Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Prince William | |
|---|---|
| Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh | |
| Successor | Prince William Frederick of Gloucester |
| Spouse | Maria Walpole |
| Issue | |
| Princess Sophia of Gloucester Princess Caroline of Gloucester Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester |
|
| Full name | |
| William Henry | |
| Titles and styles | |
| HRH The Duke of Gloucester HRH Prince William |
|
| Royal house | House of Hanover |
| Father | Frederick, Prince of Wales |
| Mother | Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha |
| Born | 25 November 1743 Leicester House, Westminster |
| Baptised | 6 December 1743 St Anne, London |
| Died | 25 August 1805 (aged 61) Gloucester House, Westminster |
| Burial | 4 September 1805 St George's Chapel, Windsor |
Prince William, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh KG PC FRS (William Henry[1]; 25 November 1743 – 25 August 1805) was a member of the British Royal Family, a grandson of George II and a younger brother of George III.
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[edit] Early life
Prince William[2] was born at Leicester House, London. His father was The Prince Frederick, Prince of Wales, eldest son of King George II and Caroline of Ansbach. His mother was The Princess of Wales (née Augusta of Saxe-Gotha). He was christened at Leicester House eleven days later. His godparents were his paternal uncle by marriage, The Prince of Orange; his paternal uncle, The Duke of Cumberland; and his paternal aunt, The Princess Amelia Sophia. As a grandchild of the sovereign, he was styled His Royal Highness Prince William at birth. He was fourth in the line of succession at birth.
Prince William later joined the British Army. His father died in 1751, leaving the Prince's elder brother, Prince George, heir-apparent to the throne. He succeeded as George III on 25 October 1760, and created William Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh and Earl of Connaught on 19 November 1764[3]. He had been made a Knight of the Garter on 27 May 1762, and invested on 22 September of that year[4].
[edit] Marriage
The Duke was Warden of Windsor Forest and resided at Cranbourne Lodge. He was most known for his secret marriage 1766 to Maria Walpole, the Dowager Countess of Waldegrave, an illegitimate granddaughter of Sir Robert Walpole, from nearby Frogmore House. This marriage and that of his brother prompted the passing of the Royal Marriages Act 1772. They lived at St Leonard's Hill in Clewer, near Windsor, and had three children:
- HRH Princess Sophia of Gloucester (Sophia Matilda; 29 May 1773 – 29 November 1844)
- HH Princess Caroline of Gloucester (Caroline Augusta Maria; 24 June 1774 – 14 March 1775)
- HRH Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh (15 January 1776 – 30 November 1834)
Princess Caroline died aged nine months following a smallpox inoculation, intended to protect her from the disease[5]. As great-grandchildren in the male line of King George II, Prince William's children were styled Highness from birth and used the territorial designation of Gloucester in conjunction with their princely styles. After William Frederick married his cousin Princess Mary, he and his surviving sister Sophia received the style of Royal Highness.
[edit] Illegitimate Issue
The Duke also had an illegitimate daughter by his mistress Lady Almeria Carpenter, a daughter of the Earl of Tyrconnell.
- Louisa Maria La Coast (6 January 1782 Esher, Surrey – 10 February 1835 Bossall, Yorkshire), who married on 29 December 1803 in Norwich, Norfolk to Godfrey Macdonald, 3rd Baron Macdonald of Slate, later the 3rd Baron Macdonald of Slate. They had three children born before their marriage (legitimized by Scottish law, but not by Irish law) and ten children born after their marriage. (A previous marriage in Scotland was considered of doubtful validity). These children and their posterity are the only descendants of Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh.
[edit] Later life
The Duke was appointed (in an honorary fashion) to Colonel of the 13th Regiment of Foot, 3rd Regiment of Foot Guards, and 1st Regiment of Foot Guards, and he became a Field Marshal on 12 October 1793.
He served as the thirteenth Chancellor of Trinity College, Dublin from 1771 to 1805.
He died at Gloucester House in London.
[edit] Titles, styles, honours and arms
[edit] Titles and styles
- 14 November 1743–19 November 1764: His Royal Highness Prince William
- 19 November 1764–25 August 1805: His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh
[edit] Honours
[edit] Arms
William was granted use of the arms of the kingdom, differenced by a label argent of five points, the centre bearing a fleur-de-lys azure, the other points each bearing a cross gules.[6]
[edit] Ancestors
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ The London Gazette calls him Prince William
- ^ Henry Churchyard's "Royal Genealogies, Part 10" holds that the Prince's name was Edward Henry, although the source for this claim is unclear
- ^ Yvonne's Royalty: Peerage
- ^ The London Gazette, 25 September 1762
- ^ Berkshire History: Biographies: Maria Walpole, Duchess of Gloucester (1737-1807)
- ^ Marks of Cadency in the British Royal Family
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Wikiquotes of Edward Gibbon, for the Duke's remark on The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
- Royal Berkshire History: Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester
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Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh
Cadet branch of the House of Welf
Born: 14 November 1743 Died: 25 August 1805 |
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| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Harry Pulteney |
Colonel of the 13th Regiment of Foot 1766–1767 |
Succeeded by James Murray |
| Preceded by The Earl of Rothes |
Colonel of the 3rd Regiment of Foot Guards 1767–1770 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Loudoun |
| Preceded by The Earl Ligonier |
Colonel of the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards 1770–1805 |
Succeeded by The Duke of York and Albany |
| Peerage of Great Britain | ||
| New creation | Duke of Gloucester & Edinburgh 1764–1805 |
Succeeded by Prince William Frederick |
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