Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh
Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh (
November 14,
1743 -
August 25,
1805) was a member of the
British Royal Family, a grandson of
King George II and a younger brother of
King George III.
Prince William Henry 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
Army. His father died in
1751, leaving the Prince's elder brother,
Prince George the heir apparent to the throne. He succeeded as King George III on October 25, 1760. His brother created him
Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh and
Earl of Connaught in
1764.
The Duke was most known for his secret marriage
1766 to
Maria Walpole, the Dowager Countess of Waldegrave, an illegitimate granddaughter of Sir
Robert Walpole. This marriage and that of his brother prompted the passing of the
Royal Marriages Act.
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
October 12,
1793.
He served as the thirteenth Chancellor of
Trinity College, Dublin from
1771 to
1805.
He died at
Gloucester House in London.
Titles
*
1743-1764:
His Royal Highness Prince William Henry of Wales
*
1764-1805:
His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh
Gloucester had three children by his wife - a daughter, Caroline (
1774-
1775), died in infancy - the other two survived infancy:
Illegitimate Issue
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), who married 1802 Hon Godfrey Bosvile Macdonald, later Sir Godfrey Bosvile Macdonald, 11th Bt (Baronetage of Nova Scotia) and 3rd Baron Macdonald of Sleat (Peerage of Ireland), and 18th Chief of Clan Macdonald, and by whom she 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.
*
Wikiquotes of Edward Gibbon, for the Duke's remark on
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
