The Duke of Kent has been a working royal since reigning from the British Army in 1976, but it was over two decades prior that, aged 18, he swore to be the ‘liege man of life and limb’ for his cousin, Queen Elizabeth II, at her Coronation. ‘I always felt I wanted to support her,’ he wrote in his 2022 memoirs: ‘That’s by far the most important thing in life.’
Recent years have been challenging for the diligent Duke, who continues to mourn his wife, Katharine, Duchess of Kent, following her death in September 2025. When the Duke’s daughter, Lady Helen Taylor, was asked last year whether her father might soon consider retiring, she cautioned that he may soon look to wind down his royal engagements. ‘I don’t want him to. I mean, he sort of is naturally, because his body won’t let him go at the speed that he would like to,’ she told True Royalty TV, ‘but I don’t want him to retire because what will he do?’
Fortunately, if this year’s schedule is anything to go by, the Duke is still willing and able to serve the Firm however he can. Last month, he stood side-by-side with King Charles, joining forces with his cousin for a service of the Order of St Michael and St George, where he serves as Grand Master of the Order, at St.Paul’s Cathedral.
Trooping the Colour 2025: The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duchess of Edinburgh, the Duke of Kent and Sir Tim Laurence
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
On 18 February, he joined his brother, Prince Michael of Kent, and his cousin, the Duke of Gloucester, at the Army & Navy Club on Pall Mall for the Senior Serving and Retired Officers’ Briefing. Prince Edward kicked off the year with a dinner commemorating his 60th anniversary as a member of the Westminster and Keystone Chapter Number 10 of the United Grand Lodge of England. This was followed up by a visit to Wigmore Hall, one of his beloved patronages, to attend a concert by Dame Imogen Cooper. In March, he also marked the 30th anniversary of the Bletchley Park Trust, one of his patronages.