Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster
Earl of Ulster | |
---|---|
Born | St Mary's Hospital, London, England | 24 October 1974
Other names | Alex Ulster |
Alma mater | King's College London |
Spouse(s) | Claire Booth (m. 2002) |
Children | 2 |
Parent(s) | Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester Birgitte van Deurs Henriksen |
Relatives | House of Windsor |
Military career | |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/ | British Army |
Years of service | 1998–2008 |
Rank | Major |
Unit | King's Royal Hussars |
Battles/wars | Kosovo War Iraq War |
Awards | see 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[]
- – General Service Medal
- – NATO Kosovo Medal
- – Iraq Medal
- – Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal
- – Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
References[]
- ^ a b "Alex Ulster". Crisis Project. Archived from the original on 26 August 2012.
- ^ "No. 55136". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 May 1998. p. 5819.
- ^ "No. 56055". The London Gazette. 12 December 2000. p. 13980.
- ^ "No. 56880". The London Gazette (Supplement). 18 March 2003. pp. 3414–3415.
- ^ "No. 58811". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 September 2008. p. 13339.
- ^ TRAC
- ^ "Iris View Profile". iris.ucl.ac.uk. Institutional Research Information Service. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
- ^ Burke's Peerage & Baronetage (2003)
- ^ "Dr Claire Booth". www.ich.ucl.ac.uk. UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
- ^ "Royal Family: Who's Who!". woman&home. 3 February 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
- ^ "Ulster birth announcement". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
- ^ "Succession". The British Monarchy. Archived from the original on 1 August 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
- ^ "ULSTER – Births Announcements". announcements.telegraph.co.uk. Telegraph Announcements. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
- 1974 births
- Living people
- People from Paddington
- House of Windsor
- British people of Danish descent
- British people of Dutch descent
- British people of German descent
- Courtesy earls
- King's Royal Hussars officers
- People educated at Eton College
- Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
- Alumni of King's College London
- Nobility of the United Kingdom