PRINCE WILLIAM HENRY, DUKE OF GLOUCESTER AND EDINBURGH

'Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh' KG (14 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.

Early life

Prince William Henry^[1] 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 on 25 November 1743. His godparents were William IV, Prince of Orange, The Duke of Cumberland, and Princess Amelia Sophia of Great Britain. As a grandchild of the sovereign, he was styled ''His Royal Highness'' 'Prince William Henry of Wales' at birth. He was fourth in the line of succession at birth.
Prince William Henry 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 Henry 'Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh' and 'Earl of Connaught' on 19 November 1764^[2]. He had been made a Knight of the Garter on 27 May 1762.

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:

★ Princess Sophia of Gloucester (1773–1844)

★ Princess Caroline of Gloucester (1774–1775)

★ Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh (1776–1834)

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.

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.

★ '14 November 1743-19 November 1764': ''His Royal Highness'' Prince William Henry of Wales

★ '19 November 1764-25 August 1805': ''His Royal Highness'' The Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh

1. Henry Churchyard's "Royal Genealogies, Part 10" holds that the Prince's name was 'Edward Henry', although the source for this claim is unclear
2. Yvonne's Royalty: Peerage

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