Remembering Katharine, Duchess of Kent: Future Talent Co-founder

Katharine, Duchess of Kent, spent 13 years teaching music in a primary school in East Hull. There, she saw how financial hardship, low parental expectations, and limited pathways in state education meant that gifted children - especially those from low-income backgrounds - were often denied the chance to pursue their musical talents. Motivated by this inequity, she made a decision that would change countless lives.

Founding Future Talent in 2004

In 2004, Katharine co-founded Future Talent alongside Nicholas Robinson OBE. Their shared vision was to remove barriers and offer musically gifted young people from low-income households the support they need to flourish musically. The charity would not just recognise young talent but nurture it, with instruments, tuition, mentoring, and performance opportunities building on her experience in the classroom.

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A hidden legacy of teaching

Before revealing her royal identity, Katharine lived a remarkable ‘double life’ as a music teacher at Wansbeck Primary School in Hull from 1996 to 2004. Deliberately understated, she was known simply as “Mrs Kent,” and her pupils and their parents were unaware of who she truly was. She made weekly 400-mile round trips to teach, driven by love for music and children.

A quiet force

After stepping back from full royal duties in 2002, Katherine gave so much energy, commitment and dedication to an ever increasing variety of activities and new challenges.. She gave piano lessons, taught in Hull, and poured her energy into changing lives through music. Her early roles included presidency of the Royal Northern College of Music and directorship at the National Foundation for Youth Music - positions she held before co-founding Future Talent.

Future Talent Today: growth, music and impact

Two decades on, Future Talent has grown from supporting one young violinist in 2004 to 150 young musicians each year with individual mentoring, bursaries, and a tailored programme of performance, recording and developmental opportunities.

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A remarkable 20th anniversary: RISE at the Roundhouse

In April 2025, we executed Katharine’s vision with a landmark album release and concert “RISE: Past, Present and Future Talent” held at London’s iconic Roundhouse.

- Curated by Ivor Novello-Award winning Nitin Sawhney CBE, weaving together young composers’ works with his own interludes, including a compelling AI-generated voice reflecting on the importance of human creativity in a tech-driven world

- Featuring original compositions by Future Talent musicians alongside special guests: Grammy-nominated ensemble VOCES8, the Hallé, Seckou Keita, and the National Children’s Choir of Great Britain (NCCGB)

- The charity’s 20th Anniversary Album, RISE, was released on streaming platforms ahead of the concert on 11 April 2025. It includes powerful works like "Destiny’s Journey" (Sam Nutter) performed by the Halle and NCCGB, "WORDSONG (I Celebrate)"(Maddy Chassar-Hesketh with VOCES8), "Wait and See" (Scottie Thompson with a Future Talent jazz ensemble), and more - each reflecting a diverse range of genres and stories.

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Katharine’s legacy: building on two decades of success

As Future Talent comes of age in 2025, momentum is stronger than ever. With a successful and high-profile 20th anniversary behind us, and a vibrant cohort of talented young artists, Katharine’s charity is poised for continued growth.

- Partnerships such as the bursary collaboration with the National Children’s Choir of Great Britain, launched on Katharine’s 91st birthday in February 2024, are expanding opportunities for aspiring young singers.

- The recent King’s Birthday Honours 2025 recognised Katharine’s co-founder and the charity’s chair Nicholas Robinson with an OBE for his exceptional service to disadvantaged youth and music charity work.

- The charity continues its commitment to breaking down socio-economic barriers, growing its Junior, Development, and new Senior Programmes, and building strong support networks for its young musicians through one-to-one relationships and performance pathways, from local venues to Buckingham Palace and the Southbank Centre.

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Spotlighting Katharine’s young musicians - Carys

One of the young musicians who benefitted from Katharine’s work was Carys, a gifted trumpet player from Pembrokeshire. Growing up in rural West Wales, she faced not only the financial strain of pursuing music but also the practical barriers of distance, transport, and access to high-level opportunities. Her family struggled with the costs of supporting two musical children, yet her determination never wavered.

Since joining Future Talent in 2022, Carys has received both financial help and bespoke mentoring - from covering essentials like equipment and audition fees to one-to-one guidance with leading trumpet soloist Matilda Lloyd. These opportunities propelled her into the National Youth Orchestra, saw her triumph at national brass competitions, and even enabled her to perform at major Future Talent events. In 2025, she achieved her biggest milestone yet: winning a full scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music. Carys’s journey shows the life-changing impact of the charity that Katharine founded and proof that with the right support, talent from any background can flourish on the world stage. As Carys herself says: “To me it’s more than just the financial support, it’s the mentorship I’ve had this year… I’m proud to be part of Future Talent.”

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Spotlighting Katharine’s young musicians - Jimmy

During his time with Future Talent, Jimmy, a singer and guitarist from Bedfordshire, faced challenges at home while his mum was recovering from illness and caring for his younger sister. Despite this, he poured his energy into writing, recording and performing with his band, The Greensands.

Future Talent supported Jimmy with funding for equipment, studio time and mentoring. He recorded his debut EP in 2024 with producer James Hawkins, filmed a music video, contributed to the charity’s collaborative album, and received guidance from industry professionals including Harry Judd from McFly and Kyle Simmons from Bastille.

In April 2025, he performed his original song Hold Me Down at the Roundhouse in front of more than 1,000 people – a milestone that led to interviews and airplay on BBC Radio. Now in his second year at college studying Music Performance, having completed both Music GCSE and BTEC, Jimmy continues to build on the foundations laid during his time with Future Talent.

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Epilogue: Katharine’s legacy of music, opportunity, and transformation

From a Hull classroom to the Roundhouse stage, Katharine, Duchess of Kent’s story - and that of Future Talent - has been powered by the belief that:

“If you give the right ingredient to the right person at the right time… young people RISE.”

Over 20 years, this vision has blossomed into real, tangible change. Future Talent has grown from an idea into an essential bridge between raw musical promise and professional potential, built around values of inclusion, creativity, and hope.

As the charity turns toward its next chapter, the stage is set for many more young musicians from underserved backgrounds to rise, perform, and shine, just as Katharine once taught them in the quiet corners of a Hull primary school.

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A final tribute from Future Talent Co-Founder Nicholas Robinson OBE:

“Everyone at Future Talent is deeply saddened to hear the news of the death of Katharine and we send our heartfelt condolences to HRH The Duke of Kent and to all of Katharine’s family. When I first met Katharine in May 2004, I was stuck by her strong desire to help and encourage musically gifted children who didn’t have the financial resources or support to develop their talents. At that time, Katharine was teaching music to primary school children in east Hull. Her experience of working with these children made her impatient to want to do something to help all young people with musical potential to flourish and to remove any barriers to their progress. She believed passionately in helping others to excel - especially those who are disadvantaged, and so in November 2004 we founded a national charity ‘Future Talent’. Katharine has played such an active role in the development and progress of Future Talent during the last 20 years, and we will miss her dreadfully. However, we can take comfort that her legacy will last for many years through the lives of all the present and future generations of young musicians who we will continue to support through the work of ‘Future Talent’.”