This Monday, June 17, 2024, Charles III and his wife Camilla will participate in the ceremony of the Order of the Garter during which the Duchess of Gloucester will be invested by the king as a lady companion. An honor for Brigitte, who has served the monarchy discreetly for more than 50 years.
“A young, blonde and shy woman, of Danish origin, who won the heart of the most discreet of the queen’s cousins.” Therefore Point of view described Brigitte van Deurs when her engagement to Prince Richard, first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, had just been announced on February 15, 1972. Fifty-two years later, the one who nothing predestined to play a leading role level within the British royal family, becomes a lady companion of the Order of the Garter, the most prestigious in the country. Appointed by Charles III on April 23, she will be invested on June 17, 2024, during the annual ceremony. A deserved honor for one who, since the first hours of her marriage, has not stopped serving the Crown.
A Dane at the Windsors
Born in Odense in Denmark, in the hometown of storyteller Hans Christian Andersen, could the young woman escape a fate worthy of a fairy tale? Born into the world on June 20, 1946, she saw her parents separate when she was only five years old. Her family comes from the Danish bourgeoisie and young Brigitte is sent to a boarding school in Switzerland to complete her schooling and learn good manners. Fluent in English and French, she went into exile for a few months in England in the 1960s to take advanced courses in the language of Shakespeare at the University of Cambridge. It was within the walls of this prestigious school that she met her future husband in 1965.
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Prince Richard is not yet Duke of Gloucester. It’s not meant to be anyway. His father, Henry, last son of King George V, still holds the title and it must be passed on to his eldest son, William. Richard, the youngest of his siblings and 10th in the order of succession to the throne, wishes to become an architect. Nephew of Queen Elizabeth II, he does not intend to play an official role with the Firm, his commoner fiancée, even less so.
Brigitte and Richard are in no hurry. After meeting, they dated for seven years before announcing their engagement. In question, Brigitte’s work and her domicile in her country of origin. She returns to Denmark after her escapade in Cambridge and the lovebirds have no choice but to write to each other and see each other sporadically before she decides to settle in London and work as a secretary for the Danish embassy. With the consent of Queen Elizabeth II, the son of the Duke of Gloucester finally asks for the hand of the chosen one of his heart, and adorns it with a blue sapphire surrounded by diamonds.
Duchess of Gloucester, an unexpected title
The British press loves its new princess, and so does the rest of the world. She is the third commoner to enter the Windsor household – after Anthony Armstrong-Jones, husband of Princess Margaret, and Katharine Worsley, the Duchess of Kent – and she seems to fit in wonderfully. Close to her brother-in-law William, she gets along as well with Queen Mum as with the Prince of Wales or even Queen Elizabeth. She learns English cuisine, sews her own outfits and prepares to become the perfect woman of the world.
Under an English rain, the couple exchanged their vows on July 8, 1972 in the village of Barnwell in Northamptonshire, where the groom’s parents lived, during a simple and rural ceremony. Queen Elizabeth II is not present but Prince Charles attends what will be the last happy event of the Gloucester family before the tragedy. Six weeks later, on August 28, 1972, the groom’s older brother, William, died in a plane crash while competing in the Goodyear International Air Trophy.
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The entire family dynamic is called into question. Prince Richard becomes heir, his wife knows that she will be an active member of the royal family when the patriarch dies. While Brigitte is expecting her first child two years after her marriage, the future Alexander Windsor, the drama is still mixed with marital happiness. On June 10, 1974, Henry of Gloucester died, passing his dukedom to his only son, Richard. With Brigitte, they will now be full-time members of the Windsor clan.
Discreet and unfailing support
Without ever having given an interview or being talked about, Brigitte de Gloucester made herself indispensable. She is patron of around sixty charities, and has carried out more than 5,000 royal engagements in 50 years of service, around a hundred per year. Among his main trips, many engagements abroad. With her husband Richard, they represent the Queen and now Charles III. At royal weddings, at the Vatican, in Iraq with soldiers, the couple always responds.
Since the departure of Meghan and Prince Harry for California in 2020, the Windsors have been without members working full-time for the Crown. A situation which has not improved with the announcement of the cancers of Kate and King Charles III even if the latter is slowly resuming his activities. The Duke of Kent is gradually leaving office. A disparity in the ranks which highlights Gloucester more than ever.
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Charles III knows that he can count on his mother’s cousins, in particular Brigitte who never stopped working in the shadows. Discreet, far from scandals, she raised three children, Alexander, Davina and Rose, and is now the grandmother of six grandchildren. During his appointment to the Order of the Garter on April 23, the king praised his investment. He said he was “very proud of the work she undertakes for her many charities and organizations, as well as her duties in support of the monarch.” It was time that Brigitte was recognized for her services. The year when the king needed his support the most. A symbol.
