(Redirected from Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent)
'The Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent and Strathearn' (
2 November 1767 –
23 January 1820) was a member of the
British Royal Family, the fourth son of
King George III and the father of
Queen Victoria. He was created
Duke of Kent and Strathearn and
Earl of Dublin on
23 April 1799, the same year he became commander-in-chief in North America.
Early life
Prince Edward Augustus was born in
Buckingham Palace. His father was the reigning British monarch,
King George III, the eldest son of
The Prince Frederick, Prince of Wales and
Augusta of Saxe-Gotha. His mother was
Queen Charlotte (née Duchess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz), the daughter of
Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. As a son of the British monarch, he was styled ''His Royal Highness'' 'The Prince Edward Augustus' from birth, and was fourth in the
line of succession to the throne.
Prince Edward Augustus was baptised on
30 November 1767; his godparents were the
Hereditary Prince of Brunswick-Lunenburg,
Duke Karl of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the
Hereditary Princess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and the
Landgravine of Hesse-Cassel.
Army
In 1785, he began his military training in Germany. King George III intended to send him to the University of
Göttingen, but decided against it upon the advice of the
Duke of York. Instead, Prince Edward went to Lüneburg and later Hanover, accompanied by his tutor, Baron Wangenheim. He spent an additional two years in Geneva, before being sent to
Gibraltar. There, he served as colonel of the 7th
Royal Fusiliers. However, his severe sense of discipline made him unpopular among his troops.
The Fusiliers were ordered to
Canada in May 1791. The prince was promoted to the rank of
major-general in October 1793 and
lieutenant-general in January
1796. On
24 April 1799[1], he was created 'Duke of Kent and Strathearn' and 'Earl of Dublin', and was later, in May, promoted to the rank of general and appointed the
commander-in-chief of the forces in
British North America. See
Commander-in-Chief, North America. For most of this period he lived in
Halifax, Nova Scotia and was instrumental in shaping that port's military defences for protecting the important
Royal Navy base, as well as influencing the city's and colony's socio-political and economic institutions.
On
24 May 1802, the Duke began an appointment as
Governor of Gibraltar, with express orders by the government to restore discipline among the troops. However, the Duke's harsh discipline precipitated a mutiny by soldiers in the Royal Fusiliers and the 25th Regiment on Christmas Eve 1802. The Duke of York, then the commander-in-chief of the
British Army, recalled him in May 1803 after receiving reports of the mutiny. The Duke of Kent formally held the governorship of Gibraltar until his death, although the Duke of York forbade him to return. As a consolation for the end of his active military career, he was promoted to the rank of field marshal and appointed Ranger of Hampton Court Park on
5 September 1805. The Duke of Kent continued to serve as honorary colonel of the 1st Regiment of Foot (the Royal Scots) until his death.
Prince Edward Augustus became a Knight of the
Order of St. Patrick on
5 February 1783 and a Knight of the
Order of the Garter on
2 May 1786. George III made him a member of the
Privy Council on
5 September 1799. His elder brother, the
Prince Regent (later King George IV), created the Duke of Kent a Knight Grand Cross of the
Order of the Bath in the military division on
2 January 1815 and a Knight Grand Cross of the
Royal Guelphic Order (military division) on
12 August 1815.
Marriage
The Duke of Kent had a number of mistresses, most notably Adelaide Dubus (with whom he may have had an illegitimate daughter Adelaide Victoria Augusta Dubus
1789-
1790) and later Julie de St Laurent. However, he remained single until 1818 when, following the death of the only legitimate grandchild of George III,
Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales, the succession began to look uncertain. The Prince Regent and his younger brother, the
Duke of York, though married, had no surviving legitimate children. King George's surviving daughters were all past likely childbearing. The other unmarried sons of King George III, the
Duke of Clarence (later King William IV), the Duke of Kent, and the
Duke of Cambridge, all rushed to contract lawful marriages and provide an heir to the throne. (The sixth son of King George III, the
Duke of Sussex, had already married, albeit in contravention of the
Royal Marriages Act of 1772.)
The Duke of Kent became engaged to
Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (
17 August 1786 –
16 March 1861), the daughter of
Duke Franz Friedrich of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and the widow of Emich Karl,
Prince of Leiningen. She was also the sister of
Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, the widower of Princess Charlotte Augusta. The couple married on
29 May 1818 at Schloss Ehrenburg, Coburg and again on
11 July 1818 at Kew Palace, Richmond Park, Surrey. They had one child,
★
Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent (
24 May 1819 –
22 January 1901)
Later life and legacy
The Duke and Duchess sought to find a place where they could live inexpensively, considering the Duke's great debts (which were not paid until his daughter took the throne and paid them over time from her income). After the coast of Devon was recommended to them, they took a lease on Woodbrook Cottage in Sidmouth. However, the they did spend considerable time in London.
The Duke took great pride in his daughter, bringing the infant to a military review, to the outrage of the Prince Regent, who demanded to know what place the child had there.
The Duke of Kent died on
23 January 1820 at Woodbrook Cottage, Sidmouth, Devon, after a brief illness apparently brought on by a long walk on a cold, wet day with insufficient footwear. He was buried at
St. George's Chapel,
Windsor Castle. He died only six days before his father, George III and less than year after his daughter's birth.
The Duke of Kent predeceased his father and his three elder brothers, but, since none of his elder brothers had any surviving legitimate children, his daughter,
Victoria, succeeded to the throne on the death of
King William IV in 1837.
Victoria reigned until 1901, and her grandchildren eventually married into almost all of Europe's royal families. They included the Queens Consort of
Norway,
Greece,
Romania and
Spain, the
Crown Princess of Sweden, The
Empress of all the Russias, the
King of the United Kingdom, and the
German Emperor. Victoria was given a military funeral, as she had requested, as the daughter of a soldier.
Titles, styles, honours and arms
Titles
★ '1767-1799': ''His Royal Highness'' The Prince Edward Augustus
★ '1799-1820': ''His Royal Highness'' The Duke of Kent and Strathearn
Honours
★
Grand Master of the
Ancient Grand Lodge of England, ''1813''
Legacy
The
Canadian province of
Prince Edward Island is named in honour of Prince Edward, as is
Prince Edward County, Ontario and the town of
Kentville, Nova Scotia. The
South African Prince Edward Islands are also named after him; the smaller of the two islands also bearing his name.
Ancestors
References
Naftel, W.D. (2005). ''Prince Edward's Legacy: The Duke of Kent in Halifax: Romance and beautiful buildings'' Halifax, Nova Scotia: Formac Publishing. ISBN 978-0887806483
External links
★
Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
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