The Duke of Gloucester carries out a significant number of public duties.

Some are related to architecture and conservation, in which he is still deeply interested. He was elected a corporate member of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1972 and he is President of the Society of the Architect-Artists.

His fellowships include those of the Institute of Clerks of Works for Great Britain Incorporated, Institution of Structural Engineers, Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, and Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland.

The Duke is also President of several architectural preservation societies, including the Pevsner Memorial Trust and the Victorian Society, and he is Patron of the International Council on Monuments and Sites, UK National Committee.

The Duke has also produced three books of photographs: On Public View (1970) which illustrated London statues, The Face of London (1973) and Oxford and Cambridge (1980).

The Duke of Gloucester's charities also include the following (as Patron):
ASH (Action on Smoking and Health), British Association of Friends of Museums, British-Mexican Society, Construction Youth Trust, Council for Education in World Citizenship, Fenland Archaeological Trust, Friends of Gloucester and Peterborough Cathedrals, Society of Engineers, Pestalozzi Children's Village Trust, British Homeopathic Association, Japan Society, League of Friends of Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, The London Chorus, Magdalene Australia Society, Normandy Veterans Association, New Islington and Hackney Housing Association, North East Civic Trust, Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust, Oriental Ceramic Society, Richard III Society, Royal Anthropological Institute, Society of Antiquaries of London, Society of Architect Artists, Severn Valley Railway and the Tramway Museum.

He is President of a number of organisations including:
Britain-Nepal Society, The British Expertise (formerly The British Consultancy and Construction Bureau), British Leprosy Relief Association (LEPRA - Vice President), Cancer Research UK, Christ's Hospital, The London Society, The National Association of Clubs for Young People (NACYP), The Public Monuments and Sculpture Association, Royal Smithfield Club and St Bartholomew's Hospital.

In addition, The Duke of Gloucester carries out many ceremonial and official duties. He acted as Counsellor of State for the first time in 1966 on the occasion of The Queen's Caribbean tour, and he is The Queen's Trustee of the British Museum.

The Duke holds honorary military appointments with The Royal Anglian Regiment, 6th Battalion The Rifles, The Royal Logistic Corps, Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers (Militia), Royal Air Force Odiham and The Royal Army Medical Corps. Following his father, he is Grand Prior of the Order of St John.

The Duke of Gloucester has travelled extensively overseas in support of the organisations with which he is linked. For example, as President of the British Expertise, The Duke has travelled to the Ivory Coast and Senegal, China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, the Middle East, Algeria, Tunisia, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Portugal, Poland, Spain, the United States, Hungary, (then known as) Czechoslovakia, Ukraine, Singapore, India, Malaysia, Vietnam, Yemen, Egypt, Pakistan, Japan, Mozambique, Angola and South Africa, amongst other countries.

The Duke first represented The Queen overseas in 1970, at the wedding of Crown Prince Birendra of Nepal. The Duke has subsequently attended the independence celebrations of the Seychelles, the Solomon Islands, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Vanuatu.