Today the Duchess of Gloucester celebrates her seventy-third birthday.
The duchess was born Birgitte Eva Henriksen on 20 June 1946 at Odense, Denmark. She is the daughter of lawyer Asger Preben Wissing Henriksen (1903-1984) and Vivian Vibeke Jeanne Fritze van Deurs (1914-1982). When her parents separated in 1966, Birgitte adopted her mother's surname as her own. In 1971, Birgitte went to work at the Danish Embassy in London.
On 9 July 1972, Birgitte van Deurs married Prince Richard of Gloucester (b.1944) at St Andrew's Church, Barnwell, Northamptonshire. The groom's brother, Prince William, served as best man; the wedding was attended by the Queen Mother, the Prince of Wales, and the Princess Margaret, among others. Six weeks after the wedding, Prince William of Gloucester was killed in a plane crash.
Upon the death of his father in 1974, Prince Richard succeeded as Duke of Gloucester. The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester have proven discreet and reliable representatives of the Royal Family. The couple have three children: a son, Alexander, Earl of Ulster, and two daughters, Lady Davina and Lady Rose.
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