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| Duchess of Gloucester | |
|---|---|
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| First holder | Eleanor de Bohun |
| Present holder | Birgitte van Deurs Henriksen |
| Status | Current |
Duchess of Gloucester is the principalcourtesy title used by the wife of theDuke of Gloucester. There have been five titles referring toGloucester since the 14th century. The current duchess isBirgitte, the wife ofPrince Richard. He inherited the dukedom on 10 June 1974 upon the death of his father,Prince Henry, the third son ofGeorge V.
WhenThomas of Woodstock, youngest son ofEdward III andPhilippa of Hainault, was created duke of Gloucester around 1385, his wifeEleanor de Bohun, daughter ofHumphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford, andJoan Fitzalan, became duchess of Gloucester.[1] Thomas was stripped of his dukedom after being declared guilty of treason in 1397. Their sonHumphrey, 2nd Earl of Buckingham, did not inherit. Thomas died in 1397 and his duchess, Eleanor in 1399.[citation needed]
The next duchess wasJacqueline, Countess of Hainaut, daughter ofWilliam II, Duke of Bavaria, andMargaret of Burgundy, the wife ofHumphrey of Lancaster, Duke of Gloucester, who had been created duke in 1414. They married in 1422 but the marriage was annulled in 1428.[2] Humphrey then married his mistress,Eleanor Cobham, of theCobham family, after the annulment of his marriage of Jacqueline, but this married was also annulled.[3] Humphrey died in 1447 with no legitimate issue, thus the dukedom was extinct.[citation needed]
Anne, Dowager Princess of Wales, widow ofEdward of Westminster, Prince of Wales, marriedRichard, Duke of Gloucester, who had been made duke in 1461, in 1472. The dukedom merged with the crown upon his accession to the throne in 1483 and Anne became queen consort.[4]
The next dukes of Gloucester,Henry Stuart, died unmarried. The next two,Prince William andPrince Frederick, were only styled as Duke of Gloucester and died unmarried or were unmarried during their time styled as duke.[citation needed]
The next iteration of the title was as the jointdukedom of Gloucester and Edinburgh, created in 1764 forPrince William Henry, younger brother ofGeorge III. Prince William Henry marriedMaria Waldegrave, Dowager Countess Waldegrave, the illegitimate daughter ofSir Edward Walpole, in 1766, thus making her the first Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh.[5] Prince William Henry died in 1805. His son and successor,Prince William Frederick, married his first cousinPrincess Mary in 1816. They had no children and Prince William Frederick died in 1834, the dukedom becoming extinct on his death.[6]
George V created his third sonPrince Henry duke of Gloucester in 1928. When hemarriedLady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott in 1935, she became his duchess.[7] They had two sons,Prince William andPrince Richard. Prince Henry died in 1974, Prince William predeceased him and he was thus succeeded by his second son Prince Richard, whose wife,Birgitte van Deurs Henriksen, whom he had married in 1972, became duchess and has remained so since.[8]
Other titles: Duchess of Aumale, Countess of Buckingham, Countess of Essex
| Duchess | Portrait | Birth | Marriage(s) | Death |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eleanor de Bohun Bohun family 1385–1397 |  | c. 1366 – daughter ofHumphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford, andJoan Fitzalan | 1376 Thomas of Woodstock 5 children | 3 October 1399 aged 32 or 33 |
Other titles: Countess of Pembroke
| Duchess | Portrait | Birth | Marriage(s) | Death |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacqueline, Countess of Hainaut House of Wittelsbach 1422–1428 |  | 15 July 1401 Le Quesnoy, County of Hainaut – daughter ofWilliam II, Duke of Bavaria, andMargaret of Burgundy | 1422–1428 (annulled) Humphrey of Lancaster 1 child (stillborn) | 8 October 1436 aged 35 |
| Eleanor Cobham Cobham family 1428–1441 |  | c. 1400 Starborough Castle, Surrey – daughter of Reynold Cobham, 3rd Baron Cobham, and Eleanor Culpeper | 1428–1441 (annulled) Humphrey of Lancaster 2 children | 7 July 1452 aged 51 or 52 |
| Duchess | Portrait | Birth | Marriage(s) | Death |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anne, Dowager Princess of Wales House of Neville 1472–1483 |  | 11 June 1456 Warwick Castle, Warwickshire – daughter ofRichard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, andAnne Beauchamp | 1472 Richard, Duke of Gloucester 1 child | 16 March 1485 aged 28 |
Other titles: Countess of Connaught
| Duchess | Portrait | Birth | Marriage(s) | Death | Arms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maria Waldegrave, Dowager Countess Waldegrave Walpole family 1766–1805 | .jpg) | 10 July 1736 St James's, Westminster – daughter ofSir Edward Walpole andDorothy Clement | 6 September 1766 Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh 3 children | 22 August 1807 aged 71 | |
| The Princess Mary House of Hanover 1816–1834 |  | 25 April 1776 Buckingham House, London – daughter ofGeorge III andCharlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz | 22 July 1816 Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh No children | 30 April 1857 aged 81 |  |
Other titles: Countess of Ulster, Baroness Culloden
| Duchess | Portrait | Birth | Marriage(s) | Death | Arms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott Montagu Douglas Scott family 1935–1974 | .jpg) | 25 December 1901 Montagu House, London – daughter ofJohn Montagu Douglas Scott, 7th Duke of Buccleuch and 9th Duke of Queensberry, and Lady Margaret Bridgeman | 6 November 1935 Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester 2 children | 29 October 2004 aged 102 |  |
| Birgitte van Deurs Henriksen Henriksen family 1974–present |  | 20 June 1946 Odense, Denmark – daughter of Asger Henriksen and Vivian van Deurs | 8 July 1972 Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester 3 children | – now 79 years, 137 days old | |
Richard and Birgitte's only son Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster, married Claire Booth in 2002. They are currently known by the courtesy titles Earl and Countess of Ulster. As Alexander is three generations removed from the crown he is not a prince. Upon his accession Claire would be styledHer Grace The Duchess of Gloucester.
Alexander and Claire’s only son Xan, born in 2007, is currently unmarried.
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