Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester
Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester (Richard Alexander Walter George; born 26 August 1944) is a member of the British royal family. He is the second son of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, the youngest of the nine grandchildren of George V, nephew of Edward VIII and George VI, and first cousin of Elizabeth II. He is 31st in the line of succession 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 5th in line to the throne.
This article is about the current Duke of Gloucester. For the king previously known as Richard, Duke of Gloucester, see Richard III of England.Prince Richard
Prince Richard of Gloucester
26 August 1944
St Matthew's Nursing Home, Northampton, England[1]
- Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster
- Lady Davina Windsor
- Lady Rose Gilman
Richard practised as an architect until the death of his elder brother, William, placed him in direct line to inherit his father's dukedom of Gloucester, to which he succeeded in 1974. He married Birgitte van Deurs Henriksen on 8 July 1972. They have three children.
Education and career[edit]
Prince Richard's early education took place at home, under the instruction of Rosalind Ramirez, who had also tutored young King Faisal II of Iraq; later, he attended Wellesley House School at Broadstairs and Eton College.[5] In 1963, he matriculated at Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he read architecture,[5] graduating with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in June 1966. As is customary at Cambridge, this proceeded to MA (Cantab) in 1971.
In 1966, Richard joined the Offices Development Group in the Ministry of Public Building and Works for a year of practical work. He returned to Cambridge in 1967, completing both parts of the Diploma 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, Prince Richard married Danish-born Birgitte van Deurs Henriksen at St Andrew's Church, Barnwell, Northamptonshire; the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester have three children:
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester's official residence is at Kensington Palace in London.[11] They have leased their private home, Barnwell Manor, since 1994. In September 2022, the Duke put the manor up for sale for £4.75 million.[12]