Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster

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Major

Earl of Ulster
Born (1974-10-24) 24 October 1974 (age 47)
St Mary's Hospital, London, England
Other namesAlex Ulster
Alma materKing's College London
Spouse(s)
Claire Booth
​
(m. 2002)​
Children2
Parent(s)Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester
Birgitte van Deurs Henriksen
RelativesHouse of Windsor
Military career
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchBritish Army
Years of service1998–2008
RankMajor
UnitKing's Royal Hussars
Battles/warsKosovo War
Iraq War
Awardssee Honours

Alexander Patrick Gregers Richard Windsor, Earl of Ulster (born 24 October 1974) is a former British Army officer and the only son of Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, paternal second cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, and Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester.

As heir apparent to the dukedom of Gloucester, he is accorded the courtesy title Earl of Ulster, but is commonly known as Alex Ulster.[1]

Early life[]

Lord Ulster was born on 24 October 1974 at St Mary's Hospital, London, the eldest child and only son of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. He is currently 32nd in the line of succession to the British throne, as of September 2021.

Education and career[]

Educated at Eton College, Lord Ulster went to King's College London where he read War Studies, graduating in 1996 as BA (University of London), before attending the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Ulster was commissioned in the King's Royal Hussars on 10 April 1998 as a subaltern (second lieutenant) with seniority from 14 April 1995; he was given the service number 548299. He was promoted to lieutenant on 10 April 1998 with seniority from 14 April 1997,[2] and to the rank of captain on 16 October 2000.[3] He saw active service in Northern Ireland, Kosovo in 2002, as well as Iraq. Serving as an information operations staff officer in MND (SE), at Basrah he was responsible for advising on divisional level KLE, monitoring atmospherics within the city and advising on the communications strategy pertinent to the handover of Basrah Palace.[1] On 14 January 2003, he transferred from a Short Service Commission to an Intermediate Regular Commission.[4] On 28 April 2008, he was appointed to the Reserve of Officers, signalling his retirement from the British Army with the rank of acting major.[5]

Since leaving the Army, Lord Ulster has worked in non-governmental organisation roles, and is a director of Transnational Crisis Project.[6]

Marriage[]

Ulster married Claire Alexandra Booth (born 29 December 1977), a physician, on 22 June 2002 at the Queen's Chapel, St. James's Palace. Born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, Booth went up to King's College, London, to study medicine, graduating MBBS in 2001, and MSc in 2007 from University College, London, before taking a PhD (London) in 2012.[7] The elder child of Robert Booth, FCMI (1948–2006) and Barbara née Hitchin,[8] Lady Ulster qualified as a paediatric specialist registrar, after which she became a consultant paediatrician.[9]

Lord and Lady Ulster have two children:

  • Xan Richard Anders Windsor, Lord Culloden (born 12 March 2007)[10][11] who is 33rd in line to the British throne[12]
  • Lady Cosima Rose Alexandra Windsor (born 20 May 2010)[13] who is currently 34th in line to the British throne.

Honours[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Alex Ulster". Crisis Project. Archived from the original on 26 August 2012.
  2. ^ "No. 55136". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 May 1998. p. 5819.
  3. ^ "No. 56055". The London Gazette. 12 December 2000. p. 13980.
  4. ^ "No. 56880". The London Gazette (Supplement). 18 March 2003. pp. 3414–3415.
  5. ^ "No. 58811". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 September 2008. p. 13339.
  6. ^ TRAC
  7. ^ "Iris View Profile". iris.ucl.ac.uk. Institutional Research Information Service. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  8. ^ Burke's Peerage & Baronetage (2003)
  9. ^ "Dr Claire Booth". www.ich.ucl.ac.uk. UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  10. ^ "Royal Family: Who's Who!". woman&home. 3 February 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  11. ^ "Ulster birth announcement". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  12. ^ "Succession". The British Monarchy. Archived from the original on 1 August 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
  13. ^ "ULSTER – Births Announcements". announcements.telegraph.co.uk. Telegraph Announcements. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster
Lines of succession
Preceded by Succession to the British throne
Earl of Ulster
(grandson of Henry, son of George V) 		Followed by
Lord Culloden
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by Gentlemen
Earl of Ulster 		Succeeded by
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