Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, is the younger cousin of Queen Elizabeth and the son of Prince Henry, King George VI's younger brother. He and his wife, Birgitte, the Duchess of Gloucester, recently gave royal fans a peek of their home inside one of the mansions within Kensington Palace.
According to Vanity Fair, the Queen's cousin lives in the Old Stables, which is a small cottage in the Kensington estate. It's a house with such as historical presence and, as any royalist would expect, the interiors are decked with old books and old photos at Prince Richard's home office.
Like most royals, Prince Richard and Birgitte have been staying at home for work due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Royal Family Twitter account recently shared the couple's most recent activities as they touched based and called the charities they support.
The photos, however, also reveal a glimpse of what the Old Stables actually look like. This house used to be occupied by King George VI's private secretary, Sir Alan "Tommy" Lascelles. Guests who have been to the Old Stables during Tommy's time said that this place was lavishly decorated.
Prince Richard and Birgitte recently moved to the Old Stables. They used to live at Kensington Palace's Apartment 1, next to Prince William and Kate Middleton. However, the Gloucesters decided to transfer to the Old Stables since their apartment's mechanical and electric system were being upgraded. They decided to stay put at this cottage since September 2019.
While not particularly always in the news, Prince Richard and Birgitte have been representing the Queen at various royal events since the 1970s. Initially, Prince Richard wanted to become a practicing architect but when he became the Duke of Gloucester, he committed to helping his cousin in their royal duties.
Prince Richard would sometimes accompany Queen Elizabeth during her travels abroad, especially during the time when the monarch could still jet-set across the world. To this day, however, the duke still visits other countries that belong to the Commonwealth on behalf of his cousin.
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester have three adult children -- Alexander Windsor, Lady Davina Windsor and Lady Rose Windsor Gilman. The Gloucesters have six grandchildren.
Prince Richard is the 27th in the line of succession to the British throne. He is the first in line in the family tree that did not descend from King George VI.
