Duke of Kent marks historic milestone for royal family in lowkey visit

The Duke of Kent quietly marked an important event on behalf of the royal family as he carries on his dedicated and loyal service to the monarchy.

The royal, who turned 90 last month, marked an historic anniversary for the for a charity that he has been patron to since 1969.

On Monday, the royal, who is the first cousin of late Queen Elizabeth II, visited the Appledore Lifeboat Station in Appledore to commemorate its 200th Anniversary in his capacity as the President of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

During the visit, the royal was shown the charity’s most iconic and significant lifeboats and learned about how many lives have been saved because of it. He also met with the operational crew, water safety volunteers and other workers and learned about their stories and commitment to the charity.

The Duke was presented a special certificate to the station to mark the important visit.

“It was especially important for the station that we could welcome His Royal Highness to Appledore during our 200th anniversary year,” RNLI Chief Executive, Peter Sparkes said. “It’s been a busy one, not only with a variety of station and community events to mark the historic occasion, but also with a significantly higher number of emergency shouts than normal.”

He added, “The Royal visit has been a real highlight as we look towards the end of this special year.”

Last month, the King had honoured his uncle with a special greeting for his 90th birthday. Buckingham Palace listed down contributions Prince Edward had made during his time. Moreover, the royal family had also held a party for the royal at Windsor Castle in his honour.

The gesture had been special since the Duke had lost his wife Katharine, Duchess of Kent just weeks prior. Hence, the move appeared to be an attempt to uplift the spirits of the heartbroken royal.