HRH The Duke of Gloucester, KG, GCVO, who celebrates his 80th birthday today, is a hard working member of the Royal Family, a first cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Prince Richard Alexander Walter George of Gloucester was the second son of HRH The Prince Henry William Frederick Albert, Duke of Gloucester, KG KT KP GCB GCMG GCVO PC (1900-1974), and his wife the former Lady Alice Christabel Montagu Douglas Scott, GCB CI GCVO GBE (1901-2004), third daughter of the 7th Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry, KG, GCVO (1864-1935).
Prince Richard was born at St Matthew's Nursing Home in Northampton, 26 August, 1944, and was the youngest of the nine grandchildren of King George V and Queen Mary. His elder brother, Prince William Henry Andrew Frederick of Gloucester, born 18 December, 1941, heir to his father's peerages, died unmarried in a flying accident, 28 August, 1972.
Prince Richard was baptised at the Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor Great Park on 20 October, 1944. by the retired Archbishop of Canterbury, Cosmo Gordon Lang. His godparents were his paternal aunt, Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother), Princess Marie Louise (his first cousin twice removed), Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone (his grandaunt and first cousin twice removed, for whom her daughter, Lady May Abel Smith stood proxy), the 8th Duke of Buccleuch (his maternal uncle), the 2nd Marquess of Cambridge (his cousin), Lady Sybil Phipps (his maternal aunt), and General the 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis (for whom his wife, then Lady Margaret Alexander, stood proxy).
Prince Richard attended Wellesley House School at Broadstairs and Eton College. In 1963, he matriculated at Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he studied architecture, graduating with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in June 1966. As is customary at Cambridge, this proceeded to MA (Cantab) in 1971.
In 1966, Prince Richard joined the Offices Development Group in the Ministry of Public Building and Works for a year of practical work. He returned to Cambridge in 1967, completing both parts of the Diploma in Architecture degree in June 1969. Upon passing his exams, he became a practising partner with Hunt Thompson Associates, Architects, in London.
Prince Richard gave up his architectural career in 1972, after the death of his elder brother Prince William, who was killed in an air crash during a flying competition. Richard became heir apparent to his father's dukedom and had to take on additional family obligations and royal duties on behalf of the Queen. He succeeded as 2nd Duke of Gloucester, Earl of Ulster and Baron Culloden, on his father's death, 10 June 1974.
HRH has been a corporate member of the Royal Institute of British Architects since 1972. He is president of the Society of Architect Artists, an honorary fellow of the Institution of Structural Engineers, and was a trustee of the British Museum, deputy chairman of the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England and a commissioner of English Heritage between 1998 and 2001. He has been patron of construction charity Construction Youth Trust for many years. With his background in architecture, the Duke of Gloucester takes interest in the work of the trust and visits their projects, in addition to giving his name to their long standing Duke of Gloucester Young Achiever's Scheme Awards. He is patron of the Architects Benevolent Society. The Duke is vice president of Lepra, a UK-based leprosy charity; as part of this role, he attends national and international events in support of the charity's work. He is royal patron of the Society of Antiquaries of London (and elected FSA) since 2001, royal patron of the UK branch of the charity Habitat for Humanity, royal patron of the St George's Society of New York, and president of The London Society. A keen motorist, Richard passed the Advanced Driving Test of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, of which he was president for more than 32 years. On his appointment in 1971, it was recorded that the new president was "currently [driving] an Austin 1300", reflecting the modest image with which he has always been identified. He stood down as president in January 2005.
The Duke of Gloucester, accompanied by the Duchess, represented his cousin Queen Elizabeth II at the Seychelles independence ceremonies on 26 June 1976 and again at the Solomon Islands independence celebrations on 7 July 1978. He served as a judge in Prince Edward's charity television special The Grand Knockout Tournament on 15 June 1987.
On 10 April 2008, the Duke of Gloucester was officially installed as inaugural Chancellor of the University of Worcester during a ceremony at Worcester Cathedral. In this role, he officiates at degree ceremonies and major events, as well as promoting the university overseas. The Duke carried out the first of these duties on 5 and 6 November 2008 at the Graduation Award Ceremonies. The Duke is a patron of the Severn Valley Railway and the Pestalozzi International Village Trust. He is patron of the British Homeopathic Association. He shares a name with an earlier Duke of Gloucester, King Richard III, and has been patron of the Richard III Society since 1980. He is a member of the international advisory board of the Royal United Services Institute.
During 2009, the Duke became patron of the de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre in support of its bid to raise funds through private means and through a bid for Heritage Lottery Funding. Other patronages include: British Society of Soil Science, the International Council on Monuments and Sites, Action on Smoking and Health, British Association of Friends of Museums, British Mexican Society, St Bartholomew's Hospital, as well as numerous other organisations and charities. In July 2011, the Duke visited the Isle of Man to meet with the representative of Manx National Heritage and the Council of Cancer Charities. On 8 November 2011, he opened the new Law School Building at the University of Hertfordshire on the de Havilland campus site of the former de Havilland Aircraft factory. On 19 March 2013, the Duke represented Elizabeth II at the Vatican for the inauguration of Pope Francis.
On 11 March 2015, the Duke visited the Royal School Dungannon in County Tyrone to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of the school; presenting a commemorative plaque and raising an anniversary flag on the grounds. On 22 and 26 March 2015, the Duke represented the Queen at the ceremonies marking the reburial and commemorations of King Richard III in Leicester Cathedral. Richard III had held the title Duke of Gloucester before his ascension to the English throne. In March 2018, the Duke travelled to Malawi to attend the Commonwealth Day celebrations, and visited projects related to health services, wildlife, and climate change. He missed the celebrations in March 2022 after testing positive for COVID-19.
In September 2022, after the death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September, the Duke joined her children, grandsons, nephew, and son-in-law, in walking in the state cortege from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, for her lying in state. The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester attended the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, 6 May, 2023, riding in the Scottish State Coach with Vice-Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence.
As Prince Richard of Gloucester he married at St Andrew's Church, Barnwell, 6 July, 1972, a sometime secretary at the Danish embassy in London, Birgitte Eva van Deurs, LG, GCVO DStJ (born 20 Jun 1946), 2nd daughter of Asger Preben Wissing Henriksen, of Odense, Denmark, by his first wife Vivian van Deurs, daughter of Waldemar Oswald van Deurs, of Copenhagen, Denmark.
The couple have three children, a son, (1) Alexander Patrick Gregers Richard Windsor, styled Earl of Ulster (born 24 October, 1974), who married 22 June, 2002, Dr Claire Alexandra Booth (born 29 December, 1977), daughter of Robert Booth, of Weston Turville, Aylesbury, co. Buckingham, by his wife Barbara Patricia Hitchen, daughter of Wilfred R Hitchen, and two daughters, (1) Lady Davina Elizabeth Alice Benedikte Windsor (born 19 Nov 1977), married 31 July 2004 (div) Gary Christie Lewis (born 21 August, 1970), 1st son of Hore Lewis, of Gisborne, New Zealand, by his wife Viki Carr, and (2) Lady Rose Victoria Birgitte Louise Windsor (born 1 March, 1980), married 19 Jul 2008, George Gilman, son of Peter Gilman.
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