BREAKING: Prince William and Kate Middleton issue heartfelt statement after sad family death

The Prince and Princess of Wales have paid a heartfelt tribute to the Duchess of Kent after her death was announced earlier today.

Buckingham Palace issued a statement at noon that the Duchess died peacefully on Thursday evening at her Kensington Palace home surrounded by her family.

The 92-year-old was known for consoling losing Wimbledon finalists, notably a tearful Jana Novotna in 1993, and presented trophies at the championships for many years. She preferred to be known as Mrs Kent and dropped her HRH style, retreating from royal life to spend more than a decade teaching music in a state primary school in Hull.

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And paying tribute on social media, William and Kate said: " Our thoughts today are with The Duke of Kentand his family, particularly George, Helen and Nicholas.

"The Duchess worked tirelessly to help others and supported many causes, including through her love of music. She will be a much missed member of the family. W & C."

The Duchess, the wife of the Duke of Kent, a cousin of the late Queen, was last seen in public in October alongside her husband in a wheelchair. Since the death of the late Queen, she had been the Royal Family's oldest member but in recent years made very few public appearances and did not attend the former monarch's funeral or King Charles ' Coronation in May 2023.

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