Birgitte
Duchess of Gloucester (more)
The Duchess of Gloucester in her late sixties
Birgitte in 2015
BornBirgitte Eva van Deurs Henriksen
(1946-06-20) 20 June 1946
Odense, Denmark
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1972)​
Issue
HouseWindsor (by marriage)
FatherAsger Henriksen
MotherVivian van Deurs

Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester, GCVO DStJ CD (born Birgitte Eva van Deurs Henriksen; 20 June 1946) is a Danish born member of the British royal family. She is married to Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, a grandson of George V. They have three children.

Early life and education

Birgitte was born Birgitte Eva van Deurs Henriksen, in Odense, Denmark, the younger daughter of Asger Preben Wissing Henriksen, a lawyer, and his wife, Vivian van Deurs. She was educated in Odense and at finishing schools in Lausanne and Cambridge.[1] She took her mother's ancestral name van Deurs on 15 January 1966, after her parents' separation.[2] After completing a three-year course in Commercial and Economic Studies in Copenhagen, she moved back to the United Kingdom in 1971 to work as a secretary at the Royal Danish Embassy in London.[1]

Marriage and family

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester

Van Deurs Henriksen first met Prince Richard of Gloucester, the younger son of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, in the late 1960s in Cambridge, where he attended university. In February 1972, their engagement was announced.[1] They married on 8 July 1972 at St Andrew's Church, Barnwell, Northamptonshire.[1] The bride's wedding dress was designed by Norman Hartnell. It was constructed of Swiss organdie, with a high collar, a simple skirt, long sleeves and a small train. Instead of wearing a tiara, she wore stephanotis flowers on her hair which secured the veil.[3] Upon marriage, she assumed the style Princess Richard of Gloucester.

Six weeks after their wedding, Prince Richard's elder brother, Prince William of Gloucester, was killed in a flying accident. Prince Richard unexpectedly became heir apparent to the dukedom and upon his father's death in 1974, the couple became the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.[1]

The couple have three children: Alexander (born 1974), Davina (born 1977), and Rose (born 1980). They were born at St Mary's Hospital, London.[1] The Duke and Duchess officially reside at Kensington Palace.[4]

Activities

The Duchess in Brisbane, 1979

The Duchess of Gloucester has accompanied the Duke of Gloucester on his official visits overseas: her first visit was in 1973, when they represented the Queen at the 70th birthday celebrations of King Olav V of Norway.[5] Other joint visits have included Australia, Belgium, China, Denmark, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Luxembourg, Nepal, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Tonga, Tunisia and the United States.[5] Birgitte has also travelled overseas in support of her own patronages and military units, including a visit to Iraq in December 2008.[5]

She and her husband represented the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at the state funeral of King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV of Tonga on 19 September 2006.[6] They also represented the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at the coronation of King George Tupou V of Tonga on 1 August 2008 in Nukuʻalofa.[7]

The Duke and Duchess riding in the Scottish State Coach with Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence following the coronation on 6 May 2023

Birgitte is sponsor of two Royal Navy ships: HMS Gloucester and HMS Sandown. She is also the royal patron of the Bermuda Regiment. She is patron of SeeAbility, a charity for people with learning disabilities and sight loss; The Lullaby Trust, a baby charity aiming to prevent unexpected deaths in infancy and promote infant health; and Music in Hospitals & Care.[8] She regularly attends functions at schools of which she is president or patron: St Paul's Cathedral School; the Friends of St Paul's Cathedral;[9] the Cathedral Music Trust;[10] St John's School, Leatherhead;[11] Bridewell Royal Hospital (King Edward's School, Witley); the Royal Alexandra and Albert School;[12] the Children's Society;[13] Parkinson's UK;[14] Hope for Youth Northern Ireland;[15] Scottish Opera;[16] Lawn Tennis Association;[17] the Royal School of Needlework;[18] Turn2us;[19] Missing People;[20] and Princess Helena College. After the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, Birgitte became president of the Royal Academy of Music.[21] She is also the patron of Prostate Cancer UK,[22] and in March 2006, she opened the Prostate Centre.[23]

Honours and arms

Foreign

Honorary military appointments

Australia
  • Australia Colonel-in-Chief, of the Royal Australian Army Educational Corps[1]
Bermuda
Canada
New Zealand
  • New Zealand Colonel-in-Chief, of the Royal New Zealand Army Educational Corps[1]
United Kingdom

Arms

Coat of arms of the Duchess of Gloucester
Notes
The coat of arms of the Duchess of Gloucester, depicting her husband's armorial bearings surmounted by an escutcheon of pretence granted to her by Royal Warrant.[33]
Adopted
18 July 1973
Coronet
Coronet of a grandchild of the sovereign.
Escutcheon
The Duke of Gloucester's arms and in the centre an escutcheon of pretence Azure a lapwing proper, on a chief Or two pairs of ostrich feathers in saltire Sable[33]
Supporters
The Royal Supporters differenced with the like coronet and label.
Orders
The Royal Victorian Order circlet.
VICTORIA
Other elements
Insignia of GCVO appended.

Issue

NameBirthMarriageIssue
Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster24 October 197422 June 2002Claire BoothXan Windsor, Lord Culloden
Lady Cosima Windsor
Lady Davina Windsor19 November 197731 July 2004
Divorced 2018		Gary LewisSenna Lewis
Tāne Lewis
Lady Rose Gilman1 March 198019 July 2008George GilmanLyla Gilman
Rufus Gilman

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "The Duchess of Gloucester". The Royal Family. 13 November 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  2. ↑ Name change is mentioned in parish register of Th. Kingo, Odense (Regional Archive, Odense)
  3. ↑ "The 22 Most Gorgeous Royal Wedding Tiara Moments of All Time (slide 18)". Harper's Bazaar Singapore. 28 March 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  4. ↑ Hampson, Laura (8 December 2017). "Meet Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's new neighbours - the royals who live in Kensington Palace". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 "The Duchess of Gloucester – Public role". Official website of the Royal Family. Archived from the original on 20 September 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  6. ↑ "Tonga Mourns King's Death". CBS News. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  7. ↑ "His Majesty King George Tupou V of Tonga". The Daily Telegraph. 18 March 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  8. ↑ "Meet MiHC Office Staff and Patrons across the UK". Music in Hospitals & Care. 27 July 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  9. ↑ "A Royal Celebration of St Paul's Friends and Benefactors". St Paul's Cathedral. 13 July 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  10. ↑ "HRH The Duchess of Gloucester becomes Royal Patron for Cathedral Music Trust". Cathedral Music Trust. 24 January 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  11. ↑ "Royal Visit". St John's School, Leatherhead. 5 March 2014. Archived from the original on 26 May 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  12. ↑ "Our Royal Heritage". Royal Alexandra and Albert School. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  13. ↑ "HRH The Duchess of Gloucester visits The Children's Society in Manchester". The Children's Society. 1 October 2015. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  14. ↑ "The Duchess of Gloucester, Patron". Parkinson's UK. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  15. ↑ "HRH The Duchess of Gloucester attends 'Hope for Youth Northern Ireland' gala dinner at Belfast City Hall". GOV.UK. 21 March 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  16. ↑ "The Board of Scottish Opera". Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  17. ↑ "Lawn Tennis Association pays tribute to Her Majesty The Queen". Lawn Tennis Association. 20 December 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  18. ↑ "Royal School of Needlework". Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  19. ↑ "Thank you". Turn2us. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  20. ↑ "Our Patrons and Ambassadors". Missing People. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  21. ↑ "About us - Governing Body". Royal Academy of Music. Archived from the original on 10 April 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  22. ↑ "Prostate Research receives royal attention". PR Newswire. 4 March 2003. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  23. ↑ "About The Prostate Centre". The Prostate Centre. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  24. 1 2 "The Duchess of Gloucester: Honours". Royal Household. Archived from the original on 11 October 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  25. ↑ "No. 46574". The London Gazette. 16 May 1975. p. 6404.
  26. 1 2 3 4 Image pinimg.com
  27. ↑ "Royal orders presented at Palace". Matangi Tonga Online. 1 August 2008. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  28. ↑ "TRH THE PRINCE OF WALES AND THE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL AWARDED WITH THE MEXICAN ORDER OF THE AZTEC EAGLE". Official website of the Mexican Embassy in the United Kingdom. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  29. ↑ "Colonel-In-Chief of the CFDS". National Defence and the Canadian Forces. Archived from the original on 23 September 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  30. ↑ "Further Military Appointments for Members of the Royal Family". The Royal Family. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  31. ↑ "No. 52834". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 13 February 1992. p. 2582.
  32. 1 2 Ilse, Jess (30 June 2021). "What is a royal ship sponsor?". Royal Central. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  33. 1 2 Boutell, Charles; Brooke-Little, John Philip (1978). Boutell's Heraldry (8th (revised) ed.). Frederick Warne. p. 226. ISBN 9780723220961.
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