She "passed away peacefully last night at Kensington Palace, surrounded by her family", a statement said on Friday, with flags on royal residences, including Buckingham Palace, now lowered to half mast.

The Prince and Princess of Wales said the duchess would be a "much missed member of the family" who had "worked tirelessly to help others and supported many causes, including through her love of music". The duchess, Katharine, was the oldest member of the Royal Family, married to Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, a first cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

She will be remembered as a familiar figure at the Wimbledon tennis championships, where she handed over trophies - and consoled those who had lost, famously including a tearful Jana Novotna in 1993. King Charles, who is in Balmoral in Scotland, was informed of her death late last Thursday, and there will be a period of royal mourning until the duchess's funeral, with dark clothes and troops on public duties wearing black armbands.

"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," said a statement, which had also been attached to the gates outside Buckingham Palace. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer paid tribute to how the Duchess of Kent brought "compassion, dignity and a human touch to everything she did".

The duchess was a great music lover - supporting music charities and teaching music in a Hull primary school, where pupils knew nothing of her royal identity, and where she was known as "Mrs Kent". The date of her funeral has not been announced, but it is likely to be a Catholic service in keeping with the faith of the duchess. (BBC/PA Media)