Buckingham Palace has shared a new message to mark a major milestone as King Charles, Queen Camilla and other members of the Royal Family enjoy time away from the spotlight at the Balmoral Estate in Scotland. To mark his landmark 81st birthday, a social media post has been dedicated to the Duke of Gloucester.
Born in 1944, Prince Richard was the second son of Prince Henry, the then-Duke of Gloucester, and was a first cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth. He plays a vital role in the Firm and carries out hundreds of engagements all over the UK every single year for charities he personally supports, as well as at events where he is representing the King.
Alongside a recent image of the Duke, the Royal Family’s social media shared the message: “Happy Birthday to The Duke of Gloucester!”
As the second son, Prince Richard was never destined to hold the Dukedom of Gloucester as he had a brother, Prince William, who was three years older.
Richard enrolled at the University of Cambridge to study architecture, which was also where he met his now-wife Birgitte, who was studying a language program at the university.
Birgitte officially moved to the UK in 1971 to work as a secretary for the Royal Danish Embassy in London while the Prince was a partner at a London architecture firm.
In July 1972, the couple got married after receiving permission to do so from the Queen.
However, six weeks after his wedding in August 1972, Richard’s 30-year-old brother tragically died in a flying accident.
Following his brother’s death, Richard resigned from the architecture firm and took on a number of royal duties.
Two years later, in June of 1974, Richard’s father Prince Henry died at the age of 74. He was the last surviving child of King George V and Queen Mary.
After the death of Prince Henry, Richard succeded to the dukedom of Gloucester and became a full-time working royal, along with his wife, now the Duchess of Gloucester.
The couple have three children – Alexander, Earl of Ulster (b. 1974), Lady Davina Lewis (b.1977) and Lady Rose Gilman (b. 1980), all of whom now have children of their own.