Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester, 73, is the wife of a first cousin of the Queen, Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester – who is 27th in line to the British throne. She is expected to attend a Reception in support of the Volunteer Centre Kensington and Chelsea at the Victoria and Albert Museum tonight on behalf of the Queen.
The Denmark-born Duchess is the daughter of a lawyer and attended finishing school in Cambridge in the late 60s, where she first met Prince Richard.
She moved to the UK permanently in 1971 to work in the Danish Embassy – marrying the Prince the next year.
When the pair were married there no inkling either would be Duke or Duchess. However, the tragic death of Prince Richard’s older brother saw them ascent to the role when his father died.
The couple, who live at Kensington Palace, neighbours to Kate Middleton and Prince William, have three children, the eldest of which is Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster, 45, 28th in line to the throne.
Next born was Lady Davina Windsor, 41, 31st in line to the British throne, and Lady Rose Gilman, 39, who is 34th.
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Their two daughters take after their mother in terms of their fair looks and blonde hair.
Lady Davina married carpenter Gary Lewis, who she met on holiday in Bali.
Their wedding took place in Kensington Palace in 2004, and the bride wore an ivory gown with lace sleeves. However, the pair divorced in 2018.
Lady Rose married her husband, George Gilman, in 2008, at the Queen’s chapel near St. James’s Palace. She, unlike her sister, opted for a royal tiara, the Iveagh Tiara.
This glittering diamond piece was given to Queen Mary as a wedding gift, and it was passed down to the Duchess of Gloucester by her mother-in-law Princess Alice.
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The Duke and Duchess were next-door neighbours to Prince William and his wife for quite some time.
They lived in Apartment 1 at Kensington Palace since 1972. Prince William and Kate live in Apartment 1A.
The Gloucester’s property has 21 rooms and is even bigger than the Cambridge’s home.
It was thought the Gloucester’s offered to move to make way for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who later chose to move in at Frogmore Cottage.
Since it has been rumoured the Duke and Duchess have moved to the Old Stables, a smaller property in Kensington Palace.
There was an uproar when it was found that the Prince and Princess Michael of Kent were paying on £69 per week for their enormous home. They live in Apartment 10, a three-storey home.
Royal expert Eliot Wilson told Express.co.uk: “The rent issue is an interesting one.
“The Government makes a payment to the royal coffers in the form of the Sovereign Grant, much of which goes to supporting the work of the royals.”
The royal line of succession – who outranks who?
The line of succession to the British throne dictates the order in which each member of the Royal Family would ascend to the throne.
It is also seen as a ranking of importance with the head of the line, the Queen, taking the place of ruler.
Older children come before younger children. Traditionally boys came before girls, but this law was changed on 26 March 2015 before the birth of Prince William’s first child.
Incredibly, Catholics are still excluded from the line of succession, as are children born outside of wedlock.
The royals, who usually stick to a strict protocol when appearing in public, often arrive at events in ascending order of importance, with the most important royal arriving last.
Prince Charles, 70, is currently second-in-line to the British throne, followed by Prince William, 37, his oldest son.
Then comes Prince William’s children, George, five, Charlotte, three, and Louis, almost one, and they are followed by Prince Harry, 34. Prince Harry is succeeded by his son Archie Harrison, born in May.