Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester

Birgitte
Duchess of Gloucester (more)
The Duchess in 2015
Born	Birgitte Eva Henriksen (1946-06-20) 20 June 1946 (age 70) Odense, Denmark
Spouse	Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester (m. 1972)
Issue	Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster Lady Davina Lewis Lady Rose Gilman
Full name Birgitte Eva
House	Windsor (by marriage)
Father	Asger Henriksen
Mother	Vivian van Deurs
Religion	Church of England

Royal family of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms
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Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester, GCVO (born Birgitte Eva Henriksen on 20 June 1946; later van Deurs), is the wife of Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who is a grandson of King George V and Queen Mary, and first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II.

Birgitte was born Birgitte Eva Henriksen, in Odense, Denmark, the younger daughter of Asger Preben Knud Wissing Henriksen, a lawyer, and his wife, Vivian van Deurs, a Dutch woman. After her divorce, her father married Emma Neergaard Rasmussen, the future wife of magnate Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller.

She took her mother's ancestral name van Deurs on 15 January 1966, when her parents separated. She moved to Cambridge, England, and also worked at the Danish Embassy in London.

In February 1972, Birgitte became engaged to Prince Richard of Gloucester, the younger son of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester. The groom designed her coral and silver engagement ring. Their marriage took place on 8 July 1972 at St Andrew's Church, Barnwell, Northamptonshire. The bride's wedding dress was designed by Norman Hartnell. At that time, she was styled Her Royal Highness Princess Richard of Gloucester. Six weeks after their wedding, Prince Richard's elder brother, Prince William, 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 became the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.