Royal lived for the love of teaching

DELIBERATELY understated, she was known simply as 'Mrs. Kent', and made weekly 400-mile round trips to teach, driven by love for music and children," her own charity, Future Talent, said.

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"Her pupils and their parents were unaware of who she truly was," they added.

The Duchess of Kent was one of the most unassuming and popular members of the Royal Family, having married into it when she wed the Duke of Kent, a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, in 1961, aged 28.

That made her entitled to be called Her Royal Highness, a title which she surrendered when she gave up royal duties.

Instead she preferred to be known simply as Katharine Kent and she often travelled unrecognised on public transport.