Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester

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Prince Richard
Duke of Gloucester (more)
1989 portrait by Allan Warren
Duke of Gloucester
Predecessor Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
Heir apparent Alexander, Earl of Ulster
Spouse Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester
Issue
Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster
The Lady Davina Lewis
The Lady Rose Gilman
Full name
Richard Alexander Walter George[1]
House House of Windsor
Father Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
Mother Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester
Born 26 August 1944 (1944-08-26) (age 67)
Hadley Common, Hertfordshire
Religion Church of England

Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO (Richard Alexander Walter George; born 26 August 1944) is a member of the British Royal Family. Prince Richard is the youngest grandchild of King George V and Queen Mary. He has been Duke of Gloucester since his father's death in 1974. He is currently 20th in the line of succession. The Duke of Gloucester carries out royal engagements on behalf of his cousin, Queen Elizabeth II.

Contents

[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 the Queen (his paternal aunt and wife of George VI), Princess Marie Louise (his cousin), the Countess of Athlone (his cousin, for whom her daughter, the Lady May Abel Smith stood proxy), the Duke of Buccleuch (his maternal uncle), the Marquess of Cambridge (his cousin), the Lady Sybil Phipps (his maternal aunt), and General the Hon Sir Harold Alexander (for whom his wife, the Lady Margaret 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][3][4]

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, who died in 1972 when the plane he was piloting crashed at Halfpenny Green, near Wolverhampton.

When Prince Richard was four months old, he 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

The Duke of Gloucester at Christ Church Cathedral, wearing the robes of the Order of Saint John, on 4 November 2006.

[edit] Education

Prince Richard's early education took place at home; later, he attended school at Wellesley House in Broadstairs and Eton College. In 1963, he matriculated at Magdalene College, Cambridge to read architecture and received the degree of Bachelor of Arts in June 1966. Subsequently, he incepted as MA (Cantab) in 1971.

[edit] Early career

After earning his BA in 1966, Prince Richard joined the (then) Offices Development Group of the Ministry of Public Building and Works for a year of practical work. He returned to Cambridge in 1967, and in June 1969, he passed both parts of the exam for his Diploma in Architecture. Upon completion of his training, he went into practice as a partner in a London architectural firm.

Although he had intended to practice full time as an architect, the death of his brother, Prince William, in 1972 when the plane he was piloting crashed near Wolverhampton, left Richard first in line to his father's Dukedom and increased his family obligations and royal duties. He therefore resigned his partnership and began to represent his cousin The Queen at royal engagements.

[edit] Royal duties

On 10 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 officiates at degree ceremonies and major events, as well as promoting the University overseas.

The Duke carried out the first of these duties on 5 and 6 November 2008 at the Graduation Award Ceremonies.

In March 2009, Prince Richard officially opened the University of Nottingham Jubilee Campus 'phase two' buildings. The ceremony included renaming one of the buildings after Colin Campbell, a former Vice-Chancellor of the university.

Prince Richard is also a patron of the Severn Valley Railway and the Pestalozzi International Village Trust.

During 2009 The Duke of Gloucester became Patron of the de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre[5] in support of its bid to raise funds through private means and through a bid for Heritage Lottery Funding to help develop this learning experience, protect the priceless exhibits and improve visitor access to the oldest aviation heritage centre in Britain. It celebrated its 50th anniversary on 15 May 2009.

On the 8th of November 2011 he opened the new Law School Building at the University of Hertfordshire on the de Havilland campus site of the former de Havilland Aircraft factory.

[edit] Marriage

On 8 July 1972, Prince Richard married the Danish Birgitte van Deurs, daughter of Asger Henriksen and Vivian van Deurs, at St Andrew's Church, Barnwell, in Northamptonshire. Together the couple have three children:

The Royal Family of the
United Kingdom and the
other Commonwealth realms
Badge of the House of Windsor.svg

HM The Queen
HRH The Duke of Edinburgh

The three Gloucester children do not carry out royal duties. As great-grandchildren of a British Sovereign, they do not possess royal titles and are styled as the children of a non-royal Duke.

[edit] Additional information

[edit] Succession

Upon the death of Prince Richard's father (Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester) on 10 June 1974, the Prince succeeded to the titles Duke of Gloucester, Earl of Ulster and Baron Culloden.

[edit] Interests

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).

[edit] Presidencies

A keen motorist, Prince Richard was president of the Institute of Advanced Motorists for more than 32 years. He had passed the institute's advanced test in 1965. On his appointment in 1971 it was recorded that the institute's new president was "currently [driving] an Austin 1300".[6] He was banned from driving for six months and fined for speeding on 23 December 2004, his fourth similar offence in three years. He resigned as president in January 2005.[7]

[edit] Residencies

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester's official residence is at Kensington Palace in London. They have leased their private home, Barnwell Manor, since 1994.

[edit] Family connections

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 in history.

The Duke of Gloucester is one of only five living grandchildren of King George V and Queen Mary. He is joined by Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, Prince Michael of Kent, and Princess Alexandra.

Prince Richard shares a name with another Duke of Gloucester, King Richard III of England, and is the Patron of the Richard III Society.[8]

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 and, therefore, of the entire House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

[edit] Titles, styles, honours, and arms

Royal styles of
The Duke of Gloucester
Arms of Richard, Duke of Gloucester.svg
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 onwards: His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester

His title in full is: His Royal Highness Prince Richard Alexander Walter George, Duke of Gloucester, Earl of Ulster and Baron Culloden, Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, Grand Prior of the Order of St. John, Service Medal of the Order of St. John.

[edit] Honours

[edit] Commonwealth realms honours

Order of the Garter UK ribbon.png Royal Victorian Order UK ribbon.png Service Medal of the Order of St John Ribbon.jpg

ElizabethIICoronationRibbon.png Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal ribbon.png Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal ribbon.png Star of the Solomon Islands.png

MEX Order of the Aztec Eagle 1Class BAR.png Ord.St.Olav.jpg Order of the Polar Star - Ribbon bar.svg Order of the Crown of Tonga - Ribbon.jpeg

[edit] Foreign honours

[edit] Honorary military appointments

A banner of the coat of arms is used as the Duke's personal standard, which along with his coat of arms was granted in 1962.[10]
[edit] British
[edit] Commonwealth realms

[edit] Arms

Coat of Arms of the Duke of Gloucester.

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 the coronet of children of other sons of the Sovereign, 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.[13]

[edit] Ancestry

[edit] Patrilineal descent

Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester's patriline is the line from which he is descended father to son.

His patrilineal descent (the principle behind membership in Germanic royal houses) can be traced back through the generations—which means that if The Duke of Gloucester were to choose an historically accurate house name it would be Wettin, as all his male-line ancestors have been members.

The line diverges from the British royal line at Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, and from then on follows his paternal ancestors. Prince Richard is currently the senior agnatic descendant of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha as the heir-male of King Edward VII.

Descent before Conrad the Great is taken from fabpedigree.com[14] and may be inaccurate.

[edit] House of Wettin

  1. Burkhard I, Duke of Thuringia, d. 870
  2. Burchard, Duke of Thuringia, 836–908
  3. (possibly) Burkhard III of Grabfeldgau, 866–913
  4. Dedi I, Count in the Hessegau, 896–957
  5. (probably) Dietrich I, Count of Wettin, d. 976
  6. (possibly) Dedi II, Count in the Hessegau, 946–1009
  7. Dietrich II of Wettin, 991–1034
  8. Thimo I, Count of Wettin, d. 1099
  9. Thimo II the Brave, Count of Wettin, d. 1118
  10. Conrad, Margrave of Meissen, 1098–1157
  11. Otto II, Margrave of Meissen, 1125–1190
  12. Dietrich I, Margrave of Meissen, 1162–1221
  13. Henry III, Margrave of Meissen, c. 1215–1288
  14. Albert II, Margrave of Meissen, 1240–1314
  15. Frederick I, Margrave of Meissen, 1257–1323
  16. Frederick II, Margrave of Meissen, 1310–1349
  17. Frederick III, Landgrave of Thuringia, 1332–1381
  18. Frederick I, Elector of Saxony, 1370–1428
  19. Frederick II, Elector of Saxony, 1412–1464
  20. Ernest, Elector of Saxony, 1441–1486
  21. John, Elector of Saxony, 1468–1532
  22. John Frederick I, Elector of Saxony, 1503–1554
  23. Johann Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Weimar, 1530–1573
  24. John II, Duke of Saxe-Weimar, 1570–1605
  25. Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha, 1601–1675
  26. John Ernest IV, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, 1658–1729
  27. Francis Josias, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, 1697–1764
  28. Ernest Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, 1724–1800
  29. Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, 1750–1806
  30. Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, 1784–1844
  31. Albert, Prince Consort, 1819–1861
  32. Edward VII of the United Kingdom, 1841–1910
  33. George V of the United Kingdom, 1865–1936
  34. The Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, 1900–1974
  35. Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, 1944 onwards

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ As a titled royal, Richard holds no surname, but, when one is used, it is Windsor
  2. ^ Royal Children by Charles Kidd & Patrick Montague-Smith
  3. ^ a b The Times, 21 October 1944
  4. ^ "Yvonne's Royalty Home Page – Royal Christenings". Users.uniserve.com. http://users.uniserve.com/~canyon/christenings.htm#Christenings. Retrieved 30 April 2011. 
  5. ^ "Mosquito Aircraft Museum – de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre". Dehavillandmuseum.co.uk. http://www.dehavillandmuseum.co.uk/. Retrieved 30 April 2011. 
  6. ^ "Appointments Register". Motor: page 57. 9 October 1971. 
  7. ^ Resignation Press Release[dead link]
  8. ^ "The Richard III Society". Richardiii.net. http://www.richardiii.net/. Retrieved 30 April 2011. 
  9. ^ "Honours of the Duke of Gloucester". The Royal Household. http://www.royal.gov.uk/ThecurrentRoyalFamily/TheDukeofGloucester/Honours.aspx. Retrieved 6 June 2011. 
  10. ^ "Duke of Gloucester". britishflags.net. http://www.britishflags.net/dukeofgloucester.html. Retrieved 30 April 2011. 
  11. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 56269. p. 8120. 10 July 2001. Retrieved 5 June 2009.
  12. ^ London Gazette: no. 54519. p. 12011. 9 September 1996. Retrieved 5 June 2009.
  13. ^ a b "Burke's Peerage – The Royal Family – HRH The Duke of Gloucester". Burke's Peerage & Gentry and The Origins Network.. http://www.burkespeerage.com/articles/peerage/page62-6h.aspx. Retrieved 7 June 2011. 
  14. ^ James Dow Allen Fab Pedigree Vers. 26. "Pedigree: Konrad `the Great' von GROITZSCH-ROCHLITZ". Fabpedigree.com. http://fabpedigree.com/s056/f354285.htm. Retrieved 30 April 2011. 
Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester
Cadet branch of the House of Wettin
Born: 26 August 1944
Preceded by
Arthur Chatto		 Line of succession to the British Throne
20th position		 Succeeded by
Earl of Ulster
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
The Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester		 Duke of Gloucester
5th creation, 2nd Duke
10 June 1974 – present		 Incumbent
Heir Apparent:
Earl of Ulster
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Viscount Linley		 Gentlemen
HRH The Duke of Gloucester		 Succeeded by
The Duke of Kent
England and Wales

The Sovereign • HRH The Duke of Edinburgh • HRH The Prince of Wales • HRH The Duke of York • HRH The Earl of Wessex • HRH The Duke of Cambridge • HRH Prince Harry of Wales • Viscount Severn • Mr Peter Phillips • Viscount Linley • HRH The Duke of Gloucester • HRH The Duke of Kent • HRH Prince Michael of Kent • The Most Rev and Rt Hon Rowan Williams • The Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke QC MP • The Most Rev and Rt Hon John Sentamu • The Rt Hon David Cameron MP • The Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP • The Rt Hon John Bercow MP • The Rt Hon The Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers QC PC • The Rt Hon The Lord Judge QC PC • The Rt Hon Sir George Young, Bt MP • The Most Hon The Marquess of Cholmondeley KCVO • His Grace The Duke of Norfolk DL • His Grace The Duke of Abercorn KG • The Rt Hon The Earl Peel GCVO PC DL • The Rt Hon The Lord Vestey DL
Scotland
Northern Ireland

The Sovereign • HRH The Duke of Edinburgh • HRH The Prince of Wales • HRH The Duke of York • HRH The Earl of Wessex • HRH The Duke of Cambridge • HRH Prince Harry of Wales • Viscount Severn • Mr Peter Phillips • Viscount Linley • HRH The Duke of Gloucester • HRH The Duke of Kent • HRH Prince Michael of Kent • His Eminence Cardinal Seán Brady • The Most Rev Alan Harper, OBE  • The Most Rev Diarmuid Martin • The Most Rev John Niell • The Rt Rev Stafford Carson • The Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke QC MP • The Rt Hon David Cameron MP • The Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP • The Rt Hon John Bercow MP • The Rt Hon The Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers QC PC • The Rt Hon Sir George Young, Bt MP • The Most Hon The Marquess of Cholmondeley KCVO • His Grace The Duke of Norfolk DL • The Rt Hon The Earl of Dalhousie
not including short-term appointments, visiting dignitaries and most peers
The generations indicate descent from George I, who formalised the use of the titles prince and princess for members of the British Royal Family.
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1 Not a British prince by birth, but created Prince Consort. 2 Not a British prince by birth, but created a Prince of the United Kingdom.

HRH Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester

Thomas of Woodstock (1385-1397) · Humphrey (1414-1447) · Richard III (1461-1483) · Henry Stuart (1659-1660) · Prince William Henry (1689-1700) · Prince William Henry (1764-1805) · Prince William Frederick (1805-1834) · Prince Henry (1928-1974)
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