Alfred, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
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| Prince Alfred | |
|---|---|
| Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | |
| Full name | |
| Alfred Alexander William Ernest Albert | |
| Titles and styles | |
| HRH The Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha HRH Prince Alfred of Edinburgh |
|
| Royal house | House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha |
| Father | Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha |
| Mother | Maria Alexandrovna of Russia |
| Born | 15 October 1874 Buckingham Palace, London |
| Baptised | 27 November 1874 Buckingham Palace, London |
| Died | 6 February 1899 (aged 24) Sanitorium Martinnsbrunn, Meran (Merano), Austria (now Italy) |
| Burial | Friedenstein Castle, Germany |
Hereditary Prince Alfred of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Alfred Alexander William Ernest Albert; 15 October 1874 – 6 February 1899) was born a member of the British Royal Family.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
Prince Alfred of Edinburgh was born on 15 October 1874 at Buckingham Palace, London.
His father was Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, second eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. His mother was Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, a daughter of Alexander II of Russia and Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine. He was baptised in the Lower Bow Room of Buckingham Palace November 27, 1874 by Archibald Tait, Archbishop of Canterbury and his godparents were Queen Victoria, the Tsar of Russia, the German Emperor and German Crown Princess, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and the Prince of Wales.
[edit] Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
In 1893, his granduncle, Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, brother of his paternal grandfather, died without an heir. Being ineligible under Duchy law to occupy the ducal throne,[1] The Prince of Wales had previously renounced his claim to the ducal throne of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, therefore the vacant duchy fell to Alfred's father, the Duke of Edinburgh. Alfred thus became styled HRH The Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Prince Alfred had lived in Clarence House in the early years of his life with his parents and sisters - after his father's accession to the ducal throne of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, he moved to Schloss Rosenau at Coburg.
[edit] Later life
By 1899, Alfred began exhibiting severe symptoms of the syphilis he had acquired as a young and wild Guards officer.
It was rumoured that Alfred married Mabel Fitzgerald in Potsdam in 1898,[1] but according to Marlene Eilers König in her book about Queen Victoria's descendants, this was untrue.[2]
Sandner also notes that he was suffering from syphilis when he was absent from his parents’ silver wedding celebrations on 22 January 1899. The reason given was nervous depression. However he had attempted suicide by shooting himself with a revolver. For three days he was looked after at Schloss Friedenstein before being sent - badly wounded – to the Sanitorium Martinnsbrunn in Gratsch bei Meran (Merano) in the Tyrol. Alfred died there at a quarter past four on the afternoon of February 6, 1899. He was 24 years old.[1]
His death meant the throne of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha would pass to his uncle, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught. However, the Duke of Connaught renounced his claim to the Duchy on behalf of himself and his only son, Prince Arthur of Connaught. The Dukedom passed to Prince Charles Edward, Duke of Albany (the posthumous son of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, Queen Victoria's fourth son).
[edit] Ancestors
[edit] Titles, styles, honours and arms
| British Royalty |
|---|
| House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha |
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| Descendants of Prince Albert |
| Grandchildren |
| Alfred of Edinburgh |
| Marie of Edinburgh |
| Victoria of Edinburgh |
| Alexandra of Edinburgh |
| Beatrice of Edinburgh |
| Margaret of Connaught |
| Arthur of Connaught |
| Patricia of Connaught |
| Alice of Albany |
| Carl Eduard, Duke of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha |
[edit] Titles
- 15 October 1874–23 August 1893: His Royal Highness Prince Alfred of Edinburgh
- 23 August 1893–6 February 1899: His Royal Highness The Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
[edit] British arms
As a male-line grandson of the British Sovereign, young Alfred bore the royal arms, with an inescutcheon of the shield of Saxony, all differenced by a label argent of five points, the odd bearing crosses gules and even anchors azure.[3]
[edit] Honours
British Honours
- KG: Knight of the Garter, 1894
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Sandner, Harold [2004]. "II.4.2 Erbprinz Alfred", Das Haus von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha 1826 bis 2001, Andreas, Prinz von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha (preface) (in German), 96450 Coburg: Neue Presse GmbH, 155-156. ISBN 3000085254.
- ^ Eilers König, Marlene [1987]. Queen Victoria's Descendants (in English). Baltimore, Maryland:: Genealogical Publishing Co..
- ^ Heraldica – British Royalty Cadency
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