Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester
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| Prince Richard | |
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| Duke of Gloucester | |
| Predecessor | Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester |
| Heir-Apparent | Alexander, Earl of Ulster |
| Spouse | Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester |
| Issue | |
| Alexander, Earl of Ulster Lady Davina Lewis Lady Rose Windsor |
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| Full name | |
| Richard Alexander Walter George[1] | |
| Titles and styles | |
| HRH The Duke of Gloucester HRH Prince Richard of Gloucester |
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| Royal house | House of Windsor |
| Father | Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester |
| Mother | Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester |
| Born | 26 August 1944 Barnwell Manor, Northamptonshire |
| Baptised | 20 October 1944 St. George's Chapel, Windsor |
| Occupation | prev. Architecture |
Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO (Richard Alexander Walter George; born 26 August 1944) is a member of the British Royal Family, a grandson of George V. He has been Duke of Gloucester since his father's death in 1974. The Duke is currently 19th in the line of succession. The Duke of Gloucester carries out royal engagements on behalf of his cousin, Queen Elizabeth II.
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[edit] Early life
Prince Richard was born on 26 August 1944 at Hadley Common[2] in Hertfordshire. His father was Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, the third-eldest son of George V and Queen Mary. His mother was Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester (née Lady Alice Montagu-Douglas-Scott), a daughter of the 7th Duke of Buccleuch.
Richard was baptised in the Private Chapel of Windsor Castle on 20 October 1944 by Lord Lang of Lambeth and his godparents were: Queen Elizabeth, Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone (for whom her daughter, Lady May Abel Smith stood proxy), The Duke of Buccleuch, The Marquess of Cambridge, Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein, Lady Sybil Phipps and Sir Harold Alexander (for whom his wife, Lady Alexander stood proxy). Because of the war, newspapers did not identify the actual location of the christening, and said instead that it took place at "a private chapel in the country".[3]
As a grandson of the British monarch in the male line, he was styled His Royal Highness Prince Richard of Gloucester at birth. At the time of his birth he was fifth in the line of succession to the throne, and second in line to his father's Dukedom, behind his brother, Prince William of Gloucester.
When he was four months old, Prince Richard accompanied his parents to Australia, where his father was Governor-General from 1945 to 1947. The family returned to Barnwell Manor in 1947.
[edit] Career
[edit] Education
Prince Richard's early education was at home, later attending school at Wellesley House in Broadstairs, and then Eton College. In 1963, he went to Magdalene College, Cambridge to read architecture. He received the degree of Bachelor of Arts in June 1966. Subsequently, he was awarded an MA (Cantab.) in 1971.
[edit] Architecture
After university, Prince Richard joined the (then) Offices Development Group of the Ministry of Public Building and Works for a year of practical work, returning to Cambridge in 1967. In June 1969, he passed both parts of his Diploma in Architecture at the university. After completing his training, he went into practice as a partner in a firm of London architects.
Although he planned to practice full time as an architect, the death of his brother, Prince William of Gloucester, left Richard first in line to his father's Dukedom, and increasing Royal duties. He therefore resigned his partnership, and began to represent his cousin, The Queen, on Royal occasions.
[edit] Other Work
On Thursday 10th April 2008, Prince Richard was officially Installed as the Founding Chancellor of the University of Worcester in a ceremony at Worcester Cathedral. In this role, the Prince will officiate at degree ceremonies and major events, as well as promote the University overseas.
[edit] Marriage
On 8 June 1972, Prince Richard of Gloucester married Birgitte van Deurs, a Danish woman, the daughter of Asger Henriksen and Vivian van Deurs, at St Andrew's Church in Barnwell in Northamptonshire. Together the couple have three children:
- Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster, born 24 October 1974; married Claire Alexandra Booth; has issue, Xan Windsor, Lord Culloden (b. 2007)
- The Lady Davina Lewis, born 19 November 1977; married Gary Christie Lewis
- The Lady Rose Windsor, born 1 March 1980
None of the children carries out Royal duties, and they have no Royal titles and they are styled as the children of a Duke.
[edit] Duke of Gloucester
On 10 June 1974, Prince Richard's father died and he succeeded to the titles Duke of Gloucester, Earl of Ulster and Baron Culloden.
Both the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester make many public appearances and are popular members of the Royal Family. The Duke is particularly interested in architecture and conservation. He became a corporate member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in 1972; and serves as a commissioner of the Historic Building and Monuments Commission for England (English Heritage).
A keen motorist, Prince Richard was president of the Institute of Advanced Motorists for 32 years. This post became a matter of review when, on 23 December 2004, he was banned from driving for six months and fined for speeding, it being his fourth similar offence in three years. He resigned in January 2005[4].
The Duke became the first ever Chancellor of the University of Worcester in October 2007
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester's official residence is at Kensington Palace in London. They have leased Barnwell Manor since 1994. On 29 October 2004, the Duke's mother, Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, died at the age of 102, the longest-living member of the British Royal Family ever.
Prince Richard shares a name with another Duke of Gloucester, King Richard III of England, and is the Patron of the Richard III Society [1].
Ever since the death of his father, Prince Richard has been the most senior agnatic descendant of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, making him the most senior exclusively-male-line male in the house of Windsor.
[edit] Titles, styles, honours and arms
| Styles of HRH The Duke of Gloucester |
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| Reference style | His Royal Highness |
| Spoken style | Your Royal Highness |
| Alternative style | Sir |
[edit] Titles and styles
- 26 August 1944–10 June 1974: His Royal Highness Prince Richard of Gloucester
- 10 June 1974–: His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester
[edit] Honours
British Honours
- KG: Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, 1997
- GCVO: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, 1974
- Grand Prior of the Order of St. John, 1975
- Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation Medal, 1953
- Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee Medal, 1977
- Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee Medal, 2002
Foreign Honours
[edit] Honorary military appointments
British
- Colonel-in-Chief, of the Royal Anglian Regiment
- Colonel-in-Chief, of the Royal Army Medical Corps
- Deputy Colonel-in-Chief, of the Royal Logistic Corps
- Deputy Colonel-in-Chief, of the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment
- Royal Colonel, of the 6th (V) Battalion, The Rifles
- The Royal Honorary Colonel, of the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers (Militia)
- Honorary Air Commodore, of RAF Odiham
- Honorary Air Commodore, of 501 (County of Gloucester) Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force
- Honorary Air Marshal, Royal Air Force
Commonwealth
- Colonel-in-Chief, of
the Royal Australian Army Education Corps [5]
[edit] Arms
As a descendant of George V, the Duke of Gloucester's arms are based on the Royal Arms. The following explains the way in which his arms are differenced from those of the Queen.
- Arms: Is that of the Royal Arms, differenced by a label of five points argent (white), the centre and two outer points charged with a cross gules (red), and the inner points with a lion passant guardant also of gules (red).
- Crest: On a coronet composed of four crosses-patées alternated with four strawberry leaves, a lion statant guardant or (gold), crowned with the like coronet, and differenced with the label as in the Arms.
- Supporters: Are those of the Royal Supporters, differenced with a coronet as in the crest, and label as in the Arms. [2]
A banner of the coat of arm's is used as the Duke's personal standard.[6]
[edit] Ancestry
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ As a titled royal, Richard holds no surname, but, when one is used, it is Windsor
- ^ Royal Children by Charles Kidd & Patrick Montague-Smith
- ^ The Times, 21 October 1944
- ^ Resignation Press Release
- ^ Burke's Peerage
- ^ britishflags.net- Duke of Gloucester
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Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester
Cadet branch of the House of Wettin
Born: 26 August 1944 |
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| British royalty | ||
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| Preceded by Arthur Chatto |
Line of succession to the British Throne HRH The Duke of Gloucester |
Succeeded by Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by The Prince Henry |
Duke of Gloucester 5th creation 10 June 1974 – present |
Incumbent Heir Apparent: Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster |
| Order of precedence in the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by Viscount Severn |
Gentlemen HRH The Duke of Gloucester |
Succeeded by Prince Edward, Duke of Kent |
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| Persondata | |
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| NAME | Gloucester, Richard |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Windsor, Richard Alexander Walter George |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Grandson of George V |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 26 August 1944 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Barnwell Manor, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
