Lord Edward Gleichen
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Major-General Lord (Albert) Edward Wilfred Gleichen, KCVO, CB, CMG, DSO (15 January 1863–14 December 1937) was a British courtier and soldier.
Born Count Albert Edward Wilfred Gleichen, he was the only son of Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (a half-nephew of Queen Victoria) and his wife, Laura Williamina (a sister of the 5th Marquess of Hertford). From 1874-79, he served as a Page of Honour to The Queen.
Gleichen joined the Grenadier Guards in 1891 and gradually rose through the ranks over the years, eventually becoming a Major General. From 1903-06, he was Military Attaché to Berlin and then to Washington D.C. from 1906-07 and Assistant Director of Military Operations from 1907-11. He served during World War I and was Director of the Intelligence Bureau at the Department of Information from 1917-18.
In 1912, Gleichen had inherited his mother's comital title (which was awarded to her shortly before her marriage to his father) and in 1913, was granted precedence before the Marquesses in the Peerage of England (whilst his sisters were granted precedence before the daughters of Dukes in the Peerage of England). Following King George V's changes to his relatives names and titles in 1917, Gleichen, his wife and his sisters' precedence were reduced as a younger son/daughters of a marquess, enabling them to use the prefix Lord and Lady respectively.
On 2 July 1910, Gleichen had married Hon. Sylvia Gay Edwardes (a niece of the 4th Baron Kensington), who was a Maid of Honour to Queen Victoria and Queen Alexandra. They had no children.
[edit] Honours and awards
- 1897: Order of the Star of Ethiopia (Third Class) - for his contributions on a Mission to Ethopia.
- 1898: Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George - for his contributions on a Mission to Ethopia.
- 1900: Companion of the Distinguished Service Order - for his contributions in the Second Boer War.
- 1901: Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
- 1905: Order of the Medjidie (Second Class) - for his services in the Egyptian Army
- 1906: Companion of the Order of the Bath
- 1909: Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
- Unknown dates: Commander of the Legion of Honour, Order of the Dannebrog (First Class)
| Court offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Hon. George Somerset |
Page of Honour 1874–1879 |
Succeeded by Frederic Kerr |
| Titles of Nobility | ||
| Preceded by Princess Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg |
Count Gleichen 1912–1917 |
Succeeded by Title relinquished |
