Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester
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. She took her mother's ancestral name van Deurs on 15 January 1966, after her parents' separation.
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.
Marriage and Family
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. They married on 8 July 1972 at St Andrew's Church, Barnwell, Northamptonshire. 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. 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 become the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
The couple have three children: Alexander (born 1974), Davina (born 1977), and Rose (born 1980). They were born at St. Mary's Hospital London. The Duke and Duchess officially reside at Kensington Palace.
Activities
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. Other joints visits have included Australia, Belgium, China, Denmark, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Luxembourg, Nepal, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Tonga, Tunisia, and the United States. Birgitte has also travelled overseas in support of her own patronages and military units, including a visit to Iraq in December 2008.
She and her husband represented the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at the state funeral of King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV of Tonga on 19 September 2006. 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 Nuku'alofa.
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. 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; the Cathedral Music Trust; St John's School, Leatherhead; Bridewell Royal Hospital (King Edward's School, Witley); the Royal Alexandra and Albert School; the Children's Society; Parkinson's UK; Hope for Youth Northern Ireland; Scottish Opera; Lawn Tennis Association; the Royal School of Needlework; Turn2us; Missing People; and Princess Helena College. After the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, Birgitta became president of the Royal Academy of Music. She is also the patron of Prostate Cancer UK, and in March 2006, she opened the Prostate Center.
Honors
1973: Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II
1975: Dame of Justice of the Order of St. John
1975: Service Medal of the Order of St John
-6 February 1977: Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal
-7 July 1978: Solomon Islands Independence Medal
-23 June 1989: Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO)
-6 February 2002: Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
-6 February 2012: Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
-2018: Canadian Forces' Decoration (CD)
-6 February 2022: Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal
-6 May 2023: Recipient of the King Charles III Coronation Medal
Foreign
1 August 2008: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Tonga
3 March 2015: Sash of the Order of the Aztec Eagle
Honorary Military Appointments
Australia
-Colonel-in-Chief, of the Royal Australian Army Educational Corps
Bermuda
-Colonel-in-Chief, of the Royal Bermuda Regiment
Canada
-Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Canadian Dental Corps (January 2006-present)
New Zealand
-Colonel-in-Chief, of the Royal New Zealand Army Educational Corps
United Kingdom
-Colonel-in-Chief, of the Royal Army Dental Corps
-Deputy Colonel-in-Chief, of the Adjutant General's Corps
-Royal Colonel, of the 7th (V) Battalion The Rifles
-Lady Sponsor, of HMS Gloucester
-Lady Sponsor, of HMS Sandown
House: Windsor (by marriage)
Titles and Styles
20 June 1946-15 January 1966: Miss Birgitte Eva Henriksen
15 January 1966-8 June 1972: Miss Birgitte Eva van Deurs
8 June 1972-10 June 1974 Her Royal Highness The Princess Richard of Gloucester
10 June 1974-present Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Gloucester
In Scotland Her Royal Highness The Countess of Ulster
In Northern Ireland Baroness Culloden
(https://simple.wikipedia.org)
Religion: Church of England
