the tacky tabs don’t have hearsay fake,quotes from katherine about Meghan all negative like what they did to the late queen.
@Tessa, give it a few more days will you, Maureen Eyers is probably scavenging through threads to concoct some “exclusive💩”. I had no idea that HRH the Duchess of Kent was Mel Windsor’s grandmother. I bet there a few more interesting, warm and friendly relatives in that family that try to avoid the media glare.
It’s impossible to compare the two. For one the Duchess of Kent was a minor royal and didn’t have a smear campaign against her.
This is really vile. An obit should be about the person who just past away. The Duchess of Kent should be honored and remembered for her own life, not used to further vilify Meghan.
I expect the Duchess of Kent would be horrified by the way she is being used.
Seethe! The Telegraph should remember that Meghan was well known as a philanthropist before she met Harry. She didn’t have to be nagged to do charity work by the late Queen, unlike her sister in law. Neither the Princess of Wales or the Duchess of Kent had to put up with racial abuse in the British press either. Or a SIL and a FIL who were concerned about the colour of the skin of his grandson and her nephew.
I didn’t know the late Duchess of Kent had such a tough life in the Firm. Married ins are expected to put up with misery, including sidepieces. No matter how big the deal Kate got in negoitiations, this is her life too.
These horrid people, continue to not be well.
Too bad one of her children does not speak up and complain about how their late mother is being used to trash Meghan.
This article proves once again that Meghan was right. In her interview with Emily Chang, Meghan said she was not allowed to be her authentic self. According to this article Meghan should have been more like the Duchess of Kent. Previously it’s been Sophie, Kate and god knows who else. Imagine having a job where you are constantly being told you have to be like this coworker or that one, plus put up with abuse. You would quit too. Especially when the real issue is that you are not white.
Say the last sentence again, for those who try to pretend they don’t understand l
Of course Kate Kent didn’t go after commercial deals, the piece made it very clear she was provided for by the Duke of Kent and the Queen. Where as Meghan was completely cut off. And isn’t it funny how they list only her post royal work but none of the stuff she did as a working member? Any one of her projects had more impact and sustainability than all of Peg and Bones projects together.
I only knew of the Duchess from Wimbledon and she always seemed so lovely. Using her pregnancy losses in particular to bash Meghan is grotesque and offensive and I imagine she would have been appalled. Their singular focus to attack Meghan is ghoulish and they don’t care who they destroy on the way to do it. Both women deserve so much better.
I didn’t remember seeing pictures of the Duchess of Kent (I think I assumed she wasn’t well enough) but how lovely she attended and in sneakers! Very sweet.
For pic of Duchess Kent at Meghan and Harry’s wedding see ‘Telegraph: Opinion: The timeless style lessons we learnt from the Duchess of Kent,’ as noted in comment below.
This is disgusting, and an insult to both Katherine (Kent) and Meghan. It’s fascinating to me how the idea of personal autonomy and making personal life choices never, ever, ever gets discussed in royal contexts. Individuals (particularly the married-ins) either follow the rules to the letter or get fully vilified. There’s very little in-between. The royal machine is so incompatible with the concept of personal autonomy that the whole machine could come tumbling down over one person’s life choices. Who would want to be one of the vulnerable cards in this shaky, fragile house of cards that they’ve built? It boggles my mind why anyone would want to be a part of this ugly charade.
Will these two scribbling crones never go away?
Racist being racist is what this article is all about. Neither of them lost their HRHs, they (Kent and Meghan) just didn’t use them for monetary gains. A white woman married into this family and wasn’t a victim of racist attacks on herself, her mother or children because of her race. While the biracial woman was attacked and threatened before she married into this racist family and not a single one of them bothered to defend or protect her. She had the same racist attacks and threats directed at her child, still without defense or protection from that racist family and their media goons. The white woman stepped away from the role of a working royal and was allowed to do so without any attacks, while the biracial one was attacked and threatened along with her husband and child, EVEN WHEN THEY WERE SILENT FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR AFTET STEPPING DOWN. They were stalked, lied about and dehumanized that entire year to the point of losing a child because of the unbelievable stress from racists who focused more on her (an ocean away) than the racists royals who the media and public pay for in the UK. The white one was barely mentioned after stepping away from her marriage and royal role, while the biracial one had to sue to stop racist pigs from trespassing and invading her family’s privacy to take photos of her child. We know very little about the white one, while we hear daily about the biracial one with constant feeds and talks about the biracial one that they never welcomed. The truth is that nothing Meghan could have done or could do will ever change what bothers them the most about her, which is being a biracial woman who knows her worth.
The Duchess keeps paying their bills lol
If only the British right wing press had been a bit more of a real and serious press with real information and without their smear campaign.
HM are like thousands of miles away from that island. Long away from that island. I mean they have their left overs they can write about, but they need clicks.
I can’t think the late Duchess would be pleased with this nonsense, after all the late Duchess was a nice person.
If only she had said something before she died. So,e empathy would have been good.
Pretty sad when the Torygraph & “feature writer Melissa Twigg” made the calculation that their obit copy about the seemingly lovely Duchess Kent wouldn’t get read unless they also slime dragged Meghan into it for comparison. After reading a couple Telegraph articles about Duchess Kent yesterday, the most illuminating one has to be “Opinion: The timeless style lessons we learnt from the Duchess of Kent,” by Lisa Armstrong, Head of Fashion — Duchess Kent’s attire at Meghan & Harry’s wedding was kluelessly mimicked by KKKopy KKKitty at the article’s end.
I remember when Katharine Kent lost her baby, a friend of my Mum had lost a baby late in the pregnancy too and had to give birth to a baby she knew to be dead. It was really traumatic for Mum’s friend so we had a lot of sympathy for Katharine Kent going through the same thing. The British press were horrible with what they wrote and had zero sympathy for what she had to go through afterwards. I don’t blame her from wanting to step away from any sort of life where the press could get to her. I’m pretty sure C-word was one of those being nasty as my Mum and I discussed how women journalists were letting other women down by writing things like that. All these years on and not much has changed?
I feel so much for Kate Kent and Meghan. I have one child. I lost two little girls after her. Both at 20 weeks. Both died in utero. I had to deliver both of them. I know what this does. I know how this affects one’s life and mental health. 40 years later I still feel the pain and loss at times.
The Duke and Duchess weren’t estranged. They just lived separate professional lives. Like most people. I actually wonder how long the Duke will survive his wife. 60+ years of marriage is a long time and he’s had his own health issues. He really adored her.
The courtiers, no shock, were heinous to Katharine and called her “Mad Kate”. I’m glad the Duke stood by his wife and supported her decision to get the hell out of royal life before it killed her.
Sounds like the brf footed food and housing for her. That’s not being very independent. I have a feeling that anything the Duchess of Kent did had to be approved first by QEII of her minions. But sure, go ahead and compare different things as if they’re similar.
Yes, I’m fairly sure she wasn’t subsisting on a piano teachers salary!
Meghan’s column about her miscarriage was an act of selflessness … Miscarriages and stillbirths are often only discussed in hushed tones.
I know nothing about the Duchess of Kent, but if she was truly a good person, I imagine she might have appreciated Meghan’s effort to bring light to a still-stigmatized subject.
Bravo, @Nerd.
If only this post was a brick which could be used to smash racist brits – especially the ghouls in their shitmedia – smack dab in the middle of their faces, with that last sentence being a jagged chain wrapped around said brick.