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Her Majesty the Queen has will miss the memorial of the Duchess of Kent with "deep regret", as Buckingham Palace saying she is recovering from acute sinusitis.

But the palace indicates the monarch, in spite of this painful condition of the sinuses, is scheduled to attend the official trip of the US President, set to arrive in Windsor on Wednesday.

The King and other high-ranking members of the royal family will be arriving later at the service of the Duchess of Kent at the historic cathedral.

It is the first Roman Catholic funeral for a member of the royal household in recent history – and a note from the Pontiff will be presented during the service.

The monarch's medical issue was announced by the royal communications team prior to the memorial, which will occur on Tuesday afternoon.

"Sadly, Her Majesty the Queen has withdrawn from attendance at this day's Requiem Mass for the Duchess of Kent as she is treating acute sinusitis. Her thoughts and prayers will be with the Duke and the entire family," noted the announcement.

The coffin of the royal was brought to the cathedral on the previous day, covered in the flag and with floral arrangements among the tributes, in honour of the duchess' origins.

The duchess was the oldest member of the monarchy when she died recently at the years of 92. She was wed to the first cousin of the late the former monarch.

There have been numerous recollections of her kindness and her commitment to philanthropic causes.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who will officiate the funeral service, has recalled how the duchess often offered her time at the Passage charity for the homeless, which is based next door to the church.

Reflecting ahead of the service, he remembered her as a "approachable individual" who had assisted in the kitchen and with cleaning at the charity.

"So as well as balancing official responsibilities, she was deeply involved in community service," he told.

This is a historic moment in terms of being a Catholic service for royalty, but the Cardinal said it should be seen mainly as a "family funeral where the relatives of the family come together."

"One of their oldest members has died. A woman who was deeply cherished by her relatives and also, evidently, by a wide section of the community," stated the Cardinal.

The late royal had a profound love of the arts and had worked as a elementary music teacher, using the name Mrs Kent, with the pupils not aware anything about her background.

Music at the service will feature Ave Verum Corpus by the composer, which was chosen by the duchess as her favourite piece when she was a participant on the a popular radio program in 1990.

A musician will perform the tune Sleep, Dearie, Sleep, which was played at the memorial of the late Queen, which was three years ago this week.

There will also be performances by a renowned composer and from the requiem by France’s musician Maurice Durufle.

The duchess will also be recalled as a well-known figure at the tennis tournament, where she presented awards – and consoled those who had been defeated, including a tearful a tennis professional in that year.

After the funeral at the cathedral, the remains will be taken to the royal burial ground in Frogmore, on the Windsor estate.