As the Queen’s funeral cortege made its sombre way from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall on September 14 for her lying in state, the gaze of the world was on the stoic new King and his two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, united in their mourning .
Just behind them, stepping in time to Beethoven’s funeral march and in full military dress, was Elizabeth’s cousin, Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester. The grandson of King George V and Queen Mary, the duke, 78 — along with his wife, the Danish-born duchess Birgitte, 76 — usually manages to keep a low media profile, but as one of the hardest-working full-time members of the slimmed-down Firm, he has retained a top-rank place.
Despite the couple’s key roles (as