Queen put foot down to include beloved cousin at family event
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This week the Duke of Gloucester will be making appearances at a string of royal engagements, fulfilling his role as a working member of the Firm. Since inheriting his father’s Dukedom of Gloucester in 1974, Prince Richard has represented his cousin, the Queen, in an official capacity. But he was never expected to take on a high-profile royal role in the first place.
According to body language expert Judi James, the Duke of Gloucester appears to be shy, but his recent appearances would suggest he has found ways to deal with this shyness in public.
Ms James explained: “The Duke of Gloucester has a less familiar profile.
“It might be easy for even royal fans to pass him in the street without recognizing him.
“His body language behaviour over the years would define him as shy and possibly uncomfortable in the spotlight.
“His more recent appearances would suggest he has overcome that shyness or the appearance of it.
“But, when his hands aren’t clasped behind his back, the front of torso, more tentative hand clasp and lowered head suggest he is far from being as relaxed and comfortable in his royal role as Princess Anne has become.”
Born to the Queen’s uncle Prince Henry and his wife Princess Alice, Richard grew up away from the royal spotlight and initially pursued a career in architecture after studying the subject at Cambridge.
In 1972, Richard went on to marry his wife Birgitte in a small-scale country wedding.
But Richard had to take on a royal role due to the tragic death of his elder brother, Prince William of Gloucester.
The heir to the Gloucester Dukedom died in a plane crash in 1972 while piloting his aircraft in a competition.
Richard subsequently took on the Dukedom a few years later, with all the royal responsibilities that came with it.
To date, Richard continues to be a hard-working member of the Royal Family, and he was honoured by the Queen as one of the only royals permitted to take part in Trooping the Colour this year.
He joined the monarch on the Buckingham Palace balcony during the Jubilee celebrations and attended the Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral the following day.
This summer he also appeared at Royal Ascot with the Duchess of Gloucester and other members of the Royal Family.
But rather than courting the limelight, the Duke usually gets on with his royal work in the background.
The Duke takes a keen interest in architecture now as a working royal, and he also supports causes linked to conservation.
He also represents the Queen abroad and was entrusted to represent the monarch at the inauguration of Pope Francis in 2013.
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