The Selfless Royal: Meet Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester
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| Photo of Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, under Creative Commons licenses. |
Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, is one reluctant royal. The younger son of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, he was educated to become an architect, while his older brother, the dashing Prince William of Gloucester, was expected to inherit the dukedom and bear the yoke of supporting their cousin, Queen Elizabeth II. But it was not to be. Following the tragic death of Prince William and their own father, the royal title and the responsibilities that came with it fell on the lap of this unassuming prince. Without courting press attention and fanfare, Prince Richard and his wife, the Danish-born Birgitte, actually did a great job at being fulltime working royals, earning the respect of the queen and the admiration of the public. Now well in their 70s, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester continue to carry out hundreds of activities every year, maintaining a round of engagements on behalf of the queen and in support of the charities and patronages close to their interests.
Richard Alexander Walter George Windsor was born on August 26, 1944, at St. Matthew's Nursing Home in Northampton, England. His father was the fourth child of King George V and Queen Mary, while her mother, Lady Alice Christabel Montagu-Douglas-Scott, was the daughter of the 7th Duke of Buccleuch and Queensbury, the largest landowning family in Scotland.
The prince was christened at Windsor Castle, but at that time, the Royal Family did not announce the venue for fear of Nazi air raids at the height of World War II.
Prince Richard later went to Magdalene College in Cambridge, where he read Architecture. He obtained a BA degree in June 1966 and joined the Offices Development Group in the Ministry of Public Building and Works . He spent a year there for practical experience before returning to Cambridge in 1967 where he was awarded with a Diploma in Architecture in June 1969, and an MA in 1971. He then joined the architectural firm Hunt Thompson Associates in London, where he intended to parlay a private career.
While at Cambridge, the prince met and fell in love with Birgitte Eva van Deurs, who was then working at the Royal Danish Embassy. The two were married on July 8, 1972 at St. Andrew’s Church in Barnwell, his parents' Northamptonshire estate. By this time, the duke was already ill after suffering from a debilitating stroke, as such, the wedding was celebrated in a rather quiet manner, attended by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Prince Charles, Princess Margaret and Prince Michael of Kent. The bride wore a dress designed by Norman Hartnell. Prince and Princess Richard later had three children: Alexander, Earl of Ulster, born in 1974; Lady Davina Lewis, born in 1977; and Lady Rose Gilman, born in 1980. The children do not carry out any official royal engagement.
The couple initially thought that they would live a quiet life, but tragedy struck the family, which compelled Prince Richard to give up his private practice. A few weeks after their wedding, Prince William of Gloucester died following a flying accident. Two years later, the Duke of Gloucester of passed away and Prince Richard inherited the title.
Together with Birgitte, Prince Richard represented Queen Elizabeth II in various overseas visits and gatherings, such as the 70th birthday celebrations of King Olav V of Norway, and the independence celebrations of the Seychelles, the Solomon Islands, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Vanuatu. The duke has also attended, on behalf of the queen, the funeral of King Tupou V of Tonga in March 2012, the inauguration of Pope Francis in March 2013 and the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Korean War Armistice in July 2013.
The duke is also a patron of organizations where architecture and conservation are involved, throwing his support to the Kensington Society, the Victorian Society, the International Council on Monuments and Sites, and UK National Committee, among others.
He is also patron or president of several charitable groups and organizations of wide-ranging advocacies, including ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) to the British Association of Friends of Museums, British-Mexican Society to St. Bartholomew's Hospital, and the British Homeopathic Association to the Japan Society.
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