Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester

Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester (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 King George V.

Early life and education

Birgitte Eva van Deurs Henriksen was born on 20 June 1946 in Odense, Denmark, the younger daughter of lawyer Asger Preben Wissing Henriksen and his wife, Vivian van Deurs. She was educated in Odense and at finishing schools in Lausanne and Cambridge.<ref name=royal>Template:Cite web</ref> She took her mother's ancestral name van Deurs on 15 January 1966, after her parents' separation.<ref name=surname>Name change is mentioned in parish register of Th. Kingo, Odense (Regional Archive, Odense)-</ref>Template:Better citation needed<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name=royal/>

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, while she was attending finishing school, and he was taking undergraduate courses in architecture.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In February 1972, their engagement was announced.<ref name="royal" /> They married on 8 July 1972 at St Andrew's Church, Barnwell, Northamptonshire.<ref name="royal" /> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Upon marriage, she assumed the style Her Royal Highness Princess Richard of Gloucester.<ref name="royal" />

Six weeks after their wedding, Richard's elder brother, Prince William of Gloucester, was killed in a flying accident. 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.<ref name=royal/>

The couple have three children: Alexander (born 1974), Davina (born 1977), and Rose (born 1980). They were born at St Mary's Hospital, London.<ref name=royal/> The Duke and Duchess officially reside at Kensington Palace.<ref name="standardmeetprinceharryand">Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref name=PublicRole/> 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.<ref name=PublicRole>Template:Cite web</ref> Birgitte has also travelled overseas in support of her own patronages and military units, including a visit to Iraq in December 2008.<ref name=PublicRole/>

She and her husband represented the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at the state funeral of [[Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV|King TāufaTemplate:Okinaāhau Tupou IV of Tonga]] on 19 September 2006.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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: Template:HMS and Template:HMS. 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the Cathedral Music Trust;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> St John's School, Leatherhead;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Bridewell Royal Hospital (King Edward's School, Witley); the Royal Alexandra and Albert School;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the Children's Society;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Parkinson's UK;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Hope for Youth Northern Ireland;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Scottish Opera;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Lawn Tennis Association;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the Royal School of Needlework;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Turn2us;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Missing People;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Princess Helena College. After the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, Birgitte became president of the Royal Academy of Music.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She is also the patron of Prostate Cancer UK,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and in March 2006, she opened the Prostate Centre.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Honours and arms

Country	Date	Appointment	Ribbon	Post-nominal letters	Other
Template:Flagu	1973	Recipient of the Royal Family Order of Elizabeth II			<ref name="official">Template:Cite web</ref>
	1975	Dame of Justice of the Order of St John		DCStJ	<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>
		Recipient of the Service Medal of the Order of St John			<ref name="tat">Image pinimg.com</ref>
	1977	Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal			<ref name="tat" />
	1978	Recipient of the Solomon Islands Independence Medal			<ref name="tat" />
	1989	Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order		GCVO	<ref name="official" />
	2002	Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal			<ref name="tat" />
	2012	Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal			<ref name="official" />
	2022	Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal			<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Not in citation given
	2024	Royal Lady Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter		LG	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	2024	Recipient of the Royal Family Order of Charles III			<ref>Template:Cite tweet </ref>
Template:Flagu	1 August 2008	Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Crown of Tonga			<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Flagu	3 March 2015	Sash of the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle			<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Honorary military appointments

Australia

• Template:Flagicon Colonel-in-Chief, of the Royal Australian Army Educational Corps<ref name=royal/>

Bermuda

• Template:Flagicon Colonel-in-Chief, of the Royal Bermuda Regiment (2006–present)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=royal/>

Canada

• Template:Flagicon Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Canadian Dental Corps (January 2006 – present)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

New Zealand

• Template:Flagicon Colonel-in-Chief, of the Royal New Zealand Army Educational Corps<ref name=royal/>

United Kingdom

• Template:Flagicon Colonel-in-Chief, of the Royal Army Dental Corps<ref name=royal/> (until 2024 when the corps was amalgamated)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Template:Flagicon Colonel-in-Chief, of the Adjutant General's Corps<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (2023–present; Deputy Colonel-in-Chief 1992–2023<ref name=royal/><ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>)
• Template:Flagicon Colonel-in-Chief, of the Royal Irish Rangers<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>
• Template:Flagicon Deputy Colonel-in-Chief, of the Royal Army Medical Service (2024–present)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Template:Flagicon Royal Colonel, of the 7th (V) Battalion The Rifles<ref name=royal/>
• Template:Flagicon Lady Sponsor, of Template:HMS<ref name="Lady Sponsor">Template:Cite web</ref>
• Template:Flagicon Lady Sponsor, of Template:HMS<ref name="Lady Sponsor"/>

Non-national titles and honours

• 1991: Honorary Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Basketmakers<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Honorary Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Drapers<ref name="Livery-Committee">Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2005: Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Fan Makers<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Honorary Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Gold and Silver Wyre Drawers<ref name="Livery-Committee"/>
• Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Vintners<ref name="Livery-Committee"/>

External links

• The Duchess of Gloucester at the Royal Family website
• Template:NPG name
• Template:IMDb name