The Duchess of Kent spent years teaching music in Hull as ‘Mrs Kent’,
As the popular saying goes: ‘Once a teacher, always a teacher’, and it would appear it also applies to members of the Royal Family.
Katharine Worsley – who died aged 92 earlier this month – worked at a nursery in London before she married Prince Edward and became the Duchess of Kent in June 1961.
But, over three decades later, the Duchess returned to the profession somewhat anonymously teaching music at a primary school in Hull under the clever pseudonym ‘Mrs Kent’.
During a rare interview in 2011, Katharine opened up about the 13 years she spent teaching at Wansbeck Primary School.
TV presenter Alan Titchmarsh asked the Duchess what she had been up to in last few years.
She replied: ‘I’ve been for the last 13 years teaching in a primary school in Hull. I finished that seven years ago, actually. But my connection with them will always be there.
‘I love those children. I love being there. I love east Hull. I wouldn’t have stayed there for 13 years if I hadn’t.’
Katharine added that her choice to go by Mrs Kent – rather than her formal title of Duchess of Kent – was something she ‘never questioned’.
The Duchess withdrew from royal duties in 1996, before stepping down as a working royal in 2002, but rather than retiring to a apartment in Kensington Palace or one of the grace-and-favour stately homes she started teaching.
Speaking to Titchmarsh, Katharine said that she accidentally fell into the role after paying as royal visit to the school in 1996 at a friend’s request.
It was here she heard about their struggles in the music department.
Although it might have been accidental, the Duchess had a lifelong passion for music.
As a child she learnt to play the piano, violin and the organ and later went on to study music and in later life she was the president of the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.
Speaking about her love of music, Katharine told Titchmarsh that music was an ‘underrated subject’ and that she would ‘love to see one of the arts be one of the compulsory GCSEs’.
She added: ‘Music is so much more popular than football. There isn’t a single person in the world who doesn’t tap their feet to music.’
Mrs Kent worked anonymously at Wansbeck Primary School for nearly ten years where her real identity was not known to the pupils or even the parents.
Her secret job as a music teacher in East Yorkshire was only revealed in 2004. At the time, the Daily Mail reported Katharine’s decision to work at the primary was because of her connections to Yorkshire – having grown up in the region.
‘It’s close to home and home is where the heart is,’ she said.
The Duchess added: ‘I’ve studied music all my life, it’s my passion. My other passion is children. Being able to share and pass on your love of music to children is the greatest privilege.
Following the death of the Duchess of Kent on September 4 2025, Sam Bullen – Executive Headteacher at Wansbeck Primary School, – paid tribute to the Duchess: ‘We are saddened to hear the news of the passing of The Duchess of Kent.
‘”Mrs Kent” (as she was known to our school community) was an inspiration to the children when she taught music here over many years.
‘She was a dedicated teacher who taught music with passion and showed the most amazing commitment to our school. Her kindness, compassion and talent for teaching lives on in the children she impacted during her time here.’
Speaking to BBC News, former pupils shared their fond memories of Mrs Kent during their time at school.
Sophie Usher described Katharine as a ‘lovely lass’ who was ‘funny’.
‘I did quite a lot with her through school and then when I was upset she used to talk to me. I can’t believe she’s gone, to be honest.’ Sophie said.
Jackson Windas, another former pupil said the Duchess was a ‘really, really genuine woman’.
He said: ‘When we got told who she was, it didn’t change a thing.
‘She was more than a teacher, really.’
