Duchess of Kent

Duchess of Kent
Incumbent Katharine since 8 June 1961
Style	Her Royal Highness
Member of	British royal family
Term length	As long as married to the Duke of Kent
Formation	1710 (first creation) 1799 (second creation) 1866 (third creation) 1934 (present creation)
First holder	Jemima Grey

Duchess of Kent is the principal courtesy title held by the wife of the Duke of Kent. There have been four Duchesses of Kent since the title's creation. The current duchess is Katharine, whose husband Prince Edward, inherited the dukedom on 25 August 1942 upon the death of his father Prince George, the son of George V.

History[]

Henry Grey, 12th Earl of Kent — of the eighth creation in the peerage of England — since 1702 was raised to the peerage of Great Britain under Queen Anne as Marquess of Kent, Earl of Harold and Viscount Goderich in 1706 and Duke of Kent in 1710. In 1694 he married Jemima Crew who became Countess, Marchioness and then Duchess of Kent in 1702, 1706 and 1710 respectively.^[1] She died in 1728. In 1729 he married Sophia Bentinck, who died exactly a year after he did. The dukedom, marquessate and earldom of Kent all became extinct as the duke had survived all of his sons and had no male collateral heirs, though two subsidiary titles (the barony Lucas of Crudwell and the marquessate Grey) passed to his granddaughter Jemima Yorke.

The Prince Edward Augustus was created Duke of Kent & Strathearn in the peerage of Great Britain by his father George III in 1799.^[2] In 1818 he married Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld the daughter of Duke Francis and former regent of the Principality of Leiningen.^[3] They had one daughter, Princess Alexandrina Victoria, in 1819. The duke died with no heir in 1820. The duchess died in 1861. She never married again, but there were rumours (unproven) of an affair with John Conroy.^{[4][5][6][4][7]}

Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia became Countess of Kent in 1874 on her marriage to The Prince Alfred Ernest Albert, who had received the earldom in the peerage of the United Kingdom from his mother eight years earlier. The couple were more commonly known by their higher titles of Duke & Duchess of Edinburgh, then as Duke & Duchess of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha. The duke died in 1900, the duchess in 1920. They had survived their only son, Alfred, in 1899.^[8][9]

The Prince George Edward Alexander Edmund was created Duke of Kent by his father George V in 1934, some weeks in advance of his wedding to Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark. She was a first cousin of the future royal consort Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. George died in 1942 leaving his peerages to his six-year-old son Prince Edward. Marina continued to be styled "The Duchess of Kent" until Edward's wedding, and was then styled "Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent" until her own death in 1968.^{[10][11][12][13]}

Katharine Worsley married Prince Edward in 1961 and has remained Duchess of Kent ever since.^[14]

Countesses and Duchesses of Kent[]

Marchionesses & Duchesses of Kent (Great Britain, 1706–1740 and 1710–1740)[]

Subsidiary titles: Countess of Harold, Viscountess Goderich, Baroness Lucas of Crudwell.

Duchess	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Jemima Crew Crew family 1706(1710)–1728		1675 – daughter of Thomas Crew and Anne Armine	1694 Henry Grey, 12th Earl of Kent 6 children	2 July 1728 aged 31 or 32
Sophia Bentinck Bentinck family 1729–1740		4 April 1701 – daughter of William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland and Jane Martha Temple	1729 Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Kent 2children	5 June 1741 aged 40

Duchesses of Kent & Strathearn (Great Britain, 1799–1819)[]

Subsidiary titles: Countess of Dublin (Ireland).

Duchess	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld House of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld 1818–1819		17 August 1876 Coburg – daughter of Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and Countess Augusta of Reuss-Ebersdorf	29 May 1818 Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn 1 daughter	16 March 1861 aged 74

Countesses of Kent (United Kingdom, 1866–1900)[]

Other titles: Duchess of Edinburgh, Countess of Ulster.

Countess	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov 1874–1900		17 October 1853 Alexander Palace, Russian Empire – daughter of Alexander II and Marie of Hesse and by Rhine	23 January 1874 Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh 5 children	24 October 1920 aged 67

Duchesses of Kent (United Kingdom, 1934–present)[]

Subsidiary titles: Countess of St Andrews, Baroness Downpatrick.

Duchess	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark House of Glücksburg 1934–1942		13 December 1906 Athens, Greece – daughter of Prince Nicholas and Grand Duchess Elena	29 November 1934 Prince George, Duke of Kent 3 children	27 August 1968, aged 61
Katharine Worsley Worsley family 1961–present		22 February 1933 Hovingham Hall, Yorkshire – daughter of Sir William Worsley and Joyce Brunner	8 June 1961 Prince Edward 3 children	– now 88 years, 204 days old

Possible future duchesses[]

Edward and Katharine's eldest son George Windsor, married Sylvana Tomaselli in 1988. They are currently known by the courtesy titles Earl and Countess of St Andrews. As George is three generations removed from the crown he is not a prince. Upon his accession Sylvana would be styled Her Grace The Duchess of Kent.

George and Sylvana's only son Edward, born in 1988, is currently unmarried.

References[]

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