This year, Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester is celebrating his 80th birthday. His name is perhaps more familiar than his face for, despite over five decades of life on the royal frontline, the duke remains as discreet as he is dutiful.
Prince Richard was born 26 August 1944 at St Matthew’s Nursing Home in Northampton.
(Wiki Commons)
He was the second son of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester and was the youngest of George V’s nine grandchildren. Prince Richard was a first cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II, and the nephew of Edward VIII and George VI. Born fifth in line to the throne, he is currently in the 31st place in the succession. This makes him the highest person on the list who is not a direct descendant of George VI.
(Hay Wrightson, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
At birth, he was also second in line to his father’s dukedom behind his eldest brother, Prince William of Gloucester. William was killed in 1972 in a plane crash before he had a family and before he was able to take the title.
Prince Richard’s early education would take place at home before he later attended Wellesley House School at Broadstairs and Eton College. In 1966, he would take a year to do practical work in the Offices Development Group in the Ministry of Public Building and Works. He would then return to Magdalene College in Cambridge where he’d been reading architecture. Having graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1966, he completed both parts of the Diploma in Architecture degree in 1969.
In 1972, Richard would leave the architecture industry following the death of his brother William. He then became heir to his father’s dukedom and took on additional family obligations and royal duties on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II. Following his father’s death in 1974, Richard became Duke of Gloucester.
(photo by AS1 Christian Sparks/ UK MOD © Crown copyright 2024)
Some of his work includes being patron of the UK branch of Habitat for Humanity, the President of the Society of Architects, and patron of the construction charity, Construction Youth Trust.
(You Tube still/ fair use)
On 8 July 1972, Richard married Danish-born Birgitte van Deurs Henriksen at St Andrew’s Church in Barnwell, Northamptonshire. Together, the couple has three children and their official residence is at Kensington Palace in London. Their private home, Barnwell Manor, was put up for sale for £4.75 million in 2022.
(Photo by Charlie Proctor)
The Duke of Gloucester continues to carry out hundreds of engagements every year and has at least twenty in his diary for the weeks ahead, the first of his ninth decade.
