Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
| Prince Henry | |
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| Photographic Portrait as Governor-General | |
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| Successor | Prince Richard |
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| Tenure | 30 January 1945 – 11 March 1947 |
| Predecessor | Lord Gowrie |
| Successor | Sir William McKell |
| Spouse | Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester |
| Issue | |
| Prince William of Gloucester Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester |
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| Full name | |
| Henry William Frederick Albert | |
| House | House of Windsor House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha |
| Father | George V of the United Kingdom |
| Mother | Mary of Teck |
| Born | 31 March 1900 York Cottage, Sandringham |
| Died | 10 June 1974 (aged 74) Barnwell Manor, Northamptonshire |
| Burial | Frogmore Royal Mausoleum |
| Occupation | Governor-General of Australia; Military |
The Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester (Henry William Frederick Albert; 31 March 1900 – 10 June 1974) was a member of the British Royal Family, the third son of George V of the United Kingdom and Queen Mary, and thus uncle to Elizabeth II. He was appointed potential regent for his niece, when his brother (George VI) came to the throne in 1936, and was required to stay in the United Kingdom until she came of age in case her father died and she ascended the throne under age.
The Duke served as the 11th Governor-General of Australia, from 1945 to 1947. At his death, he was the last surviving knight of the Order of St. Patrick.
Contents |
Early life
Prince Henry was born, on 31 March 1900, at York Cottage, on the Sandringham Estate.[1] His father was Prince George, Duke of York, the eldest surviving son of Prince Albert Edward, Prince of Wales.[1] His mother was The Duchess of York, the only daughter of The Duke and Duchess of Teck.[1] In 1898, Queen Victoria issued letters patent granting the children of the Duke and Duchess of York the style Royal Highness. Thus he was styled His Royal Highness Prince Henry of York from birth.
He was baptised at the private chapel of Windsor Castle on 17 May 1900, by Randall Thomas Davidson, Bishop of Winchester, and his godparents were Queen Victoria, William II, German Emperor, Princess Henry of Battenberg, the Duchess of Cumberland, Princess Maud of Denmark, Prince George of Greece, Prince Alexander of Teck and the Earl Roberts.
Prince Henry attended St Peter's Court in Broadstairs[1] and Eton College[1] from September 1913 and during the First World War the house in which he lived, Mr. Lubbock's[1] was also home to Crown Prince Leopold of Belgium (later Leopold III).
Military service
Unlike his brothers, Prince Henry joined the Army instead of the Royal Navy. He attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1919.[1] He later served with The King's Royal Rifle Corps and the 10th Royal Hussars[1] before retiring from active service in 1937. Following the outbreak of World War II, he rejoined the Forces, serving as a Chief Liaison Officer.[1] He was slightly wounded in 1940 when his staff car was attacked from the air.[1] In 1940 he became second-in-command of 20th Armoured Brigade.[1] He was appointed a Field Marshal in 1955[1] and a Marshal of the Royal Air Force in 1958. [2]
Duke of Gloucester
On 31 March 1928[3], his father created him Duke of Gloucester, Earl of Ulster, and Baron Culloden, three titles that linked him with three parts of the United Kingdom, namely England, Northern Ireland and Scotland. On 2 November 1930 he attended the coronation of Haile Selassie of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa.[1] In 1934 George V (as King of Ireland) made him a Knight of St Patrick, Ireland's chivalric order. It was the second to last time this order was awarded (the last appointment being the Duke of York, later George VI, in 1936); at the time of his death the Duke of Gloucester was the only remaining knight.
Marriage
| House of Windsor |
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| George V |
| Edward VIII |
| George VI |
| Mary, Princess Royal |
| Henry, Duke of Gloucester |
| George, Duke of Kent |
| Prince John |
| Grandchildren |
| Elizabeth II |
| Margaret, Countess of Snowdon |
| Prince William of Gloucester |
| Richard, Duke of Gloucester |
| Edward, Duke of Kent |
| Prince Michael of Kent |
| Princess Alexandra |
On 6 November 1935, Henry married Lady Alice Christabel Montagu-Douglas-Scott,[1] a daughter of the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry. The marriage was originally planned to take place at Westminster Abbey, but was moved to the more low key Chapel Royal at St James's Palace owing to the death of Lady Alice's father shortly before the wedding.
Following their wedding, Alice was known as HRH The Duchess of Gloucester. Together they had two sons:[1]
- Prince William of Gloucester, 1941–1972
- Prince Richard of Gloucester, born 1944; now Duke of Gloucester.
Governor-General of Australia
In late 1944 the Duke was unexpectedly appointed Governor-General of Australia.[1] His younger brother, the Duke of Kent, had been offered the position, but he was killed in an air tragedy in Scotland. The Labor Party of the Prime Minister, John Curtin, had a policy of appointing Australians to the vice-regal post. In the circumstances of wartime, Curtin decided that appointing a member of the Royal Family would have three advantages. It would improve the likelihood that Britain would maintain its commitment to the defence of Australia, make the point that Australia had not become a dependency of the United States, and, given the protests that had arisen in conservative circles with the last Labor appointment, the Australian Sir Isaac Isaacs, would be a politically neutral choice.
The Duke had made a successful visit to Australia earlier, in 1934. The Duke was shy[1] and appeared stiff and formal to some. He and the Duchess travelled widely using his own plane during their time in office. When Curtin died in 1945, the Duke appointed Frank Forde as prime minister. Gloucester left Australia in March 1947, after two years in the job, due to the need to act as Regent during the absence in South Africa of his brother, King George VI.[1] As a parting gift he left his own plane for use by the government and people of Australia.
Later life
Returning to the UK, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester acquired Barnwell Manor in Northamptonshire, while retaining an apartment in Kensington Palace.
In May 1949, the Duke temporarily served in the office of Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. This appointment afforded him, for its duration, its Scottish precedence (immediately below the King) and style, His Grace The Lord High Commissioner.
The Duke attended the coronation of his niece, Elizabeth II in 1953. Both the Duke and Duchess carried out royal engagements, including several overseas tours.[1] In 1954 the Duke served as the Treasurer of the Honourable Society of Gray's Inn. He suffered a series of strokes in later years,[1] and was too ill to attend the funeral of the Duke of Windsor in 1972.
In 1972, the Duke's elder son, Prince William, died in a plane crash.[1] The Duke was the last surviving child of King George V and Queen Mary. When he died on 10 June 1974, his second son, Prince Richard inherited the title of Duke of Gloucester. The Duke's wife, Alice, received permission from Queen Elizabeth II to be styled Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester to distinguish herself from Prince Richard's wife. She survived until 2004, becoming the longest-lived member of the British Royal Family in history.
Titles, styles, honours and arms
Titles
- 31 March 1900 – 22 January 1901: His Royal Highness Prince Henry of York
- 22 January 1901 – 9 November 1901: His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Cornwall and York
- 9 November 1901 – 6 May 1910: His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales
- 6 May 1910 – 31 March 1928: His Royal Highness The Prince Henry
- 31 March 1928 – 10 June 1974: His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester
- in Scotland: May 1949, May 1961, May 1962, May 1963: His Grace The Lord High Commissioner
Honours
- KG: Knight of the Order of the Garter (1921)
- KT: Knight of the Order of the Thistle (1931)
- KP: Knight of the Order of St Patrick (1934)
- GCB: Grand Master and Principal Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (1951)
- GCMG: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (1935)
- GCVO: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (1922)
- GCStJ: Grand Prior of the Order of St John
- Royal Victorian Chain
- Order of the Chrysanthemum, 1929 (Japan).[4]
Military
- Colonel in Chief, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
- Royal Colonel, Scots Guards (1937)
Arms
In 1921, Prince Henry was granted a personal coat of arms, being the royal arms, differenced by a label argent of three points, the centre bearing a lion rampant gules, and the outer points crosses gules.[5]
Ancestry
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Notes
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- ↑ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 41409, p. 3561, 3 June 1958. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
- ↑ Yvonne's Royalty: Peerage
- ↑ "Imperial Garter," Time Magazine, 13 May 1929.
- ↑ Heraldica – British Royal Cadency
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Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
Cadet branch of the House of Wettin
Born: 31 March 1900 Died: 10 June 1974 |
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| Government offices | ||
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| Preceded by The Lord Gowrie |
Governor-General of Australia 1945 – 1947 |
Succeeded by Sir William McKell |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn |
Great Master of the Order of the Bath 1942 – 1974 |
Succeeded by Charles, Prince of Wales |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Duke of Gloucester 5th creation, 1st Duke 1928 – 1974 |
Succeeded by Prince Richard |
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