| Prince Richard | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke of Gloucester (more) | |||||
.jpg) Richard in 2023 | |||||
| Born | Prince Richard of Gloucester (1944-08-26)26 August 1944 (age 81) St Matthew's Nursing Home,Northampton, England[1] | ||||
| Spouse | |||||
| Issue | |||||
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| House | Windsor | ||||
| Father | Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester | ||||
| Mother | Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott | ||||
| Alma mater | Magdalene College, Cambridge | ||||
Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester (Richard Alexander Walter George; born 26 August 1944), is a member of theBritish royal family. He is the second son ofPrince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, andPrincess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, the youngest ofthe nine grandchildren ofGeorge V, nephew ofEdward VIII andGeorge VI, and first cousin ofElizabeth II. He is 32nd in the line ofsuccession to the British throne, and the highest person on the list who is not a descendant of George VI. At the time of his birth, he was fifth in line to the throne.
Richard practised as an architect until the death of his elder brother,William, placed him in direct line to inherit his father'sdukedom of Gloucester, to which he succeeded in 1974. He marriedBirgitte van Deurs Henriksen on 8 July 1972. They have three children.
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Richard was born on 26 August 1944 at 12:15 pm at St Matthew's Nursing Home inNorthampton, the second son ofPrince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, andAlice, Duchess of Gloucester.[1] His father was the third son ofKing George V andQueen Mary. His mother was the third daughter ofJohn Montagu Douglas Scott, 7th Duke of Buccleuch, andLady Margaret Bridgeman. At the time of his birth, he was second in line to his father's dukedom, behind his elder brother,Prince William of Gloucester, who died in an air crash in 1972 before inheriting the title and having any children of his own.
Richard was baptised at theRoyal Chapel of All Saints inWindsor Great Park on 20 October 1944 by the retiredArchbishop of Canterbury,Cosmo Gordon Lang. His godparents were his paternal aunt,Queen Elizabeth,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 stoodproxy), theDuke of Buccleuch (his maternal uncle), theMarquess of Cambridge (his cousin), Lady Sybil Phipps (his maternal aunt), andGeneral the Earl Alexander of Tunis (for whom his wife, thenLady Margaret Alexander, stood proxy). Because of the War, newspapers did not identify the precise location of the christening, saying only that it took place at "a private chapel in the country".[3][4] When Richard was four months old, he accompanied his parents toAustralia, where his father served asgovernor-general from 1945 to 1947. The family returned toBarnwell Manor in 1947, where Richard spent most of his childhood.
Richard's early education took place at home, under the instruction of Rosalind Ramirez, who had also tutored young KingFaisal II of Iraq; later, he attendedWellesley House School atBroadstairs andEton College.[5] In 1963, he matriculated atMagdalene College, Cambridge, where he studied architecture,[5] graduating with the degree ofBachelor of Arts in June 1966. As is customary at Cambridge, this proceeded toMA (Cantab) in 1971.
In 1966, Richard joined the Offices Development Group in theMinistry of Public Building and Works for a year of practical work. He returned to Cambridge in 1967, completing both parts of theDiploma in Architecture degree in June 1969. Upon passing his exams, he became a practising partner with Hunt Thompson Associates, Architects, in London.[6]
On 8 July 1972, Richard marriedDanish-bornBirgitte van Deurs Henriksen at St Andrew's Church,Barnwell, Northamptonshire;[7] the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester have three children:
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester's official residence is atKensington Palace in London.[8] They have leased their private home,Barnwell Manor, since 1994. In September 2022, the Duke put themanor up for sale for £4.75 million.[9]
Richard ended his architectural career in 1972, after the death of his elder brotherPrince William, who was killed in an air crash during a flying competition. Richard becameheir apparent to his father's dukedom and had to take on additional family obligations and royal duties on behalf of the Queen. He became Duke of Gloucester on his father's death on 10 June 1974.
He has been a corporate member of theRoyal Institute of British Architects since 1972.[10] He is president of the Society of Architect Artists,[6] an honorary fellow of theInstitution of Structural Engineers,[11] and was a trustee of theBritish Museum, deputy chairman of theHistoric Buildings and Monuments Commission for England and a commissioner ofEnglish Heritage between 1998 and 2001.[12][13] He has been patron of construction charity Construction Youth Trust[14] 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.[15] 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 theSociety of Antiquaries of London (and electedFSA) since 2001,[16] royal patron of the UK branch of the charityHabitat for Humanity,[17] royal patron of theSt George's Society of New York,[18] and president ofThe London Society. A keen motorist, Richard passed theAdvanced Driving Test of theInstitute of Advanced Motorists, of which he was president for more than 32 years. On his appointment in 1971,[19] it was recorded that the new president was "currently [driving] anAustin 1300", reflecting the modest image with which he has always been identified. He stood down as president in January 2005.[20]
The Duke of Gloucester, accompanied by the Duchess, represented his cousin Elizabeth II at theSeychelles independence ceremonies on 26 June 1976[21] and again at theSolomon Islands independence celebrations on 7 July 1978.[22][23] He served as a judge inPrince Edward's charity television specialThe Grand Knockout Tournament on 15 June 1987.
On 10 April 2008, the Duke of Gloucester was officially installed as inauguralChancellor of theUniversity of Worcester during a ceremony atWorcester Cathedral. In this role, he officiates at degree ceremonies and major events, as well as promoting the university overseas.[24] 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 theSevern Valley Railway[25] and thePestalozzi International Village Trust. He is patron of theBritish Homeopathic Association.[26] He shares a name with an earlier Duke of Gloucester,Richard III, and has been patron of theRichard III Society since 1980.[27] He is a member of the international advisory board of theRoyal United Services Institute.[28][29]
During 2009, the Duke became patron of thede Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre[30] 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,[31] theInternational Council on Monuments and Sites,[32]Action on Smoking and Health,[33]British Association of Friends of Museums,[34] British Mexican Society,[35]St Bartholomew's Hospital,[36] as well as numerous other organisations and charities.[5] In July 2011, the Duke visited theIsle of Man to meet with the representative ofManx National Heritage and the Council of Cancer Charities.[10] On 8 November 2011, he opened the new Law School Building at theUniversity of Hertfordshire on the de Havilland campus site of the former de Havilland Aircraft factory.[37] On 19 March 2013, the Duke represented Elizabeth II atthe Vatican for theinauguration of Pope Francis.[38]
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On 11 March 2015, the Duke visited theRoyal 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.[39] On 22 and 26 March 2015, the Duke represented the Queen at the ceremonies marking thereburial and commemorations ofKing Richard III inLeicester Cathedral. Richard III had held the title Duke of Gloucester before his ascension to the English throne.[40] In March 2018, the Duke travelled toMalawi to attend theCommonwealth Day celebrations, and visited projects related to health services, wildlife, and climate change.[41][42] He missed the celebrations in March 2022 after testing positive forCOVID-19.[43]
On 14 September 2022, after thedeath of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September, the Duke joined her children, grandsons, nephew, and son-in-law, in walking in the statecortege from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, for her lying in state.[44]
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In 2023 the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester attended thecoronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in Westminster Abbey, and (in common with other working members of the royal family) took part in the Coronation Procession following the service.[45]
Richard was originally styled "His Royal Highness Prince Richard of Gloucester".[46]Since becoming duke in 1974, he has been known as "His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester".
The ribbons worn regularly by Richard in undress uniform are as follows:
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Australia Colonel-in-Chief, of theRoyal Australian Army Education Corps[53]
New Zealand Colonel-in-Chief of theRoyal New Zealand Army Medical Corps
United Kingdom
Colonel-in-Chief, of theRoyal Anglian Regiment[5] Colonel-in-Chief, of theRoyal Army Medical Service[54] Deputy Colonel-in-Chief, of theRoyal Logistic Corps[5][55] Royal Colonel, of the 6th (V) Battalion,The Rifles[5] Royal Honorary Colonel, of theRoyal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers (Militia)[5] Colonel-in-Chief, of theRoyal Army Medical Corps[5][56] (until 15 November 2024 when the corps was amalgamated)[57]
Honorary Air Commodore in Chief, of theRoyal Auxiliary Air Force[58] Honorary Air Commodore, ofRAF Odiham[5] Honorary Air Commodore, of501 (County of Gloucester) Squadron,Royal Auxiliary Air Force, 16 June 2001[59] HonoraryAir Marshal,Royal Air Force, 1 September 1996[60] |
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| Name | Birth | Marriage | Children | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander Windsor,Earl of Ulster | 24 October 1974 | 22 June 2002 | Claire Booth | Xan Windsor, Lord Culloden Lady Cosima Windsor |
| Lady Davina Windsor | 19 November 1977 | 31 July 2004 Divorced 2018 | Gary Lewis | Senna Lewis Tāne Lewis |
| Lady Rose Gilman | 1 March 1980 | 19 July 2008 | George Gilman | Lyla Gilman Rufus Gilman |
| Ancestors of Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester |
|---|
However, the Queen's other cousin, the Duke of Gloucester, and his wife the Duchess of Gloucester will no longer attend following the Duke's positive test for COVID-19.
Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester Born: 26 August 1944 | ||
| Lines of succession | ||
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| Preceded by | Line of succession to the British throne son ofPrince Henry, Duke of Gloucester grandson ofGeorge V | Followed by |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by | Duke of Gloucester 5th creation 10 June 1974 – present | Incumbent Heir apparent: Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster |
| Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by | Gentlemen HRH The Duke of Gloucester | Followed by |
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| New title | Chancellor of theUniversity of Worcester 2008–present | Incumbent |
Generations are numbered by their descent fromGeorge V andMary of Teck | ||
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*Descendant ofElizabeth II and therefore use the surnameMountbatten-Windsor, but officially considered members of the House of Windsor | ||
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