Katharine, the Duchess of Kent, has died at the age of 92.
Many may not know her name, but tennis fans will recognize her as the woman who presented the Wimbledon trophies for several years.
One time, she comforted Jana Novotna when she lost. The New York Times said Novotna “cried on the well-tailored shoulder of the Duchess of Kent.”
Buckingham Palace announced the duchess’ death, saying she passed away peacefully on Sept. 4 at Kensington Palace, surrounded by family.
"The King and Queen and all Members of The Royal Family join The Duke of Kent, his children and grandchildren in mourning their loss and remembering fondly The Duchess’s life-long devotion to all the organisations with which she was associated, her passion for music and her empathy for young people."
The duchess was born Katharine Lucy Mary Worsley to an aristocratic family, but she wasn’t a royal at birth. She married into the royal family when she wed Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent. He was the grandson of King George V and the first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, The New York Times reported.
The couple married in 1961 after only a month-long engagement, the BBC reported. It was a mix of royalty and celebrity with Queen Elizabeth II leading the European royal families and stars the likes of Noel Coward and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in attendance.
She left the royal life to become a music teacher, where she was called either “Kath” or “Mrs. Kent.”
In 1994, she became the first royal to convert to Catholicism since 1701, the BBC reported.
The duchess worked not only as a teacher, but also worked with UNICEF and helped victims of landmines. Eventually, she dropped the title Her Royal Highness and introduced herself as Katharine Kent.
“I don’t like being a public figure and I say that very humbly,” she once said, according to the BBC. “It’s my nature, the way I was born. I like to do things quietly behind the scenes. I’m a very shy person.”
Music, however, was her passion, and she founded the charity Future Talent in 2004 to bring music to children who would otherwise not be exposed to it, BBC reported.
The Duchess of Kent leaves behind her husband, three children and 10 grandchildren.