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HRH The Duke of Kent KG

Patron of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance

HRH The Duke of Kent

Biography

Born in 1935, Prince Edward, The Duke of Kent is the son of the late Prince George, fourth son of King George V, and the late Princess Marina, daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece. He is first cousin to both The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh. The present Duke of Kent inherited his title following the early death of his father in 1942.

The Duke was educated at Eton and later Le Rosey in Switzerland. After school he entered Sandhurst, and was commissioned in 1955 as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Scots Greys. He then served with his regiment at home and overseas in a military career that spanned 21 years.  The Duke retired from the Army in 1976 with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. He was subsequently promoted to Field Marshal in June 1993.  He retains close links to the Army and holds a number of senior regimental appointments.

The Duke was a Personal Aide-de-Camp to The Queen.  He has travelled widely and represented The Queen on important occasions such as the independence celebrations in Sierra Leone, Uganda, Guyana and The Gambia. He returned to Uganda last year for the country’s celebration of fifty years of independence.

One of the Duke’s major public roles for many years was Vice-Chairman of British Trade International (now known as UK Trade and Investment), a position he held from 1976.  He retired from this role in 2001, but still retains an interest in British business at home and overseas.

The Duke continues to undertake a large number of official Royal engagements.  He has close associations with many charities, professional bodies and other organisations including being President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, the Scout Association, and the All England Tennis Club.  He is also Chancellor of Surrey University and Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England.

In 1961 The Duke of Kent married Miss Katharine Worsley. The couple have three children and ten grandchildren.  The Duke and Duchess live at Wren House, Kensington Palace, and in Oxfordshire.