Duke of Kent misses Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph due to ‘episodic mobility issues’ and was also forced to pull out Festival of Remembrance at Royal Albert Hall

The Duke of Kent missed today’s Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph due to ‘episodic mobility issues’. 

The 88-year-old cousin of the late Queen was also reportedly forced to pull out the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall yesterday due to health issues.

Sources said that The Duke, Prince Edward, had ‘no choice’ but to not attend this weekend’s services, according to The Sun.

They added that it was ‘always’ the plan for his equerry, Captain George Hopkins of the Scots Guards, to place a wreath at the Cenotaph this morning.

The Duke’s absence has sparked fresh concerns over his welfare, just days after celebrating his 88th birthday on November 9. 

The Duke of Kent (pictured) missed today’s Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph due to ‘episodic mobility issues’

The 88-year-old cousin of the late Queen (pictured toghether) was also reportedly forced to pull out the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall yesterday due to health issues 

Though he is perhaps not as well-known than his late first cousin and Senior Royal counterparts, the Duke of Kent certainly has a career worth noting.

An Army veteran, dare-devil driver and tennis enthusiast, the Duke is certainly multi-faceted and he continues to astonish royal watchers, even to this day.

Born in his parents’ first home in London’s Belgravia in 1935, the Duke was named after Prince George’s elder brother, Edward, the future King.

His father was the younger brother of both King George and the former King Edward VIII, whilst his mother, Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, was the niece of the Duke of Edinburgh’s father, Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark.

At his christening at Buckingham Palace was nine-year-old Princess Elizabeth, his cousin, as well as King George V and Queen Mary – his godparents – and the then Prince of Wales.

In his role as president of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club from 1969, the Duke became a well-known face on television every year when he presented trophies at Wimbledon to champion and runner-up.

His involvement at the top tennis event only came to an end in 2021, when he stepped down as president after more than five decades.

The Duke has also represented the monarch on numerous overseas trips and served as his role as Vice Chairman of the Overseas Trade Board, and then later of British Trade International from 1976 to 2001.

His closeness to the Queen was typified in May 2021, when he stepped in as her ‘plus one’ at Trooping the Colour, following the death of Prince Philip the previous month.

This was followed with his appearance by the Queen’s side during her Platinum Jubilee celebrations last year.

In his book, the Duke’s warm words about the Queen summed up the commitment to duty that has defined him.

Choosing words that few could disagree with, he said: ‘I always felt I wanted to support her. That’s by far the most important thing in life.’

The 88-year-old was among those who walked behind Elizabeth II’s coffin as it was carried to Westminster Abbey.

Demonstrating his decades of loyal service, the solemn journey came 70 years after he performed the same duty at the funeral of his uncle King George VI, the Queen’s father.

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