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Katharine, Duchess of Kent

Hovingham Hall, 22 Feb 1933 – Kensington Palace, 4 Sep 2025

9 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

  • Born22 Feb 1933, Hovingham Hallnot verified1 source
  • TitleChancellor of the University of Leeds, 1966–1999not verified1 source
  • Died4 Sep 2025, Kensington Palacenot verified1 source
  • MotherJoyce Brunnernot verified1 source
  • FatherSir William Worsley, 4th Baronetnot verified1 source

A life in time

  1. 22 Feb 1933

    Born in Hovingham Hall

  2. 1962–1970

    3 children are born

  3. 1966–1999

    Chancellor of the University of Leeds

  4. 4 Sep 2025

    Dies in Kensington Palace, aged 92

Family

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Parents

Partner

Children · 3

During her lifetime

She lived through 10 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Hovingham Hall.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1930s · Katharine, is born in Hovingham Hall

In the news1919–1939

Council Housing Construction Began in 1919

Following the 1919 Housing Act, local authorities began building council houses to replace slums, with over 1 million built by 1939.

Getting around

Train travel speeds increased significantly

The Coronation Scot express service between London and Glasgow covered 401 miles in 6.5 hours, an improvement from the previous 8.25-hour duration.

What it cost

Starting wage for a fourteen-year-old worker

A common starting wage for a fourteen-year-old starting work was 10 shillings a week for a 45-hour work week.

The Second World War. The deadliest war in history, from 1939 to 1945: some 70 million people died. Brazil sent 25,000 soldiers to fight in Italy.Around the world · 1939–1945

The Second World War. The deadliest war in history, from 1939 to 1945: some 70 million people died. Brazil sent 25,000 soldiers to fight in Italy.

Chief Photographer's Mate (CPHoM) Robert F. Sargent · public domain

What people wore

Wartime siren suits for air raids

The siren suit was an all-enveloping, zip-up boiler suit that people wore over pajamas for quick dashes to air raid shelters during the war.

Music

Civic celebrations and improvised instruments

To celebrate victories, civic bands often led parades through city centers, although this tradition was more common in northern industrial regions than in others. Fans traveling to major events also used improvised instruments like mouth organs, tin whistles, and rattles to provide music.

Daily life

Schooling and Classroom Life

Schools often lacked lunches, so children in winter brought a potato marked with their initials to be baked in the school coal-oven. Pupils were taught using rote learning, and in smaller schools, might start by writing in trays of sand before using chalkboards or expensive pencils.