Prime Minister statement on the death of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Kent

I wish to send my sincere condolences to His Majesty The King and the Royal Family on the death of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Kent. 

For many years, she was one of our hardest working royals – supporting our late Queen Elizabeth II in her official duties at home and abroad.  

She brought compassion, dignity and a human touch to everything she did. Many will remember that moment at the Wimbledon Ladies Final, when she touchingly comforted the runner-up, Jana Novotna. 

Later, when it was discovered she had been giving her time and working anonymously as a music teacher at a school in Hull, it seemed typical of her unassuming nature. 

In so many ways, the Duchess sought to help. My thoughts are with her husband, His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent, her family and all those whose lives she touched.