Katharine, Duchess of Kent

Catherine, Duchess of Kent

You'll have a photograph, which will be nice, yeah? Fiercely proud of her roots

Her royal highness is, of course, a popular Yorkshire figure herself. And best known as the royal at Wimbledon

whose kindness to runners-up won her millions of admirers. Catherine devoted four decades to public service

and was an inspiration to royals who followed. She represents the best of the royals

She is the perfect ambassador for the British royal family. After marrying into the family 60 years ago..

I, Catherine Lucy Mary, take thee, Edward. Royal life has come at a cost

From those who doubted she was good enough... There was a lot of opposition to the marriage at first

to a strained early married life. Catherine was effectively an army wife

and I think that meant quite long spells away from her husband. And with events that led to depression

which nearly ended the marriage. I'm told that Catherine had thought about seeking a divorce

This was a lady who'd been put through the ringer. Catherine withdrew from public duties

and shunned her royal title. The fact that she stepped back without making a big song and dance about it

She's a bit of a royal pioneer. She's challenged royal convention throughout her marriage

From converting to Catholicism to taking on a secret new role. I learnt more from these children than I ever, ever taught them

Beloved by the public and the good causes she supports, how has Catherine succeeded where so many royals have failed

At an age when most people would be forgiven for putting their feet up, she just keeps going on

The 8th of June, 1961. The wedding day of Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, a dashing young soldier

with Catherine Worsley, the daughter of a Yorkshire aristocrat who was proud of her northern roots

Just having that wedding in 1961 at York Minster was a royal first

Nobody from the royal family had been married there in over 600 years

And this was very much a nod to Catherine's Yorkshire roots. She's very proud of the fact she comes from Yorkshire and from the north

The Queen and her family travelled up on a special train for the landmark event

while the young Princess Anne was among Catherine's bridesmaids. The local media dubbed this as the White Rose Wedding

And indeed it was. Even the Queen had the White Rose of York as part of a tribute to the setting

Just under 12 million viewers tuned in to watch the afternoon ceremony

And it was one of the highest rating programs of the week in half the nation's homes

At a time when the UK had just two television channels. I, Catherine Lucy Mary, take thee, Edward, to my wedded husband

There was just one small hitch, not seen on camera, as the newly married couple made their exit

After they'd signed the registers, the veil got caught on the step of the altar

and she felt it pull and stood absolutely still until it was released

Otherwise, the veil would have come off and the diamond bandeau tiara that she was wearing that had once belonged to Queen Mary would have come crashing to the floor

No Dutch is composed and smiling, unruffled even when her train gets caught up

Catherine made her mark from the word go. She was the first untitled woman to marry into the royal family for more than a century

As this 1961 tabloid reveals, it was front-page news that the Duke of Kent

was to marry a Yorkshire lass. It did break with tradition, this idea that although she was the daughter of a baronet

that she wasn't royal herself, and that was breaking boundaries and changing things

She's definitely upper class. She had no title, but her parents had a title

and it was clearly a love match. and she was quite clearly a sweet girl and that was how she was portrayed

Marrying into the firm had not been Catherine's long-term ambition but she went on to embrace the royal family on her terms

From an early age, her biggest passion was music as she explained in a revealing interview on Desert Island Discs

Well, I hoped music would be my life. I don't think I had any other real ambitions at that time

So I get very emotional about music and was very sad to slowly have to give it up

The story of the aspiring music teacher who put her career on hold to be a royal

began on the 22nd of February, 1933. She was born Catherine Worsley at Hovingham Hall, near York

Her father was Sir William Worsley, 4th Baronet. The Worsley family have owned the estate for more than 400 years and remain there to this day

Catherine's background was certainly aristocratic, and she lived quite an idyllic existence at the family estate in Yorkshire

As these charming family photographs reveal, the young Catherine found plenty of play areas within the extensive grounds of the Hovingham estate

But her childhood was solitary because her three older brothers were away at prep school during term times

Catherine was very close to her father, very fond of him. Catherine talks about how, as a child

he would often take her to the beach at Scarborough and they would indulge with her playing on the stands

Catherine went to school from the age of ten, first at St Margaret's

then based at the stately Castle Howard, close by her home. But when she was 13

she went to boarding school near Cromer on the Norfolk coast. Shy and homesick, she took comfort in music

She learned to play three instruments, piano, organ and violin. She hoped that music would be her life

She studied it until she was 25, and she absolutely adores it, even to this day

Another family photo shows Catherine in her 20s, glancing coyly to one side

showing signs of the shyness she'd carry throughout her life and which she later described with characteristic modesty

Would you say you're quite a shy person? Yeah. Very, actually. It's my nature. It's the way I was born

By the 1950s, Catherine was living and working in London as a nursery assistant

She was also courting a war hero, Andrew Burnaby Atkins, awarded two military crosses for bravery in World War II

Andrew Burnaby Atkins, whom I knew slightly, was an incredibly glamorous figure But the girls I knew who were keen on him they all knew it was no good They all said rather gloomily he after this blonde in Yorkshire

There was this sense, I think, that her mother wanted more for her than this military man

Some royal observers believe Catherine's mother persuaded her to end her courtship with Andrew

so that she'd be free to marry the Duke of Kent. I think that Lady Bursley

Once she knew the Duke of Kent was after Catherine, Prince Eddie was after Catherine

I think may well have put a bit of pressure on her, steered her in the direction of Prince Eddie

When the Duke of Kent came on the scene, that really put pay to any kind of chance

that Andrew Burnaby Atkins would have had as a possible husband for Catherine

It's often reported that Catherine's parents arranged her first meeting with Edward by inviting him to lunch while his regiment was based nearby

But Catherine had already struck up a friendship with him. She herself has said that they met at a private party in London and they became firm friends

And as a consequence of establishing a firm friendship, the Duke of Kent was a very frequent visitor to Hovingham Hall

Prince Edward was 20 years old and nearly three years younger than Catherine

The army officer was a sports fan with a passion for motor racing

And as the Queen's first cousin, Edward was then eighth in line to the throne

He was regarded as very glamorous. And as Duke of Kent in the 1950s, he was very, very eligible

You know, after Prince Philip, he was probably the best-known young male royal, so probably quite a catch

Catherine's mother had big ambitions for her daughter's relationship with Edward, but hadn't reckoned on his mother, the then Duchess of Kent, Princess Marina

She was so dubious about Catherine's suitability as a royal bride, it would take her three years to agree to their engagement

I think there was a lot of opposition to the marriage at first, particularly from Princess Marina

After all, when the Duke of Kent, Prince Eddie as he was then, when he first met Catherine, he certainly would have been thought too young to marry

Princess Marina was descended from Greek and Russian royalty and believed monarchy stood apart from everyone

She once described the young Queen Mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, an earl's daughter, as a common little Scottish girl

Princess Marina wasn't totally sold on the idea of her son marrying the daughter of a local squire

There was one occasion when Edward was with his family and other members of the royal family at Sandringham

and Princess Marina absolutely forbade him to leave Sandringham, to go up to Huffingham to see Catherine Worsley

and of course he totally ignored her and went. Under the Royal Marriages Act, the Queen's consent was required

before any royal under the age of 25 could marry. The young couple waited for Edward to come of age

and even agreed to spend a year living apart. While he served in Germany with his regiment

Catherine visited her brother in Canada and travelled in the USA and Mexico

I would imagine the year apart, that they spent apart from each other

was so that they both were certain of what they wanted to do. The separation made them more determined to be together

and prove their devotion. In a Frank radio interview years later, Catherine acknowledged that they made a wise decision

I went abroad for a while to think it out, And during that time, I think it just made us both quite certain that it was the right thing

It made them realise that what they felt for one another was for real

So when, of course, they came back, Princess Marina really had no choice but to give her permission to their marrying

Princess Marina coached Catherine in royal standards of behaviour. and once Catherine was married to Edward

she took on Marina's title to become the new Duchess of Kent. In Catherine's position

would any young woman be ready for the challenges of royal life

Marina had a very, very high profile in the family as the Duchess of Kent

I think to be the new Duchess of Kent, that's a difficult role

So you're a woman of 28 who's married into the royal family, given up your independence

you've got possibly an overbearing mother-in-law, and you've got an extensive programme of royal duties

as well as being a military wife, I think this is a lot to take on all at once

As Duchess of Kent, Catherine's taxing royal schedule lay ahead of her

but her love of music would never go away and would lead to a secret second life

Catherine, being Catherine, said, well, let me come in and do a singing lesson for you with your class

and I'll just, you know, come and help you. After marrying into the royal family in 1961

Catherine, the Yorkshire lass, was now Catherine Duchess of Kent. Thrown into a high-profile job with a grand title

she embraced the busy schedule of a working royal. I think it's important to realise the Duke and Duchess of Kent were very senior royals

Catherine, along with Margot, the leading female royal of that generation, so she was a bit of a star of the show

In the early years of their marriage, the Duke and Duchess of Kent were a great support to the Queen

at a time when her own children were too young to take on duties of their own

So as well as attending major royal events like Trooping the Colour or the state opening of Parliament, they were also asked to go on royal tours

The Kents represented the Queen overseas many times. One of their earliest visits was to Uganda in 1962 to mark the country's independence from British colonial rule

There's about 45 countries that go through that process in the first 30 years of the Queen's reign

Uganda, British Guyana, Barbados. This is a very important representative function. So the Duke and Duchess of Kent were very significant in that

Catherine gave birth to their oldest son, George, a year after their marriage

They joined Edward in Hong Kong for a year during his military service

By 1970, they had two more children. While the Duke had served in Germany and Cyprus, Catherine was mostly in the UK

juggling her busy royal schedule with raising their family. Catherine was effectively an army wife, and I think that meant quite long spells away from her husband

and I think proved very difficult for a couple just starting out in life together

I think if you marry somebody who's in the army with a serious career

you going to have periods of separation and I suppose it does pool eventually but I think it probably she would look back on that as quite an important time in her life Catherine time was filled with numerous public duties Though she never overcame her shyness she kept her common touch and felt right at home with everyday people

They said they didn't know what to do with themselves in the holidays. You don't have that problem, do you

Nice to see you all. The fact that she was always very cheerful looking and smiling, the fact that she was quite tactile with members of the public

I think, really endeared her to the nation at the time. Catherine seemed to hit on the ideal formula for royal conduct

She'd be an inspiration to the royals who followed her example, like Princess Diana

They both understood what it meant coming from the outside and having to try and adjust to a very different way of life

As Diana was to achieve later in her charity work, Catherine kept the focus on the cause rather than herself

The earliest stage of her life, when she had a bigger public profile

it was about bringing the public profile to the charities. Catherine did this, Diana did this

so it wasn't about, um, look at me, it was about the work that she did

Catherine never sought publicity for herself, but the media and the nation grew to admire her

through the annual Wimbledon tennis tournament. Her husband has been president of the All England Club since 1969

She accompanied him for more than three decades and was soon invited to present awards

I always used to observe how humane she was in always comforting the loser

and speaking directly and passionately to the person who hadn't won the trophy

Catherine's most famous moment of consolation came in 1993 when Jana Novotna was beaten in the women's singles tournament by Steffi Graf

As this famous TV coverage reveals, Novotna burst into tears during the presentation ceremony

The loser had to make do with some royal words of comfort from the Duchess of Kent

Catherine's embrace, watched by millions of viewers, revealed her to be one of the most demonstrative of royals

Although some people might have been surprised at the member of the royal family just expressing a natural human emotion

for Katherine that was just the normal natural thing to do and it was very impressive

In a candid interview years later, Katherine was still modest about her hug with Jana Novotny

You put your arm around her and she... Well, that's what you do when people are crying

A lot of people at the time said, my word, a member of the royal family. We are quite normal people

We do hug people who cry. We don't see their, their, don't stop crying, no

She told people that she was terrified to go on to Centreport because of this innate shyness

She couldn't quite believe that she had attracted a level of fame because of her role on that sporting occasion

Such was Catherine's shyness and modesty. Few people knew at the time that she'd already supported another Wimbledon star, Martina Navratilova

The communist regime in her homeland of Czechoslovakia refused to let her family join her in London for the 1978 contest

We don't quite know what the Duchess did, but there were reports that weren't denied that she had lent a hand in making sure that Martina's mother could be there to witness her tennis skills on the court in Great Britain

What are your impressions now of this country and of this tournament so far

It's very nice here, but I'm very glad to see my daughter

Catherine stopped presenting trophies in 2001. 2001 there were also reports of her being displeased with the club after they reprimanded her for trying to bring a non-royal

Visitor into the royal box in fact She was trying to give a treat to the son of a London head teacher

Philip Lawrence who'd been killed outside his school in a street attack that shocked the nation

Pupils and colleagues gathered today at the Roman Catholic school in London's made of veil and paid tribute to their head teacher

teacher who was married with four children. Catherine became very friendly with Philip's

widow and also with Philip's son and she tried to get the son into the royal box

and got a rather curt note saying it's not appropriate to have non-royal children in

the royal box which seems rather heartless and rude. She did remain a tennis fan and continued

to attend for years and years after that, but just in the stands with everybody else

because she went along with friends. Catherine has often found herself going against the royal grain

And in 1993, a chance encounter would lead to a new secret life

and one that would finally allow her to share her love of music

She had met one of the classroom teachers from the Wonsbeck Primary School

and this teacher was explaining to her how nervous the teacher was

about teaching music. So Catherine, being Catherine, said, well, let me come in and do a singing lesson for you

with your class, and I'll just, you know, come and help you. And so, for the next 13 years

Catherine commuted to Hull once a week to teach music in a primary school

and later at schools across the country. As this touching documentary reveals

her rapport with children is instant. What's your favourite pop group? Black Eyed Peas

Is this? What's yours? I like blue. You like blue? I think everybody likes blue

Westlife? Yeah. Everybody says that now. Catherine only brought cameras into schools

when music education needed attention. Until then, she taught in secret, relying on staff discretion and using the name Mrs. Kent

Nicholas Robinson, her friend and a former head teacher, watched her at work

We travelled up on the train from King's Cross. she was in her tracksuit and trainers and what really struck me was at the end of the 50 minutes

when she said right now children it's time to finish we've come to the end of our singing lesson

they also say oh no miss please please can we sing that last song again from my experience of

singing to have children saying please can we have another song after 50 minutes was just really

striking one of the books i read called rhinoceros in the classroom said something very true which is

that a classroom is a room full of learners. I learnt more from these children than I ever, ever taught them

She did it with the Queen's blessing, because I think both women understood that this is where Catherine's passion lay

and it wasn't going to interfere with any affairs of state or indeed family matters

The Queen has been so grateful for Catherine's contribution to the royal family, she gave her a special award

Catherine was given the Dame Grand Cross of the Victorian Order, which is in the monarch's personal gift

So I think the Queen has been quite close to Catherine and has been very keen to thank her

for her service to the royal family through the decades. But Catherine was to pay a heavy price

for her constant devotion to duty. The impact of these traumatic events

meant that Catherine spiralled into very serious depression In 2002, whilst Catherine was teaching in Hull

she made a momentous decision, officially withdrawing from her royal duties. I'm thinking I'm going to die. I really will

Come the mid-90s, a lot of other royals have stepped up to the mark

Catherine decides to step back, as it's now known. She doesn't make a big announcement and sing-song about it

By announcing that you're stepping back from something, you draw attention to yourself

So I think that what she did was much more dignified. Aged 69, after more than 40 years of loyal public service

and now a career as a music teacher, Catherine's decision was fully supported by the royals

but she went a step further in her diversion from the royal path

Catherine did not want to use the title of Royal Highness, and this was Catherine making the point that her royal life was behind her

and therefore, because it was behind her, because she was marching to her own drum now

she didn't need the rank or the title. or she wanted to be Catherine

The Duchess revealed this herself in the first interview she gave after giving up her royal title

I don't like being a public figure. I say that very humbly. Why not

It's my nature. It's the way I was born. I like doing things quietly behind the scenes

achieving things with children. It's the way some of us are built

Catherine had put her longing for privacy to one side in order to fulfil the role she'd taken on

But after four decades of royal duty, she found her moment to step away from the spotlight

She's not the kind of person who stands on ceremony. So I think asking to be released from that title, HRH

would be simply a genuine desire so that there would be no barriers

between what she's trying to do and between her and ordinary people

It was an unusual move for a royal, but the Queen gave Catherine her blessing

It is quite significant to say to the Queen that you want to drop the use of your HRH status

There's quite a strong bond between the two women because they're of a similar age, the Queen, 94, Catherine, 88

And I think the Queen had admiration for the way that Catherine was quietly going about

the business of trying to make life better for others. But the Duchess's desire to step back from royal life

led to unfavourable speculation in the media. She was branded a recluse

Catherine opened up about this in her heartfelt chat with Fiona Bruce

What do you make of that? I mind terribly. You mind terribly

I mind terribly. I mind so much because... I'm not. I never was. I'm far too busy, Fiona

Teaching is a very full-time job. I travel to Manchester, I travel to Albro

I travel to London on a regular basis to various things. I look after my family, I cook for my husband

No, I'm not recluse. That period where people said she had been a recluse

actually she was secretly teaching at a primary school in Hull, so she was never off the scene, but just perhaps below the radar

The decision to drop her HRH title wasn't the first time she sparked headlines

In 1994, the Duchess caused great controversy when she once again pushed the boundaries of royal protocol, converting to Catholicism

Those close to her say she still retains a genuine affection for the Church of England

but they say she's embarked on what they call a personal spiritual journey

It was very significant, largely, of course, because not since 1701, the Act of Settlement, had a member of the royal family become Catholic

The Duchess arrived for the private ceremony with her husband to the applause of waiting well-wishers

Catherine's decision to ask the Queen to allow her convert was really another example of what a determined woman she was

Despite being head of the Church of England, the Queen approved of Catherine's personal decision

But the move still caused a stir in the press. I think the media regarded it as quite controversial, simply because it had never happened before

And this was at a time when, you know, there'd been a lot of press coverage about the Duchess

Converting to Catholicism was a big step. She would not have done it in any kind of way to upset anyone else

It would have been a private matter for her. It's thought that Catherine had turned to Catholicism

following tragic events that she faced as a mother. At the start, family life seemed almost idyllic

In the 1960s, I think it was a very happy family. They had the lovely house of Coppins in Iver

about 15 miles to the west of London, which had been inherited from the Duke and Duchess of Kent

the previous generation. The couple have three children. their eldest child, George, known as the Earl of St Andrews

their middle child, a daughter, Lady Helen Windsor, and their youngest child, Nicholas Lord Windsor

She seems to have had a desire to have a big family, so they had the three children

and it seems that she wanted to have a fourth child. But the years that followed would be some of the worst of her life

Along with losing both of her parents, the dream of having more children ended in tragedy

In 1975, at the age of 42, she became pregnant with her fourth child

but very sadly she contracted German measles. And, of course, German measles in the first trimester

can have the most devastating effect, and she had a termination. And I don't think she ever really quite forgave herself for that

but at the time it seemed absolutely the right thing to do. Although the decision was medically advised

it's said to have plagued Catherine ever since. And in 1977, two years after the termination

tragedy struck once more. At 44, she conceived another child, and I think they were both delighted

At birth, after 36 hours struggling to keep him alive, this baby died

And it devastated her. This triggered for Catherine the start of the most terrible period

of depression, leading to being admitted to the King Edward VII Hospital

She was there in the hospital for seven weeks. Catherine had hurled herself back into royal duty, which had been

serious consequences. Some said it was nervous exhaustion, others talked about a nervous breakdown

Catherine, by her own admission, was suffering from depression at the time

Catherine later took another groundbreaking step for a royal, publicly opening up about the trauma

of losing children and her personal battle with mental health issues. Royals weren't open about

their mental health as we're used to them being now, with the likes of Prince William and Prince

Harry talking about their heads together charitable initiative. Back then it was unheard of really for

royals to be that revelatory about their own innermost feelings. Catherine gave very few

interviews and then only on subjects about which she both felt deeply and she felt would be of

significance and use to members of the public who might have suffered in the same way. That did make

Catherine appear to be somebody who was perhaps more relatable than the average royal

somebody who seemed human, very much one of us, rather than being perhaps one of them

In addition to the loss that the couple suffered, the Duchess also battled health issues for most of her adult life

It was first said that she was suffering from Epstein-Barr virus, then ME, before it seemed to be confirmed

that it was celiac disease that she was suffering from. But before, of course, that they'd actually got to that

she had been suffering quite considerably from health problems. None of that was apparent at the time

when she was cheerfully giving the prizes at Wimbledon, carrying out a huge programme of public engagements

Despite the toll it took on her health, Catherine remained determined to measure up to royal expectations

in a world where duty comes before all else. It epitomizes the essence of this determined woman

You know, she refers to herself as a perfectionist. And she says, I'm a 24-hour person

Since I've known Catherine over the 20 years, she has always worked tirelessly

And I know when she was teaching in East Hull, that over the 13 years that she was teaching there

I think she only missed two days. Despite Catherine's personal struggles, her primary focus seems to be helping others

Alongside being a working royal, a teacher and a mother, a large part of Catherine's life has been dedicated to charity work

She is so aware that she's born into wealth, she marries into the royal family

and that gives her a voice and an ability to make a difference

It's not a crazy dream, it's a possibility. I really do believe we can actually do this

She has served as the patron, president or board member of more than 100 charities

The Duchess's visit is to highlight the work of VSO volunteers by raising their profile in Macedonia

and helping persuade government and people that those with mental and physical problems should not be stigmatised

With Catherine, the charities that were closest to her heart always seemed to be music

children and the elderly. One especially close to her heart was Helen House in Oxfordshire

the home for terminally ill children, and she was a great presence there

I learnt, I suppose, after I'd been here four or five times, it suddenly came to me how..

..tears and smiles walk side by side. I think the Duchess of Kent was very much the kind of royal

that didn just want to be on a letterhead She actually wanted to go and witness the work being carried out by charities firsthand and even at times take part in it herself For some years Catherine went as a volunteer on pilgrimage to Lourdes in France

getting up at six o'clock in the morning, going to the hospital, helping to bathe and dress one of the pilgrims, or helping to feed them

sitting with them having a cup of tea and a cup of coffee, or just chatting to them. After she took on her role as patron of the Samaritans

the Duchess insisted on becoming a Samaritan herself, personally taking calls from those in need

She worked for them as a volunteer for many, many years, and she was always known as Kate

And, of course, nobody knew who they were talking to. I remember I said to her

how do you cope if somebody rings up and says, I want to die, what do you say

And she replied, you have to cut everything else out and focus solely on trying to help that person

Here's a woman who's led a life of the most unimaginable wealth and privilege, and yet has managed to retain the common touch

She's still that golden haired lass from Yorkshire, you know, who married the royal prince

whilst Catherine directed the spotlight onto her chariages what many didn't realize is that her

marriage to the Duke of Kent was under great strain and had been for some time Catherine and

Edward were quite different people with very different interests and though they were very

much in love and had a loving family life this put a strain on their relationship and then in the

1970s, after the loss of not one, but two children and Catherine's serious depression

the relationship became strained to the point of breaking. Catherine needed her husband

to be there for her. Edward was raised as a royal. He was part of the royal family

With the repression that that can bring, with the restrictions that that can bring, Edward wasn't able to deliver

It's even thought at the time that the couple were considering divorce

I'm told that Catherine had thought about seeking a divorce, but certainly the Duke of Kent promised the Queen that there wouldn't be a divorce

Divorce was still frowned upon by the Church of England, and as its head, the Queen could

not have supported such a controversial decision. Catherine stuck very closely to doing the right thing

She would never have dreamt of doing anything that she felt the Queen would disapprove of

She did not allow any marital discord to affect her relationship either with the royal family

or with the life of service she had chosen. Edward and Catherine stayed together, and so whilst they would still undertake engagements together, they began drifting apart and would lead pretty much their own separate lives

When newcomer Diana faced similar struggles in her royal marriage, an unlikely friendship developed

She understood Diana's problems. She could see the privilege, but also the pain

The Duchess of Kent

Throughout her royal life, the Duchess of Kent was tested by the unique demands of a royal relationship

relationship. Decades later, Princess Diana would experience many of the same struggles

You know, I think she could see a lot of herself in Diana. And later on, when they came to

you know, reside together in Kensington Palace, they became very close friend. She advised Diana

at critical moments of her life on how to handle the pressures in her marriage

Despite the age gap of almost 30 years, Catherine and Diana formed a unique friendship that lasted until Diana's death

Catherine and Princess Diana went through a certain number of the same experiences

They both suffered immense grief. They both found themselves isolated at times

They both had to overcome mental difficulties. And they both had that quality of warmth and empathy with people

They were both free spirits, both wanting to respect the Queen and their royal role

but equally perhaps wanting to break free and operate a little differently in the royal sphere

Catherine admitted in a media interview years later that she understood Diana's problems

and sympathised with them because she could see the privilege but also the pain

And so I think Catherine did put an arm around Diana and try and help her through some very tough times

Catherine knew too well the rigor of royal life. Now aged 88, with her royal duties and her HRH title behind her, Catherine, Duchess of Kent, seems to be living a life away from royal grandeur

And aside from the weddings of Harry and William, over the last 19 years, Catherine has rarely been seen in public

She's been able to pick and choose the few royal events that she attends

big weddings, occasionally trooping the colour, anything that's special for the Queen

with whom I think she has a close relationship. The Duke and Duchess of Kent are lucky enough to be grandparents to ten children

So that must be a rather lovely phase in life that she's able to spend time with the grandchildren

It's often interesting to see royals who are now in their 80s being described as sort of having stepped back from public life

Well, Catherine's still working on her charities, even though she's well beyond retirement age

Even at nearly 90, Catherine is committed to public duty. In 2004, rather than winding down after retiring from royal life, Catherine co-founded a music charity, Future Talent

I know she's patron and president of many, many organizations and charities, but this particular charity is her own vision

It's her baby. Having taught now for 12 years as you say in East Helm and being incredibly frustrated by I would say at least 20 children in 12 years who had potential to reach the very very top in music And immensely frustrated that I can find a route forward for them

And what I want to do is try to bridge this enormous divide

Why shouldn't all children have equal opportunities in music? Why not? That's what Future Tenet wants to do

It was this attempt to harness the power of music and trying to inspire confidence in youngsters

And I think that reflects her own experience, somebody who loved music but was intrinsically a shy person being put in a position because of her marriage where she had to face the public and do so with a degree of confidence that perhaps she was given by her own musical performances and her love of music in general

the charity has recruited ambassadors such as dame judy dench and sting and katherine has

organized concerts at buckingham palace and windsor castle for the young musicians right from the

beginning katherine would go into the office two or three times a week and we'd be writing letters

and making phone calls at an age when most people would be forgiven for putting their feet up

and taking it easy. She just keeps going on. Spanning seven decades

the Duke and Duchess's marriage has not been without its difficulties. But after living largely separate lives

in 2013, Catherine moved back into their home, Wren House in Kensington Palace

after Edward suffered a stroke. It's rumoured that the two are closer now

than they have ever been before. But this is the quintessential Catherine, giving support and succour when she feels it's needed

whether to her husband, who is now ailing, or in the past to the weeping Jana Navotna in Wimbledon

The Duchess is still close with her royal relatives, and her neighbours at Kensington Palace include William and Kate

It's a family community, so that's rather lovely that they're still integral members of the royal family

I'm sure that occasionally they would see the Queen. Catherine Worsley married into the royal family

against all the odds and has not only survived but has lived royal life on her own terms

She's transformed what it means to be a royal, the fact that she became a Catholic

which a generation before wouldn't have been acceptable. the fact that she stepped back without making a big song and dance about it

the fact that she taught quietly in a school. I don't think we have any examples of any other royals

that have been able to be that free-spirited and independently minded, while at the same time remaining within the royal fold

and not offending anyone by their own desire to do things a little differently

The Duchess has proved that you don't need to do everything the conventional way

to lead a life devoted to public service. She has spent most of her life trying to help other people

and that service is what the monarchy is about. Catherine seems somehow to puncture the barrier

which some people feel it was between them and other royals, and in terms of her public life

has never really put a foot wrong whatever may have been going on in private

So, yes, she's a bit of a royal pioneer