Well-known British aristocrat Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, will arrive in Sri Lanka today to declare open the new British High Commission office at Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 7, on Monday.

The name Gloucester is very familiar among Sri Lankans since it was Prince Richard’s father Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, who attended the 1948 independence ceremony when the British handed over independence to Sri Lanka.

It is in remembrance of that event that the present Duke of Gloucester is visiting Sri Lanka for the opening of the new British High Commission.

A member of the British Royal Family, Prince Richard has been Duke of Gloucester since his father’s death in 1974. The Duke is currently 19th in the line of succession and carries out Royal engagements on behalf of his cousin, Queen Elizabeth II.

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