Sophie made a solo appearance without her husband

You may have noticed that Prince Edward did not accompany his wife, Duchess Sophie, to the Duchess of Kent’s funeral today.

The Requiem Mass for the late royal was held at Westminster Cathedral this afternoon (September 16).

King Charles and other senior royals, such as the Prince and Princess of Wales, were in attendance. Even Prince Andrew made a rare public appearance, accompanied by his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson.
Duchess Sophie attended the Duchess of Kent’s funeral without her husband Prince Edward (Credit: Shutterstock)

Unfortunately, Queen Camilla had to pull out at the last minute due to ill health, as she is currently recovering from acute sinusitis.

Here’s why the Duke of Edinburgh was also missing from the occasion.

Why didn’t Prince Edward attend the Duchess of Kent’s funeral?

Prince Edward is currently on royal trip in Papua New Guinea, representing his brother, the king, at the 50th anniversary of the country’s independence from Australia. Papua New Guinea is one of 15 commonwealth nations where King Charles is head of state.

The Duke of Edinburgh reportedly arrived on Sunday (September 14) and is due to stay until Wednesday (September 17). He will then travel on to Japan (from September 18-22) where his wife, Sophie, will join him.

This means that the couple will miss part of Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK. The US President and his wife, First Lady Melania, will arrive in Britain tonight (September 16). Their engagements will begin on Wednesday.
Prince Edward is currently in Papua New Guinea, so had to miss the Duchess of Kent’s funeral (Credit: Cover Images)
King Charles has visited Papua New Guinea numerous times in the past. He was there for the country’s independence celebrations in 1975, and returned more recently with Camilla in 2012. Princess Anne also made a trip over, to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee in 2022. Now it is Prince Edward’s turn, his first time in the country, and it sounds as though they’re pleased to have him!

“We’ve had all the other brothers and sisters here, and we look forward to two wonderful days of this very historic royal visit, where His Royal Highness will be visiting settlements in Port Moresby, villages, and different levels of society of our people,” Minister for Foreign Affairs of Papua New Guinea, Justin Tkatchenko, reportedly said. “He will also participate in all the events with our Government, our Prime Minister, and our Governor-General at the highest level.”
Duchess Sophie made a solo appearance at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral today (Credit: Cover Images)

Sophie attends funeral alone

Meanwhile, the Duchess of Edinburgh has stayed back home in England, attending the Duchess of Kent’s funeral on behalf of her and Prince Edward. She wore an elaborate black hat adorned with flowers.

The couple’s two children, Lady Louise Windsor, 21, and James, Earl of Wessex, 17, did not attend either.

Read more: Prince Edward’s son James could follow ‘royal pattern’ with future decision