King Charles Wishes Happy Bday to Royal Relative (Who Happens to Be 31st in Line to the Throne)

With two sons, two daughters-in-law and five grandchildren (plus loads of other distant relatives), King Charles III, 74, has plenty of birthdays to remember each year. However, the British monarch is always on top of it, and he made a surprise post early this morning, where he celebrated the bday of his first cousin once removed—Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester.

A collage of photos was posted to the royal family Instagram Story, with a caption that read, “Wishing The Duke of Gloucester a very Happy Birthday today!”

Royal Family/Instagram

The post featured three photos of the Duke of Gloucester, with one showing him chatting with children, another that captured him shaking someone’s hand and the final pic featuring him and his wife, Birgitte, the Duchess of Gloucester, 77.

Prince Richard, who turns 79 today, August 26, is the son of Prince Henry and Princess Alice, the late Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. The now-current Duke of Gloucester was first cousins with Queen Elizabeth II, as they both shared the same grandparents—King George V and Queen Mary of Teck.

When he was born, Prince Richard was fifth in the line of succession to the throne, however now, he sits at the 31st spot, where he is nestled between Arthur Chatto (the grand-nephew of Queen Elizabeth II) and his son, Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster.

Pool/Max Mumby/Getty Images

While he may not be as high up on the line of succession, Prince Richard has been present at a number of major royal events lately.

During King Charles's Trooping the Colour this past June, the Duke of Gloucester and his wife stood next to Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence and Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, on the Buckingham Palace balcony. Meanwhile, Prince Richard was also present on the balcony the month prior, when the royal family gathered for King Charles's coronation ceremony.

Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Happy birthday, Prince Richard!

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