Wednesday 7 November 2012

Royals in Medals #5: The Duke and Duchess of Kent

HRH The Duke of Kent, KG, GCVO. GCMG

Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick, was born in London on 9 October 1935.  He was the eldest child of Prince George, Duke of Kent (the younger brother of King George VI and King Edward VIII) and Princess Marina, the daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece. He has two younger siblings: Prince Michael of Kent and Princess Alexandra.  At birth he was seventh in line to the throne, and as the grandson in the male line of a monarch, was granted the style of Prince and Royal Highness: he succeeded to the title Duke of Kent on the death of his father on active service in 1942.

He was educated at Eton and La Rosary in Switzerland and then entered the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst , where he won the Sir James Moncrieff Grierson prize for foreign languages and qualified as an interpreter of French.  He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Royal Scots Greys in 1955. In 1970 he commanded a squadron of his regiment serving in Cyprus  as part of the UN peacekeeping force.  The Duke retired from the Army in 1976 with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.  He was subsequently promoted to Field Marshal in June 1993.

The Duke has been a very active member of the Royal Family, holding many patronages.


Honorary Military Appointments

United Kingdom
Canada


The Duke holds the honorary ranks of Field Marshal in the Army and Air Chief Marshal in the RAF

In the robes of the Order of St Michael and George

Orders, Decorations and Medals 

Orders
  
 
Order of the Garter
Royal Knight, 1985





Royal Victorian Order
Knight Grand Cross (GCVO), 1960






Order of St Michael and St George
Knight Grand Cross (GCVO)
Grand Master of the Order from 1967






Campaign Medals

  United Nations Medal (UNFICYP)

Commemorative Medals

File:GeorgeVICoronationRibbon.png King George VI Coronation Medal, 1937
Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal 1953  
File:Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal ribbon.png  Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal 1977
Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal ribbon.png  Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal 2002
QEII Diamond Jubilee Medal ribbon.png  Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal 2012


The Duke represented the Queen during independence celebrations in several former colonies.  He holds the following commemorative medals



He may hold the following

Uganda Independence Medal, 1963, and medals issued to mark Gambia's Independence and Ghana's 50th Independence Anniversary Celebration

Long Service Awards

CD-ribbon.png  Canadian Forces Decoration (CD), with two clasps

Foreign Awards

 

Duchess of Kent and Family

The Duke and Duchess at the Hovingham Hall reception following their wedding on June 8, 1961.
The Duke of Kent married Katharine Worsley, only daughter of Sir William Arthrington Worsley, Bart, on 8 June 1961. 

They have three children, none of whom carries out royal duties:
  • George, Earl of St Andrews, born 26 June 1962
  • Lady Helen Taylor, born 28 April 1964
  • Lord Nicholas Windsor, born 25 July 1970
Following decades of ill-health, the Duchess does not undertake royal duties, and lives separately from her husband.  For many years she taught music to primary children.

The Duchess converted to Roman Catholicism in 1994, though this did not affect the Duke's place in the line of succession due to the Act of Settlement 1701, in that she was an Anglican at the time of their marriage. The couple's son Lord Nicholas also converted, loosing his right of succession to the throne.

Honorary military appointments

The Duchess holds the honorary rank of Major-General.

Orders, Decorations and Medals

Orders

Royal Victorian Order
Dame Grand Cross (GCVO), 9 June 1977 (Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee)





Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II,1969
Commemorative Medals



File:Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal ribbon.png  Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal 1977
Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal ribbon.png  Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal 2002
QEII Diamond Jubilee Medal ribbon.png  Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal 2012








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