Who is Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester? Queen's cousin to attend Prince Philip's funeral at Windsor Castle
Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, was chosen by the Queen to be one of the 30 royal family members attending the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral on April 17 at Windsor Castle. Prince Richard, the paternal cousin of the Queen is a full-time working member of the royal family who looks after a number of national and international events in support of the Queen and her responsibilities as Head of State, along with attending to his other public duties and appearances every year.
Along with Prince Richard, the exclusive list of mourners includes Prince Philip’s children and grandchildren, Duke of Edinburgh’s German relatives, and his close friend, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, Queen’s cousins Princess Alexandra and the Duke of Kent.
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Flying accident of Prince William of Gloucester
Prince Richard was not meant for royal duties. He was born to then-Duke of Gloucester (son of King George V and Queen Mary) and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, in 1944. His elder brother, Prince William of Gloucester, was in the line to inherit the royal duties as well as the title.
Prince Richard took a keen interest in architecture and graduated from Cambridge with a degree in architecture He also started working as a partner at a London architecture firm by 1972. But after the unfortunate death of Prince William in a flying accident, Prince Richard took on a more active role in the royal family. He resigned from the firm, and eventually succeeded his father as the Duke of Gloucester in 1974.
Prince Richard met his future wife at Cambridge
Prince Richard met Birgitte van Deurs at Cambridge where she was pursuing the language program. The Duchess of Gloucester, who originally hailed from Denmark, married Prince Richard in 1972. The couple has three children together, the Earl of Ulster, Lady Davina Lewis, and Lady Rose Gilman. None of the children are working royals but have all married and have children of their own.
Duke of Gloucester's charity work
The Duke of Gloucester is associated with more than 150 charities and other organizations, which reflects his personal interest in international humanitarian issues, heritage, and the built environment, and military veterans. His keen interest in architecture led him to be elected as a corporate member of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1972 and he is President of the Scottish Society of the Architect-Artists.
His support for other architectural preservation societies includes the Kensington Society and the Victorian Society, along with the International Council on Monuments and Sites, UK National Committee. Among charities, the duke supports a diverse range of causes consisting of but not limited to ASH (Action on Smoking and Health), British Association of Friends of Museums, British-Mexican Society to St Bartholomew's Hospital, and the British Homeopathic Association to the Japan Society.
The duke stays in Kensington Palace
The duke currently stays in Old Stables, a residence on the Kensington Palace grounds. He moved in with his wife in 2019 after all of their children left their previous home --Apartment 1 in Kensington Palace, which is reportedly quite large and has 21 rooms.
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester chose to move to Old Stables since it is a smaller residence but is also located within the Kensington Palace grounds. According to a report, the refurbishment of the apartment cost around £400,000.
The Duke of Gloucester is still reportedly keeping up with his royal duties and representing Queen Elizabeth at official events when the Queen can't be present. He is also the Queen's Trustee of the British Museum.