“She was a dedicated teacher who taught music with passion and showed the most amazing commitment to our school.”
The Duchess of Kent has sadly died at the age of 92. Katharine, who often preferred to be known as “Mrs Kent”, died peacefully surrounded by family at her Kensington Palace home on Thursday, Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
In later years, she dropped her HRH style, retreating from her high-profile life in the Royal Family to spend more than a decade teaching music at Wansbeck Primary School in Longhill, east Hull. Her identity was kept a secret from children and parents.
The Duchess had a lifelong passion for improving the musical education of children from disadvantaged background. Tributes spoke of her talent and commitment to improving children’s lives.
Sam Bullen Executive Headteacher at Wansbeck Primary School, said in tribute: “We are saddened to hear the news of the passing of The Duchess of Kent. ‘Miss Kent’ (as she was known to our school community) was an inspiration to the children when she taught music here over many years.
“She was a dedicated teacher who taught music with passion and showed the most amazing commitment to our school. Her kindness, compassion and talent for teaching lives on in the children she impacted during her time here.”
After visiting Wansbeck Primary School in 1996, she offered to help with music teaching and gave a weekly 40-minute lesson. The Yorkshire-born Duchess also worked with its choir.
“I love those children, I loved being there, and I love east Hull,” she later said. “I wouldn’t have stayed there for 13 years if I hadn’t.”
As reported in Hull Daily Mail on March 23, 1996, the Duchess had requested to return to Wansbeck Primary School following a “hugely successful” royal visit the previous year. She was presented with a posy of flowers by Claire Laheney, then aged four.
Matthew Lockham, then aged eight, from Tees Grove, was impressed and told the Mail he “knew she was a Yorkshire woman” right away. He added: “I could tell just by the way she looked. She was lovely.”
Later speaking to the Mail about her decision to teach at Wansbeck, the Duchess said: “I’ve studied music all my life, it’s my passion. My other passion is children – being able to share and pass on your love of music to children is the greatest privilege a teacher can have.”
In a previous interview with the BBC, former Wansbeck headteacher Ann Davies said: “Her enthusiasm with the children brings out the best in them and thanks to Mrs Kent music is now a strength at the school. She is an inspirational music teacher and the children love working with her.
“They say she never gets cross, she always looks for the positive.” She added: “I believe that because they are so fond of her, they have done well in music.”
As well as teaching in Hull, the Duchess also rented out a flat in London where she taught piano lessons. The Duchess later co-founded her own music charity called Future Talent, an organisation helping gifted children from low-income backgrounds develop their musical ability.