Today I learned of the existence of Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, Queen Elizabeth's cousin. I had never heard of this prince, even though I cover royal events on a regular basis! Life truly is a beautiful journey of learning and understanding.

Anyway, Prince Richard first came to my attention through a tweet (opens in new tab) from the official @RoyalFamily account. The Duke of Gloucester is patron of Scottish Veterans Residences, a veterans' charity that provides supported accommodation for homeless ex-servicemen. According to the royal family's Twitter account, the Duke of Gloucester called the charity on Monday to ask for "updates on their services and how the veterans they support are coping with their current difficult situation."

As Town & Country notes (opens in new tab), the tweet is accompanied by a photo of Richard making the call, presumably from his home due to the UK blockade measures. And the home happens to be on the grounds of Kensington Palace, making the photo a rare glimpse into the private living spaces of the palace. (Last summer, Richard and his family moved from the 21-room Apartment 1 to the smaller Old Stables, also on the palace grounds, Town & Country reported.)

Indeed, the interior of the Old Stables is as expected: lots of leather-bound books and a gilded portrait above the fireplace. Sympathetic, right?

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