The only reason I am able to pick the Duke of Kent out of a lineup is because for many years, he was the face of “royalty at Wimbledon.” Edward, the Duke of Kent, serves as president of the All-England Club and he has been a fixture in the Center Court Royal Box for many, many years. Then the Duchess of Cambridge fancied a tennis job, and Kate worked hard (lol) to push him out. I believe he still serves as president, but Kate is definitely trying to take over. Still, the Duke has worked hard for the Firm for decades and he is known to be particularly close to Queen Elizabeth. They are first cousins – his father and her father were brothers. That connection and closeness has given the Duke and his wife a sizable royal apartment in London and hundreds of bread-and-butter royal events every year. Now that the Duke is 86 years old, he is slowing down and retiring from some of his activities. As such, he’s written a memoir about his life, and it’s due to come out just before Prince Harry’s memoir drops. Now royal reporters are trying to make it sound like the Duke of Kent will, like, successfully steal Harry’s thunder??
As first cousins they are whisper-close confidants whose lives have shared in the ups and downs of so many royal dramas — and countless family secrets. She was present at his christening in the private chapel at Buckingham Palace and eight-and-a-half decades later, when the Queen faced her first birthday parade after the death of Prince Philip, he was there at her side.
He is 86 now and though the higher-profile activities of young royals such as William, Kate, Meghan and Harry grab the headlines, the Duke of Kent carries serenely on with his duties with a quiet, unfussy dignity and absolute contentment. Indeed it would be hard to find another Royal Family member who embodies the qualities of loyalty and obligation to Queen and country more than Edward Kent, whose father died in a wartime flying accident when he was just six.
So the news that the duke is writing his memoirs in which, we are promised, he will be telling the inside story ‘behind the scenes of the world’s most celebrated family’, is remarkable. Due to be published next May, its timing is significant. Not only will it appear just ahead of the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations, it will also beat the arrival of another royal book — the tell-all autobiography of Prince Harry.
The two books, however, are likely to reflect a very different version of events. The duke’s story will be in the form of recollections and never-before-seen pictures — he is a skilled amateur photographer — of a lifetime working for the Queen without fanfare to support her public role. The contrast with the volume being penned by Harry, who is brimming with anger and hurt at how his exit from the royal institution was handled, could not be starker.
‘Edward’s book,’ says a figure close to the duke pointedly, ‘will aim to show that the most successful members of the Royal Family are those who support the Queen and don’t compete with her’.
I imagine Edward had a much easier time with everything because, unlike Harry, Edward always had the full support of the Queen and the institution, and because he didn’t marry a bright, beautiful, American woman of color. Harry was always fine with supporting the Queen, up until the point where the Queen did nothing as her family and her courtiers were part of a massive, racist smear campaign against Meghan. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have any grudge against the Duke of Kent. He seems fine, and I don’t even recall any situation where he’s been shady or weird or racist. But the market for the Duke of Kent’s book will simply be a lot different than the market for Harry’s memoir. There is no comparison.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
As. If.
The queen is dying. This will be a book full of nostalgia and pictures of her life after her passing. That’s it. That’s the spin.
Who??
Basically this. I follow the royals and I wouldn’t have been able to point him out without the accompanying photo.
If Sophie says she doesn’t know who he is I might actually believe her this time.
Yeah, anyone who has done a lot of reading about the royals, or who is older and followed Diana and the monarchy back in the day, would be familiar with many of the current and former members of QE-II’s immediate and extended family.
Of course, the rota as usual are making no sense in their effort to continue attacking the Sussexes. The Duke of Kent is 86, and his memoir has absolutely no relevance or connection to Prince Harry’s memoir. At only 37 years of age, Harry’s reminisces about his life from the 1980s forward will of course be quite different from Edward’s older, and much less high profile existence.
The rota simply need to stop with their characterization of Harry as angry and bitter. They are actually projecting their own anger and bitterness. Prior to the Oprah interview, the storyline by the rota framed Harry as a sad, clueless hostage of his wife, missing royal life back on Salty Isle. LOL!!!
🤣🤣🤣
My reaction exactly, followed by LOL. 🤣
“Will the duke of kent memoir rivals harry’s?” Uhm no because I genuinely didn’t know who this was. I didn’t know he was the queens first cousin because i wasn’t aware that her father had another brother besides the one that relinquished the throne.
And the way harry’s memoir has been labeled a “tell-all” annoys me. The book is about HIM. Not about the rest of his family. He’s not going to tell how many kids prince philip really has or with how many women william cheated with. They need to give it a rest.
The Duke of Kent’s father was was nearly as scandalous than the brother that relinquished the phone. He was bisexual and had affairs with artists and artistos, probably had a drug problem, and may have been a Nazi sympathizer. He ended up dying in a plane crash during WW2, and that had an air of mystery to it, too.
I’m curious to see what the Duke of Kent says of his father, but that’s about the extant of my interest in this memoir. He’ll probably not say much of anything, at that, though.
George, Duke of Kent (the fourth son of George V) was indeed a bisexual drug addict. Read the book, Brothers at War, for more information. There are also a number of documentaries on YouTube which provide some useful information for those who might be interested. There’s a documentary up about Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent (George of Kent’s wife). He left her widowed with three children when he died in a plane crash during WWII, at the age of 39.
Upon his father’s death, six-year-old Prince Edward (oldest son of Marina & George) became Duke of Kent. The Kents are particularly close to QE-II because Princess Marina is a first cousin to Prince Philip (their fathers were brothers). Marina and Philip were both impoverished Greek royals (though not Greek by ancestry). Marrying into the British royal family was a boon for both Marina and Philip (in terms of prestige and financial prospects). Both of their marriages had little to do with deep love. Marina died in her late 60s from brain cancer.
Prince George of Kent was unable to overcome his vices even after marrying and having children. Extended royal family members certainly felt it was a blessing in disguise when he died during the war. And we all know about QE-II’s and Philip’s marriage.
The rest of the stuff is really bad but it’s no crime to be bisexual.
I have a soft spot for the current Duke of Kent. When he came out to present the winner’s award at Wimbledon back in the day, he always took his time pausing to talk to the ball boys/girls. The same for his wife when she presented the ladies’ trophy. She also comforted Jana Novotna who was in tears after losing the ladies match and spent some time speaking to her. I thought the two were a class act.
What’s wrong with being bi?
About the only scandalous or irritating thing my bi husband has done is take too damn long in At Home when I want to hurry along and avoid the after Christmas bargain hunting crowd.
Bisexual folks are just fine. The other stuff that guy did, that’s sketchy but don’t include being bi in the same breathe like it’s comparable.
I don’t believe (or hope to believe) that commenters are expressing an opinion on his bisexuality. Just stating a fact.. I didn’t read the comment as a negative opinion.
I’m more curious why some might think William isn’t a Windsor. William definitely has the same amphibian, froggy lips/mouth/expressions George, the Duke of Kent had.imo
Judging on looks alone, if anyone is not a Windsor, it is Andrew. Andrew more closely resembles the current Earl of Carnarvon and his brother than any of the Windsor family. Andrew has no amphibian, froggy lips/mouth/expressions.
Lol @ BayTampaBay-I probably should have simplified with Mr. Toad mouth. I agree there is a strong resemblance, not just coloring, but of features between Andrew & Porchey. The Queen always looked genuinely quite happy when she was around him.
^^ @Isabella and @Rose, thanks for you input. Of course it’s not a crime to be bisexual, although it practically was during the time period in question. Certainly, for many years it was treated as a crime in Britain to be a homosexual. @Agreatreckoning is right that it’s important to take the context into consideration.
I didn’t include the reference to George, Duke of Kent being bisexual, as a criticism. It is simply a known fact.
@Chloe says she genuinely didn’t know who the Duke of Kent was. Well, don’t feel bad Chloe, I doubt the person who wrote the Daily Fail column heard of the duke either.
As to the person who said the book will aim to show that the most successful royals are those who support the queen and don’t compete w/ her (whatever “compete” means, I guess it means “outshines” because I don’t see any other person trying out the queen’s crown and sitting on her throne). Anyway, I bet Princess Diana will be sad to hear how “unsuccessful” she was. Pity.
How many kids does Prince Phillip have.You would think someone would have come out of the woodwork.
If there’s a payout and an NDA we wont know at least until its Philips child’s child. (grandchild) Next generation may tell us. And even then, without DNA (interesting that NDA and DNA are anagrams) anyone could make this claim.
@ Chloe, the constant need of the RR to suggest that Harry’s memoir will be a scathing book attacking everyone in the BRF is becoming tiresome! They desperately want to paint Harry as a selfish and demanding man with regards to his wife, as they ran those ludicrous stories of “What Meghan wants, Meghan gets!” on repeat!!
The fact that Harry was able to escape with Meghan, and Archie, was their only option. Harrys memoir will be of his life, up until now. Harry has no need to include his family as this is his book about himself, that’s why it called a memoir! Why the RR continue to treat it as a tell-all shows how utterly cruel they are. In addition to always bringing Megan up at every opportunity. The RR are truly desperate and refuse to give up their golden eggs, with regards to Harry and Meghan! They need to give it up!!
@BothSidesNow, the “What Meghan wants, Meghan gets!” stories never rang true. Not to Harry’s personality as an adult. He would be more careful with his words after his long tenure in the army.imo Even with family-he chose his words carefully after his army experiences. He would not speak out against the Queen, his Colonel-in-Chief. Angela Kelley(sp)? doesn’t hold all the cards. Knauf’s emails w/Meghan told the true story about tiaragate, Wootton was shown to be the liar he is. Except for his #PrinceWilliamAffair story from March 22, 2019. btw, Charles & Kelley are not fond of each other. Never have been. As with everything else, I believe William’s words are being projected as Harry’s. IMHO, the words actually spoken at sometime were, what Kate wants, Kate gets, (except for William’s fidelity).
I don’t believe Harry’s book will be a tell all either. It is really sad that the only way RR’s/BM can generate interest in their stories is when they mention Meghan or Harry. How can they really sell or justify Kate being the savior of the moanarchy or coming into her own when they can’t write about her without mentioning Meghan? Okay, just noticed I spelled monarchy moanarchy. I’ll keep it at that. Moanarchy fits the BRF/BM.
@Agreatreckoning said:
“As with everything else, I believe William’s words are being projected as Harry’s. IMHO, the words actually spoken at sometime were, what Kate wants, Kate gets, (except for William’s fidelity).”
^^ This is a very intuitive observation, which is likely accurate. Thanks for sharing your reflections.
The Firm is so terrified of what Harry may say in his memoires, that they may use the DoK’s book to question Harry’s mental stability and the credibility of anything he has to say. You know, the drill; discredit Harry and smear him before the fact as they did with Meghan prior to the Oprah interview.
LOL at the Fail writer implying Harry wanted to compete with the Queen. They must have forgotten Harry left the army because the Queen asked him to due to certain people not being Willing to work much. These two books are not in competition with each other.
Wow. Went down the rabbit hole about George, Duke of Kent. This link brought up how he may have fathered Michael Canfield(Michael Temple Canfield), who was Jackie Kennedy’s sister Lee’s first husband-1953-1958. It makes the story of the Queen’s reluctance in inviting Lee (as requested by Jackie) to the dinner at BP in 1961 more interesting. The claim back then had something to do with Lee being a divorcee??. Geez, with the BRF’s history of scandals how is being divorced even a blip. Jackie also requested Margaret & Marina to attend. They were not invited.
https://therake.com/stories/icons/the-forgotten-prince/
Also, during the rabbit hole dive, I read that Barbara Cartland believes George, Duke of Kent is Diana’s stepmother Raine’s father. Barbara said her husband wasn’t the father.
Haha at being the ‘ world’s most celebrated family’. Most of the celebrations are because of having gained independence from them.imo
I just want them all to 23 and me.
LOL. We need Maury & Lil Nas X to do a BRF episode.
They must feel so dumb in that editors meeting when deciding what straws to grasp at next.
They will use anything as long as it keeps the sussexes name in their articles
I love the juxtaposition of the headline and the header photo, hahaha!
That face!!! Hahahaha
He is a caricature of his own self!
This is a horrible and mean thing to say, but I always think of a shriveled apple core when I see him.
Eh, we don’t know much about him personally. He just took the worst combo of facial features from both his parents. His looks have something to do with royal inbreeding for sure. He has seemed to conduct himself like nothing less than a kind gentleman during his appearances at Wimbledon. His parents in general were fairly attractive. He’s pictured in the below link as a baby with his parents:
https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/house-of-windsor-christenings/prince-george-duke-of-kent-prince-edward-duke-of-kent-princess-marina-duchess-of-kent/
Edward, Duke of Kent has seemingly led a scandal-free, conservative, above-board, decent life. He’s surely just as entitled, dutiful and royalist in his views as his mother, Princess Marina, was. His mother was a very popular, elegant, fashionable figure during her lifetime. She suffered from financial deprivation after her husband, George, died in the war. Back then, there was no Civil List provision for a foreign-born princess who married into British royalty and then lost her royal husband’s source of income. She had to end up selling her jewelry and other possessions after her husband’s death.
Fortunately for Princess Marina, once her first cousin Philip, married Princess Elizabeth, life prospects began to look up for her and her children. They would still struggle financially, but it was hugely beneficial for Marina when Elizabeth inherited the throne in 1952, and subsequently added her to the Civil List as a working senior royal. This would be why Marina and her children have been staunchly dutiful to the crown.
Princess Alexandra (Marina’s daughter) was so religiously dutiful to QE-II, that her children, James and Marina Ogilvy, felt neglected. James Ogilvy grew up to lead a productive, happy life out of but adjacent to the royal sphere. Marina Ogilvy scandalously rebelled against her parents and the royals as a teenager, with dire consequences.
@Jezz said:
“He is a caricature of his own self!”
LOL, the top CEO standing next to the Duke at Center Court, Wimbledon, is fast becoming a caricature of herself too! 😜
Certainly old age hasn’t done the Duke of Kent any favors. He didn’t look quite as bad in his youth. But the long, thin face and sad eyes of his mother, and receding chin genes (from inbreeding) on both sides, combined with an exaggerated pointy nose from his father, came to the fore with a vengeance in his face full of wrinkled skin, accompanied by balding pate.
With the Duke’s marriage to the attractive, Katharine Worsley, they have very nice-looking children and grandchildren. In fact, the fashion model, Lady Amelia Windsor, is a granddaughter of the Kents, via their son, the Earl of St. Andrews and his wife, Canadian-born academic, Sylvana Tomaselli:
https://graziadaily.co.uk/fashion/news/amelia-windsor-by-rotation-rent-wardrobe/
Don’t mistake me. I think his face is full of character and I would never ever be mean about the face Mother Nature gave them. What I meant was if you wanted a face to represent a by-gone (thank god) era of snobby uptight British aristo men looking down at sweet Black American girls who dare to infiltrate the colonialists, this would be that face!
I’m guessing that Richard Eden wrote this. Anyway from what I understand the book is about his life in service of the Queen. It’s not going to be super revelatory and it’s going to lionise the Queen. He has no option of going rogue because his lifestyle and work is solely dependent on the Queen. I also think Harry is going to be highly complimentary to the Queen in his book but as he said in the Oprah interview he’s going to blame her poor decisions on being poorly advised by courtiers and as he did on the Dax Shephard he’s going rationalize her behaviour and lack of response to bad situations on how she was brought up. Also the Duke of Kent has retired from his role as President of Wimbledon and the position has been left open. I suspect Kate will get one day but not while he’s alive. It was interesting to see the reaction of the press and royalists to the news of Kent’s book. Absolutely no outrage at all because they know he’s not going to say anything critical about the Queen or the Palace.
Exactly this. The Duke of Kent’s book will be chock full of photos and will be a true memoir of his life as the Queen’s first cousin. I’m sure it will be sweet, but completely non controversial. Harry’s will be less of a memoir (his life still has a long way to run, after all) and more of a reflection of the forces in his life that have made him the man he has become, the endeavors close to his heart and the people who’ve been instrumental along the way. The RRs HOPE it will be a tell-all and think if they say it often enough, they’ll speak it into existence. Cretins.
It won’t compete with Harry’s book and media is foolish to suggest it might. The Duke has definitely been there for Her Maj, as has their mutual cousin Duke of Gloucester. I’m quite aware of the older cousins as I’m umm, well not as old as them but have always been interested in history. Unlike the Prince Michael crew, the Kent’s and Gloucester’s don’t tend to push themselves forward. Gloucester children had quiet weddings. Unlike Lady Gabriela.
^^^ +1 @Amy Bee, @C-Shell, @Tigerlily. Exactly! I agree with all three of you. Right on observations in all aspects.
Harry’s book will be a best seller in the U.S. This Gringott’s banker wannabe will sell 2 possibly 3 copies tops here.
Not Gringott’s banker wannabe 😂😂
I cracked up at the 3 copies tops comment! LOL.
SCREAMING!
Sure, people will pass by the memoir of the barely known Duke of Sussex, and instead pick up the book of the world famous Duke of Kent…
lol You mean to tell me that you have not been waiting breathlessly for Kent’s book for decades? All of that amateur photography! lol
Of course, I have!
I’m already camping outside my favorite book store to get my hands on his book. I’m sure it will be sold out worldwide in seconds!!!
The Kent Squad will go wild…
OMG! LOL I’m picturing grannies in cheerleading uniforms shaking their pompoms.
Not the Kent Squad! 😂
I just pre ordered a few copies on Amazon to give as gifts next Christmas. Harry’s book I’ll wait to borrow from the public library. Just kidding.
“The books are likely to reflect a very different version of events” lol. One is about the life of the Duke of Kent who is 86, the other about the life of the Duke of Sussex, who’s not even 40. It’s not different version of events, it’s different events altogether. These RRs are comedians.
Huh, I’m wondering if the Duke of Kent was requested to write his memoirs as a feeble attempt to counteract Harry’s. I can’t even imagine how that would have any impact at all.
^^ It would be a rushed job, if it was put together after Harry’s memoir was announced. I kinda doubt that’s what happened. The Duke of Kent was likely working on his life reflections for awhile. It’s just getting bigger play than it would have at the moment, as a way to mention the Sussexes. If Harry hadn’t announced he was writing his memoir, the Duke’s life story would have been quietly published without any fanfare or extensive public notice at all!
On second thought, with this Windsor crew, maybe we can’t rule out Sussex cosplaying, once again! LOL!
^^ On a related note, I read in the article link I posted earlier about the Duke of Kent’s granddaughter, Lady Amelia Windsor, that she worked on a fashion-related project last year to assist a Grenfell charity. Hmmm, Sussex influence striking again, no doubt! 😊
Yes, l doubt the Duke’s memoirs would have gotten such press if it weren’t being published a couple of months within Harry’s. Otherwise, it probably would have been another ho-hum memoir flying under the radar by an obscure royal relative. Now it’s being weaponized as another tool to bludgeon Harry with.
It’s obvious that he will not outsell Harry. The move to compare the two in any way, shape or form will only embarrass him and, by extension (going by their premise that those that support the Queen fare better), the Queen. I’m sure they will find a way to blame Meghan for it though. Perhaps, you guys, she knew that the poor elderly Duke was going to be writing this book ahead of the Queen’s platinum jubilee, so she encouraged Harry to publish his book specifically to embarrass him by generating more interest in the Americas than some dusty old Duke.
“most successful member”. Define successful? Successful in being promoted? This “corporation” is weird.
But there is no “promotion” unless somebody dies. And he would have actually been “demoted” over his lifetime as the Queen had children and her grandchildren and great-grands were born. He’s pretty much a low-level “salesman” for the RF who “worked” as honorary president of a tennis club and cutting ribbons at various events. He may have pictures of RF members at various events but there are hundreds of those out there already published. Unless he has some particular insight into something scandalous or some pictures showing behind-the-scenes things nobody has been allowed to publish before, his book won’t go far.
Exactly. These clown gossipers write nonsense. Maybe most successful in getting the most protection and perks and privileges while staying under the radar lol? All that for cutting ribbons and opening community centres, not bad!
In earlier days, “successful” meant managing to live a long life by keeping your head down so the monarch couldn’t lop it off. Except for actual decapitation, it seems the definition still fits. The Duke of Kent kept his head down, Harry didn’t.
Harry kept his head down and was the company man his entire life and all that got him was his pregnant wife coming to him to tell him she was suicidal after his family did everything they could to destroy her. Keeping his head down almost cost him his wife and his unborn child. Thank God he got up off of his knees and decided to be a real man and protect his family otherwise Meghan and Archie might not be here right now.
I dunno about you but I’d count getting your family out of a toxic situation and becoming financially independent to the point where you can afford 24/7 security and an estate with 16 dumb bathrooms in sunny California pretty successful.
@Bridgit – Sure, Harry kept his head down, until he married Meghan. Then he had the audacity to think his wife was more important than the Queen. A “successful” royal would have let Meghan be eaten by the wolves.
^^ For sure @bridget, it takes awhile to fully gain your bearings and your sea legs, when you’ve been born and raised in that mess; and when you’ve lost your mother to that chaos at the age of 12. I honestly wouldn’t say that Harry was ever on his knees though, inside the gilded cage. He always had one foot outside the door. And they kept trying to reel him back in. [Godfather analogy]😉
I’m sure Diana was working overtime in an angel capacity to bring good people and good things into Harry’s life. He managed to do the rest as best he could. He was lucky to have inherited his mother’s rebellious spirit and her loving personality. The military saved his life; going to Botswana and creating Sentebale with Prince Seeiso saved his life; starting the Invictus games helped Harry begin to come into his own in a more independent way than the royal firm realized.
But then of course, firm members forced Harry to retire from the military when he had wanted to make it his career. He felt the most normal he’d ever felt being in the military. So he was a bit lost after he retired. But providence came to the rescue once again. Harry met his soulmate, Meghan, right on time. And they managed to get out of the gilded cage together, in the nick of time.
Harry was born to be a soldier. He led his family out of danger, and that’s the greatest success of anything he’s ever accomplished.
By all accounts, Harry is writing about his life, not about the royal court (I’m guessing his early life). It’s the royal reporters and insiders who are peeing their pants with talk of the “bombshells” he’s likely to drop about them. It just makes them look silly.
The Kent book will be about as exciting as watching paint dry. “My 86 Years of Standing Next to My Cousin and Clapping” FFS.
Hehehe
LMAO!!! Don’t forget the gazing off into the distance in a profound way during every balcony experience, that takes DECADES to master.
I would far read a memoir by the Duchess of Kent. There has long been talk of mental cruelty being experienced by her in that marriage. She converted to Catholicism amid talk of seperate lives. The Kent’s previously lived at Anmer Hall.
Yeah I think they split up years ago and she lives elsewhere. She used to present a trophy at Wimbledon, I think to the female champion.
I know she had serious depression especially following a stillbirth of a son and then an abortion after contracting German measles. They seem friendly still despite their separate lives. But she wanted/needed out of the royal spotlight and he supported her.
The Duchess of Kent always seemed like a lovely kind woman. She did a lot of quite high-profile work with children’s hospices and so on before she stepped back from royal duties. She suffered terribly from depression. I bet she’d have quite a story to tell, if she chose to.
I have read in numerous places that she has taught music in schools as “Kate Kent” and that she has given private piano lessons. The Kents were of great interest in the 20th century for many reasons including some odd pairings amongst their children. Lady Helen Windsor (now known as Lady Helen Taylor) was born in 1964 along with Prince Edward, Lady Sarah Chatto, and James Ogilvy, son of Princess Alexandra of Kent. This year has also seen 4 royal babies.
The Duchess of Kent is deeply involved with the world of classical music (as is ex-Princess Irene of Greece) so I’ve always been interested in them. Imagine preferring Beethoven to horses!
The Duke and Duchess of Kent are the grandparents of Lady Amelia Windsor, who is working on being a fashion influencer.
Lady Amelia Windsor, is a Tatler favorite.
The Kents are interesting people who have one MORE IN THEIR LITTLE TOE in terms of duty than the Keens.
They are pretty much separated and have been for years but from what i can tell he has been a supportive husband esp when she retired from royal life due to depression (as others have said). They are still seen together at public events from time to time.
Thanks for saying something positive. Some of the comments here are horrible – making fun of his looks, saying he is a nobody. He didn’t ask the papers to write about competing with Harry’s books. Poor man, he is 86 let him be. The British media and royal stans are savage for no reason.
@Digital Unicorn. Good observation re D of Kent vs Cambridge’s. I don’t want to come off as an old fuddy duddy but all the mean comments about D of K’s looks are really spiteful and unwarranted. It’s the RR that has set up a competition between his book and Harry’s, not him. Two totally different books I expect, with him looking back over many decades and Harry going into more specifics of his last few years.
@CarrieVirginia said:
“There has long been talk of mental cruelty being experienced by her in that marriage. She converted to Catholicism amid talk of separate lives.”
The Duchess of Kent had to convert from Catholicism to Anglicanism before she could marry. She was allowed to convert back to Catholicism later in life. I believe one or both of her sons also converted to Catholicism, and thus they had to renounce line of succession to the throne. I haven’t heard anything about ‘mental cruelty’ in the Kents’ marriage. As others have noted, Katharine, Duchess of Kent, has suffered from illness and depression. Her husband has, at the very least, been publicly supportive. It’s very likely that royal life altogether was difficult for Katharine, as she seems to be a very private and shy individual.
There are YouTube interviews of Duchess Katharine talking about her love of teaching music. I recall how very kind she was to the Czech tennis player, Jana Novotna, who once lost a devastating match to Steffi Graf. The Duchess spoke to the emotional Novotna at length, and confidently reassured her she was going to win Wimbledon one day. Of course, Novotna did. The Duchess had kind things to say when Novotna died prematurely in 2017.
The Duchess’ mother-in-law, Princess Marina, did not approve of Katharine and Edward marrying. Despite Katharine having aristocratic lineage, the old-fashioned elitist Marina thought her son should marry someone among the dwindling European royal class. LOL! Plus, Marina did not want to be called ‘Dowager’ Duchess of Kent. As a result, the Queen allowed Marina to be styled Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, even with Katharine being The Duchess of Kent as wife to Edward, Duke of Kent.
Some of these details seem unlikely to make it into the Duke of Kent’s memoir. 😉
I remember reading that Marina considered marrying into the British royal family a downgrade for her since she was royal on both sides and a Greek princess by birth. Her mother was a Russian grand duchess too.
^^ Well, if Princess Marina truly considered it to be a ‘downgrade’ to marry into British royalty, she surely kept that to herself. She was very grand and elegant in the way she carried herself, and she obviously had high-falutin’, elitist ideas about being royal.
Still, as impoverished members of the ‘Greek-in-name-only’ exiled royals, both Marina and her first cousin, Philip, knew very well that marrying into British royalty provided unbeatable opportunities to ‘upgrade’ their lifestyle and their financial prospects.
Of course, both Marina’s and Philip’s marriages to George, Duke of Kent, and to Princess Elizabeth, respectively, were arranged and should not be considered real love matches (despite the over-romanticizing we see in documentaries).
“The two books, however, are likely to reflect a very different version of events.” What “version of events”? The events that happened 50 years before Harry was born?
“The most successful members of the Royal Family are those who support the Queen”? Really successful, like in the “who in the heck is he?” kind of way? We see how well that’s worked for Sophie and Ed too when people say, “The Queen has 4 children?”. Aside from cheap royal housing, what financial benefit has he had? His dukedom has no property to make money from.
I await the Duke of Kent’s memoir with baited breath! Said no one in this planet 🙃
If that guys face is a reflection of his life experience well, I rather not know about it. I have seen him in background shots, never seen joy in his face. Sadsack comes to mind.
Wait where is the outrage over the duke of Kent’s book being published in THE YEAR OF THE PLATINUM JUBILEE?? He’s just trying to steal focus… Typical duke of Kent! Only thinks of himself!
Well, at least they’re not letting Princess Michael of Kent publish her “How to Chose the Right Blackamoor Brooch When Meeting Your New Biracial Family Member” instruction manual.
I’m gonna laugh if this supposedly benign memoir inadvertently spills some tea. These people are so out of touch they write or reveal something they think is innocuous and then it totally blows up in their faces.
It would be hilarious if he spilled a lot of tea.
I mean, I’ll read his book, but let’s not pretend it is going to have anywhere near the interest of Harry’s. Such a desperate attempt for attention.
Yeah right. There going to be competition between a book written by Dobby’s twin and Harry’s memoir. Ugh!
Lol at Dobby’s twin
Gosh but the Windsor genes are S T R O N G
They really are, aren’t they?
I actually thought this was Prince Edward at first glance and was shocked at how old he’d gotten!
Side note—he’s also one of the few royals who served in the military. Twenty years (1955-1978) after graduating Sandhurst including stretches of active duty in Germany, Cyprus (as part of the peacekeeping force) and Hong Kong. He received the Dresden Peace prize for efforts in reconciliation. People may not recognize him now, being 86, but he’s been a hardworking member for decades and is an accomplished individual. And he carried out 60+ engagements this year despite his age and having had a stroke a few years ago. The Cambridges really should be ashamed. But they aren’t.
“Side note—he’s also one of the few royals who served in the military”
Apart from:
George V (Battles of Jutland) Royal Navy
Duke of Edinburgh RN WWII mentioned in despatches
Duke of York Navy Falklands War
Prince William RAF and RN
Prince Harry Army Afghanistan
Prince Charles RN and RAF
Prince Michael Army
Lord Mountbatten Admiral of the Fleet RN WWI and WWII
Timothy Laurence Vice Admiral career naval officer
Edward VIII Army WWI
I think there’s a big difference between active duty, as served by this Duke & Harry, and between being members of the armed forces, like Charles & William. You know they did nothing remotely dangerous.
Serving that long, think of all the times he must have lost and regained his ability to sweat!
God these people look like trolls.
Apples and oranges: a broad, somewhat removed recollection of the monarchy under the queen and an up close and personal look at growing up royal in direct line of succession.
So the Duke dishing decades of family secrets is a ‘memoir’ and Harry writing about his own life is a ‘tell-all’. And the pub date of the Duke’s book is no big deal, but when Harry’s similar pub date was announced, it was a direct attack on the Jubilee and the monarchy? Lol these tabloid toadies.
“Will the Due of Kent’s book compete with Prince Harry’s memoir?” I must say that’s a very good question. I feel that one good question deserves another: WHO is the Duke of Kent? (and I mean that.)
Sorry, who?!
I’m puzzled, since the BM anticipates that Duke Who’s book will be so sought-after that it rival’s Prince Harry’s book; shouldn’t we be hearing that it’s bad form to do anything in 2022 that takes attention away from the queen’s jubilee? Or that only a Sussex-related concern?
The lies they tell. So Queenie and the Duke are close confidants and whispering to each other about family secrets? Like what, how the Duke of Windsor was a Nazi sympathizer and how Lord Rothermere cheated on his wife? How many of us are super close to our cousins 9 years younger than us? They are not close and never were. They see each other a few times for the year and that is it. There is no gossip to be had.
I think this duke is a grandmaster of the freemasons, and we know they don’t spill any secrets, so this book is going to be boring as shit and just a way to raise some money from the sycophants.
As far as I can see, the Duke has been a loyal working member of the Firm. He appears to have spent his life quietly doing the bread and butter events expected of the royal family. I believe he also served in the military. He deserves to something to up his retirement fund a bit. He doesn’t seem to be as robust as the Queen although a decade younger, and has suffered a stroke (?) which seem to have left him with a permanent physical disability. He strikes me as very old school. I seems both sad and sweet to see two very elderly people left to support each other in official appearances in their very late twilights. The Queen and her cousin are the last of the old guard who still have one foot in the last two centuries, metaphorically.
^^ Thanks for your reflections @tamsin, which I think are thoughtful and fairly much on target. Obviously, they have both led dutiful and respectful lives. Although I have some issues with the ‘duty-driven’ obsession of the Windsors which is very problematic, certainly the Queen and the Duke of Kent have not personally been severely adversely impacted by leading ‘dutiful’ lives. The Queen has adjacent family members who were adversely impacted, and the institution as a whole has some negative karma associated with forcing people not to marry out of a misplaced ideal of ‘duty’ to the monarchy. Harry is fortunate to have escaped all of that.
The Duke of Kent and QE-II are a dying breed, who are relics of their time and of their upbringing. Unfortunately, many of the outdated attitudes of their generation still have a grip on the British psyche, particularly on the psyches of royalists and rota leeches.
Minor royals have written memoirs before. One really charming one is by Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, who was born in 1901 and died in 2004. She was married to George VI’s brother and is the mother of the current Duke of Gloucester. She was the daughter of the Duke of Buccleuch and was born into Edwardian splendor and lived into the 21st century. Minor royals’ memoirs are never controversial, but they can be interesting. Another Princess Alice (of Athlone’s) memoir (she was the last surviving grandchild of Queen Victoria) is also very enjoyable.
Yes, thanks for pointing this out. Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester was very beautiful. She died in 2004, at the age of 102. She married Prince Henry in her mid-30s, and suffered two miscarriages prior to giving birth to first son, William, soon followed by second son, Richard. William of Gloucester was the handsomest and most academic-minded male Windsor. He was drop-dead gorgeous with piercing blue eyes. He became a diplomat and met the love of his life, ZsuZsi Starkloff, while working in Japan.
Few people know much about William of Gloucester because he died young while piloting a light aircraft. The accident may have been triggered by his depression and despondency over being made to break up with Starkloff (she was older, Hungarian, and divorced with two young daughters). The Windsors were having none of it. The senior royals actually recruited Princess Margaret to visit William in Japan and encourage him to see the light that Starkloff was not the lady for him. What a diabolical family! They never learn. Luckily, Starkloff lived to tell some of William’s story. There’s a documentary about their romance on YouTube. Starkloff died in Colorado, in 2020.
After William’s tragic death in 1972, the royal family were stunned, but they didn’t self-examine. They just swept everything under the rug and rarely spoke of William again. He was someone who could have brought high profile renown to the royal family via his work. Prince Charles looked up to William of Gloucester, even naming his first son after him. Of course, William TOB is nothing like the dashing, debonair, sadly long dead William of Gloucester.
Unfortunately, Prince Richard of Gloucester had to give up his dream of becoming an architect due to his older brother’s death, so that he could spend the rest of his life as the Duke of Gloucester, cutting ribbons and schlepping in lockstep behind the Queen of England.
If he had any issues with Kate’s ambitions to take over at Wimbledon, he won’t put them in this book.
He should write about his mother Princess Marina, who was remarkable in her own right. She was the only Princess (she already had the title of Princess) to marry into the family of George V and Queen Mary. She also worked for the war effort and did much charity work.
The Queen Mother “aka Cookie” could not stand her sister-in-law, Marina of Greece
I am looking forward to this memoir, it will compliment the Duke of the Sussex’s upcoming tome. Both men are loyal members of the royal family who served the monarch in uniform admirably, and their books may compliment the institution as a unit. It will depict another image, separate from the usual tawdry tales from the Royal Rota.
@Well Wisher, if only British “journalists” could write a single sentence as reasonable, objective, and optimistic as this.
Applaud your comment Well Wisher. I hope that is exactly what happens along with members of th RR/BM falling face first in a ginormous pile of shite.
He seems nice enough, but I want to know about his Dad. The youngest of the four brothers and according to rumors wild AF!! Cross dressing, bisexuality and a drug habit so bad that Prince Edward snatched him up dried him out to keep him away from his druggie lover and keep the parents from finding out.
Prince John was the youngest of the five sons of George V.
^^ Right, Prince John (the fifth and youngest son) was epileptic, and thus kept out of sight. Prince George was very close to his younger brother growing up, so it must have been especially traumatic for George when John was kept isolated from his siblings. I believe there was a documentary or a historical drama made about Prince John. Also, we shouldn’t forget their sister, Princess Mary, who I believe was born after Bertie and before Henry.
@Mel, definitely a wild story exists surrounding the adventurous exploits of Edward (David), Bertie, and George. Prince Henry (the third brother) was shy, retiring and not into his brothers’ shenanigans. George was considered the most handsome of the brothers, even more-so than older brother, David. Bertie (who later took the name George VI upon inheriting the throne) was influenced by David’s wild ways. However, their father, George V, convinced Bertie to straighten up and fly right by promising to give him the Duke of York title (and the ploy worked). Later, Bertie met Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon and fell in love. It took Bertie several tries at proposing before Elizabeth could be persuaded to marry him.
There are a number of documentaries that tell pieces of this royal generational story, along with biographies. Brothers at War is a good book to read which relates some details about George’s addictions. He and his brothers were young during the Jazz Age Roaring Twenties, and they took full advantage of the high life that their status and privilege afforded them. Obviously, to detrimental results for Prince George, who was unable to overcome his addictions. There’s a lot of speculation about the mysteries behind his death in the WWII aircraft accident.
The unattractiveness of this inbred family group remains striking.
I have no issues with the Duke of Kent. Am more interested in his wife and marriage as someone noted upthread. Would love to know what the cause of their marriage demise was. It’s going to be a pretty mild book in terms of royal gossip. I bet he’ll talk about his father’s death (although not his father’s behaviour), getting the dukedom so young, being raised by a single mother, his siblings, raising his kids and the work he’s done over the years.
At seven he likely wouldn’t have known much about his father’s behavior.
This book won’t be published outside of the UK as NO ONE has any interest in the Queen’s double cousin. I can’t wait to see what else the tabloids come up with that will suddenly be more interesting than Harry’s book.
Unless a certain community peen gets outed… officially.
^^ The Duke of Kent’s book will surely be made available outside of Great Britain. I don’t know how much it might sell, but it is likely to be purchased by libraries in other countries besides the U.K.
The Duke of Kent book will sell a respectable number of copies in the USA due libraries, amateur Royal historians and die-hard Royal watchers such as myself.
Aren’t all of these royals Queen Victorias offspring.Either children or grandkids?
^^ QE-II and her generation of cousins (including the current Edward, Duke of Kent) are great-great grandchildren of Queen Victoria. QE-II’s father, Bertie and his siblings (Edward/David; Mary; Henry; George; and John) are great grandchildren of Queen Victoria. King Edward VII (Victoria’s oldest son) is a grandfather to Bertie and his siblings.
For further perspective, Queen Victoria is Harry’s great-great-great-great grandmother.
Does anyone even know this guys name? This is silly. Let him write his book but there is no competition here.
Unless, he is outed by charles by not giving any compensation and kicked out because of the slim down working royal. Someone is writing the book on behalf of the queen to tell her superiority.
But, if he did. I hope he write about all the dirty and illegal things that the royals did. Make him some money and retire in wealth without begging some money from the queen.
You go dobby.
Oh yes I am dying to get my hands on the book of what was his name again?
The memoir of an 86-year old compared to that of a 37-year old. The jokes are on auto-fill. What would be in the Duke of Kent’s book that is honest and truthful that we don’t already know? He’s not revealing the Queen’s secrets, facts about Philip’s infidelity, or anything that we can’t learn via YouTube?
Sadly, too many are labeling Harry’s memoir as a tell-all or tea spiller. We never knew in his words anything about his experiences in the military. How did the relationship between him and Prince Setho lead to the creation of Sentabale? What were his experiences setting up Invictus, and how did he feel at the first event? Even though he apologized for wearing the brown shirt or referring to a friend as a Paki, he has not talked about those events in-depth and how he came to reconcile with unconscious bias. His conversation concerning the battles with drugs and alcohol, meeting Meghan, and the changes he made in his personal life to make that relationship work. Experiencing the birth of his first child, the decision to leave the Royal Institution, and moving forward must be filled with exciting details. Too many have told Harry’s story since the day Diana died. His ability to speak for himself until the departure has been limited and controlled. I don’t care about the Windsors; their life is one big lie after another.
^^ Of course, you don’t have to care about the Windsors. I certainly despise the behavior by current members of the family, and by the grey men, and by the rota against Meghan especially, and against the Sussexes as a couple.
Still, if you actually want to understand the nuances of what’s been happening, and if you want to develop a broader historical perspective, it’s important to at least have a basic understanding of the British monarchy as an institution, and of British culture (including the class system, colonialism, and systemic racism).