I was saddened to hear today of the passing of the Duchess of Kent aged 92. I only met her once during a royal visit when I was working at the North West Evening Mail in Barrow-in-Furness in 1995 which it is hard to believe was 30 years ago.

I do like the connection she has with the resident of the care home in this photo and appreciated the time she shared with her during her visit.

Read more: Coverage of royal visits

According to the BBC she ‘passed away peacefully last night at Kensington Palace, surrounded by her family’, a statement said on Friday, with flags on royal residences, including Buckingham Palace, now lowered to half mast.

And the BBC stated that the Prince and Princess of Wales said the duchess would be a ‘much missed member of the family’ who had ‘worked tirelessly to help others and supported many causes, including through her love of music’.

The duchess, Katharine, was the oldest member of the Royal Family, married to Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, a first cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

According to the BBC she will be remembered as a familiar figure at the Wimbledon tennis championships, where she handed over trophies – and consoled those who had lost, famously including a tearful Jana Novotna in 1993.

The BBC added that King Charles, who is in Balmoral in Scotland, was informed of her death late on Thursday, and there will be a period of royal mourning until the duchess’s funeral, with dark clothes and troops on public duties wearing black armbands.

“The King and Queen and all members of the Royal Family join the Duke of Kent, his children and grandchildren in mourning their loss and remembering fondly the duchess’s life-long devotion to all the organisations with which she was associated, her passion for music and her empathy for young people,” said a statement, which had also been attached to the gates outside Buckingham Palace.