by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

King George I of Great Britain (1660 – 1727)

(All photos credits – Wikipedia unless otherwise noted)

King George I of Great Britain was born His Highness Duke Georg Ludwig of Brunswick-Lüneburg on May 28, 1660, at the Leineschloss (Leine Palace) in Hanover, now in Lower Saxony, Germany. He was the eldest of the seven children of Ernst August, Elector of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Princess Sophia of the Palatinate, usually referred to as Electress Sophia of Hanover. George I’s paternal grandparents were Georg, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Anna Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt. His maternal grandparents were Friedrich V, Elector Palatinate of the Rhine and Elizabeth Stuart. It is through his maternal grandmother that his destiny drastically changed.

George I’s maternal grandmother Elizabeth Stuart was the second child and eldest daughter of King James VI of Scotland/King James I of England. The House of Stuart occupied the British throne but the Stuarts failed to produce a legitimate Protestant heir. George I’s mother Sophia, Electress of Hanover was the closest Protestant heir and was named the heiress presumptive to the British throne. However, Sophia of Hanover died two months before Queen Anne of Great Britain died and her son George I succeeded to the British throne upon the death of Queen Anne.

Before George I became King of Great Britain and while he was still living in Hanover, he married his paternal first cousin Sophia Dorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Celle, known as Sophia Dorothea of Celle. The couple had two children, the eventual King George II of Great Britain and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover who married King Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia. Both George I and his wife Sophia Dorothea committed adultery and their marriage was dissolved. Sophia Dorothea was declared to be the guilty party and so she was confined in the Castle of Ahlden in Celle, now in Germany, for the rest of her life, 32 years. At the time Sophia Dorothea’s son was eleven-years-old and her daughter was eight-years-old. They never saw their mother again.

King George I shared his 33 first cousins with his only sibling Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, Queen of Prussia. He shared his paternal first cousins with his first cousin and wife Sophia Dorothea of Celle.

• Unofficial Royalty: King George I of Great Britain

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Paternal Aunts and Uncles: Children of Georg, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Anna Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt

• Magdalene of Brunswick-Lüneburg (born and died 1620)
• Christian Ludwig, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1622 – 1665), married Sophia Dorothea of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, no children
• Georg Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1624 – 1705), married Eleonore d’Esmier d’Olbreuse, had one daughter, George I’s wife Sophia Dorothea
• Johann Friedrich, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1625 – 1679), married Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate who was a first cousin of King George I, had four daughters
• Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1628 – 1685), married King Frederik III of Denmark, had three sons and five daughters
• Dorothea Magdalene of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1629 – 1630), died in childhood
• Anna Marie Eleonore of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1630 – 1636), died in childhood

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Maternal Aunts and Uncles: Children of Friedrich V, Elector Palatinate of the Rhine and Elizabeth Stuart, Electress Palatinate

• Heinrich Friedrich, Hereditary Prince of the Palatinate (1614 – 1629), unmarried, drowned
• Karl I Ludwig, Elector Palatinate (1617 – 1680), married (1) Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel, had two sons and one daughter (2) morganatically, Marie Luise von Degenfeld, had eight sons and five daughters; (3) morganatically, Elisabeth Hollander von Bernau, had one son
• Elisabeth of the Palatinate (1618 – 1680), unmarried, Princess-Abbess of Herford Abbey
• Rupert, Count Palatinate of the Rhine (1619 – 1682), unmarried
• Maurice of the Palatinate (1620 – 1652), unmarried, drowned when his ship sunk in a hurricane
• Louise Hollandine of the Palatinate (1622 – 1709), unmarried, converted to Roman Catholicism, nun and then abbess at the Cistercian Maubuisson Abbey
• Louis (born and died 1624)
• Edward, Count Palatinate of Simmern (1625 – 1663), converted to Roman Catholicism, married Anna Gonzaga, had three daughters
• Henriette Marie of the Palatinate (1626 – 1651), married Sigismund Rákóczi, no issue
• Johann Philip Friedrich of the Palatinate (1627 – 1650), unmarried, killed in battle
• Charlotte of the Palatinate (1628 – 1631), died in childhood
• Gustavus Adolphus of the Palatinate (1632 – 1641), died of epilepsy in childhood

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PATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Paternal First Cousins: Child of Georg Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Eleonore d’Esmier d’Olbreuse

Sophia Dorothea of Celle, Electoral Princess of Hanover (1666 – 1726)

George I’s first cousin but also his wife, Sophia Dorothea of Celle was born on September 15, 1666, in Celle, now in Germany, the only child of Georg Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and his mistress Éléonore d’Esmier d’Olbreuse. Sophia Dorothea was legitimized by Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I who granted her mother Éléonore the titles Gräfin (Countess) von Harburg and Wilhelmsburg. Éléonore and Georg Wilhelm later married morganatically. At the age of 16, in a marriage arranged by the bride and groom’s fathers (who were brothers), Sophia Dorothea was married to her first cousin, 22-year-old Georg Ludwig, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick-Lüneburg, the future King George I of Great Britain, had one son and one daughter, the future King George II of Great Britain and Sophia Dorothea, the future Queen Consort of Prussia.

The marriage was happy at first but then both George and Sophia Dorothea had affairs. Sophia Dorothea’s lover disappeared and was never seen again. It was widely believed that George ordered his death. A tribunal of judges and Lutheran Church officials declared the marriage of George and Sophia Dorothea dissolved on the grounds of Sophia Dorothea’s desertion. Because she was considered the guilty party, Sophia Dorothea was not allowed to remarry, would never again see her children, and would be kept as a prisoner at the Castle of Ahlden for the remainder of her life. Although Sophia Dorothea spent 32 years in captivity, she received an income that allowed her to live in the style of a princess and she was able to go for drives in her coach with an escort. When Sophia Dorothea died, her former husband, now King George I of Great Britain, would not allow mourning at the British court and was furious when he learned that his daughter had ordered court mourning in Prussia.

• Unofficial Royalty: Sophia Dorothea of Celle, Electoral Princess of Hanover 

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Johann Friedrich, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate

Anna Sophie of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1670 – 1672), died in childhood

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Charlotte Felicitas of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Duchess of Modena (1671 – 1710)

Charlotte married Rinaldo d’Este who had been a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He left the church to succeed his nephew Francesco II as Duke of Modena. Charlotte and Rinaldo had three daughters and three sons. Charlotte died in childbirth delivering a fourth daughter who also died.

• Wikipedia: Charlotte Felicitas of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Duchess of Modena

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Henriette Marie of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1672 – 1757), unmarried

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Wilhelmina Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Holy Roman Empress, Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia (1673 – 1742)

Although she was born into a Lutheran family, Wilhelmina received a Roman Catholic education from her great-aunt Louise Hollandine of the Palatinate who had converted to Roman Catholicism and became a nun and abbess at the Maubuisson Abbey in France. Wilhelmina was sought as a bride for the future Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor, the heir of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia. The couple married and had two daughters and one son, who died before his first birthday. While they were trying to produce a new heir, Joseph gave Wilhelmine a sexually transmittable disease, probably syphilis, which made her unable to have any more children. Joseph died at the age of 32 during a smallpox epidemic. Despite suffering from a sexually transmitted disease, Wilhelmina outlived her husband by 31 years.

• Wikipedia: Wilhelmina Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Holy Roman Empress

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg and King Frederik III of Denmark

King Christian V of Denmark (1646 – 1699)

As King of Denmark, Christian V tried unsuccessfully to regain territory that had been annexed by Sweden during his father’s reign. He was more successful in establishing colonies in Africa and the Caribbean as part of the Danish triangle trade. One of the Danish colonies in the Caribbean was the Virgin Islands which were held by Denmark until 1917 when Denmark and the United States ratified a treaty in which Denmark sold the Danish Virgin Islands to the United States for $25 million in gold. In 1691, the capital of the Danish Virgin Islands on the island of St. Thomas was renamed to Charlotte Amalie after Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel, wife of Christian V. Today, Charlotte Amalie remains the capital of the United States territory of the Virgin Islands. Christian V and his wife Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel, daughter of Wilhelm VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and Hedwig Sophia of Brandenburg, had five sons and two daughters including King Frederik IV of Denmark.

• Unofficial Royalty: King Christian V of Denmark

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Anna Sophia of Denmark, Electress of Saxony (1647 – 1717)

Anna Sophia was very well educated and spoke six languages. She married Johann Georg III, Elector of Saxony. They had two sons: Johann Georg IV who succeeded his father as Elector of Saxony and Friedrich August I who succeeded his brother as Elector of Saxony and later became King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania.

• Wikipedia: Anna Sophia of Denmark, Electress of Saxony

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Frederika Amalia of Denmark, Duchess of Holstein-Gottorp (1649 – 1704)

Frederika Amalia married Christian Albrecht, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp and had two sons and two daughters. Through her son Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp, Prince of Eutin she was the great-grandmother of Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, better known as Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia and the maternal grandmother of King Adolf Frederick of Sweden. Through her son Friedrich IV, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, she was the great-grandmother of Peter III, Emperor of All Russia, the ill-fated husband of Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia.

• Wikipedia: Frederika Amalia of Denmark, Duchess of Holstein-Gottorp

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Wilhelmina Ernestina of Denmark, Electress of the Palatinate (1650 – 1706)

Wilhelmina Ernestina married Karl II, Elector of the Palatinate in a marriage arranged by their mutual aunt Sophia, Electress of Hanover. The marriage was very unhappy. Karl had been forced by his father to marry against his will and disliked the marriage from the beginning. The couple had no children. After she was widowed, Wilhelmina Ernestina lived with her sister Anna Sophia, Electress of Saxony.

• Wikipedia: Wilhelmina Ernestina of Denmark, Electress of the Palatinate

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Frederik of Denmark (1651 – 1652), died in infancy

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George of Denmark, Duke of Cumberland (1653 – 1708)

Ironically, George of Denmark was the first cousin of King George I of Great Britain, the person who succeeded his wife Queen Anne of Great Britain on the British throne. Queen Anne’s unfortunate childbearing history was one of the reasons the House of Stuart was replaced by the House of Hanover. Anne became pregnant a few months after her marriage but she gave birth to a stillborn daughter. She had 17 pregnancies with only five children being born alive. Two died on the day of their birth, two died at less than two years old within six days of each from smallpox, and one died at age 11. Anne suffered from what was diagnosed as gout and had pain in her limbs, stomach, and head. Based upon these symptoms and her obstetrical history, Anne may have had systemic lupus erythematosus which causes an increased rate of fetal death.

• Unofficial Royalty: George of Denmark, Duke of Cumberland

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Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark, Queen of Sweden (1656 – 1693)

Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark married King Carl XI of Sweden in the hopes that the marriage would bring peace to their two countries which had recently been at war with each other. Ulrika Eleonora and Carl had two daughters and five sons including King Carl XII of Sweden, Queen Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden, and Hedwig Sophia, Duchess of Holstein-Gottorp who was the grandmother of Peter III, Emperor of All Russia. Weakened by giving birth to seven children in as many years, Ulrike Eleonora died at the age of 36.

• Unofficial Royalty: Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark, Queen of Sweden

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Dorothea of Denmark (1657 – 1658), died in infancy

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MATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Maternal First Cousins: Children of Karl I Ludwig, Elector of the Palatinate and his first wife Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel

Karl II, Elector of the Palatinate (1651 – 1685)

Karl II married Wilhelmina Ernestina of Denmark, also George I’s first cousin, in a marriage arranged by their mutual aunt Sophia, Electress of Hanover. The marriage was very unhappy. Karl had been forced by his father to marry against his will and disliked the marriage from the beginning. The couple had no children. Karl’s reign as Elector of the Palatinate lasted only five years as he died at the age of 34.

• Wikipedia: Karl II, Elector of the Palatinate

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Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, Duchess of Orléans (1652 – 1722)

Known as Liselotte, she grew up in the court of her aunt Sophia, Electress of Hanover. Liselotte wanted to marry her second cousin Willem III, Prince of Orange, who would later become King of England. However, her family felt a better marriage for her would be to become the second wife of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, the younger brother of King Louis XIV of France. The recently widowed Philippe had been married to his first cousin Henrietta of England, Liselotte’s father’s first cousin. Liselotte converted to Roman Catholicism and married Philippe. She acted as a mother to Philippe’s children by Henrietta and maintained correspondence with them throughout their lives. Despite Philippe having homosexual affairs, he had been intent on fulfilling his dynastic responsibility of having children with his first wife and also did so with Liselotte. Philippe and Liselotte had three children of their own. Through their daughter Élisabeth Charlotte d’Orléans, they are the paternal grandparents of Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria, better known as Marie Antoinette, Queen of France.

• Unofficial Royalty: Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, Duchess of Orléans

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Friedrich (born and died 1653), died in infancy

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Karl I Ludwig, Elector of the Palatinate and his morganatic second wife Marie Luise von Degenfeld

• Karl Ludwig of the Palatinate (1658 – 1688), killed in battle
• Caroline Elisabeth of the Palatinate, Duchess of Schomberg (1659 – 1696), married Meinhardt von Schomberg, 3rd Duke of Schomberg, had one son and three daughters
• Louise of the Palatinate (1661 – 1733)
• Ludwig of the Palatinate (born and died 1662)
• Amalia Elisabeth of the Palatinate (1663 – 1709)
• Georg Ludwig of the Palatinate (1664 – 1665), died in infancy
• Frederica of the Palatinate (1665 – 1674), died in childhood
• Friedrich Wilhelm of the Palatinate (1666 – 1667), died in infancy
• Karl Eduard of the Palatinate (1668 – 1690), killed in battle
• Sophie of the Palatinate (born and died 1669), died in infancy
• Karl Moritz of the Palatinate (1671 – 1702)
• Karl August of the Palatinate (1672 – 1691), killed in battle
• Karl Casimir of the Palatinate (1675 – 1691), killed in a duel

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Maternal First Cousins: Child of Karl I Ludwig, Elector of the Palatinate and his morganatic third wife Elisabeth Hollander von Bernau

Karl Ludwig of the Palatinate( 1681 – ?)

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Edward, Count Palatinate of Simmern and Anna Gonzaga

Luise Marie of the Palatinate, Princess of Salm-Salm (1647 – 1679)

Luise Marie married Karl Theodor, Prince of Salm-Salm and had three daughters and one son.

• Wikipedia: Luise Marie of the Palatinate, Princess of Salm-Salm

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Anne Henriette of the Palatinate, Princess of Condé (1648 – 1723)

Anne Henriette’s father Edward, Count Palatinate of Simmern was the son of Elizabeth Stuart, eldest daughter of King James I of England. Edward converted to Roman Catholicism and his three children were raised as Catholics. The Bill of Rights 1689 barred Catholics from the thrones of England and Scotland and the Act of Settlement 1701 gave the thrones of England and Scotland to “the most excellent princess Sophia, electress and duchess-dowager of Hanover” and “the heirs of her body, being Protestant”. Sophia, Electress of Hanover was the aunt of Anne Henriette and her surviving sister Benedicta Henrietta and the younger sister of their deceased father. Therefore, the surviving children of Edward, Count Palatinate of Simmern and his other Catholic descendants were barred from the thrones of England and Scotland.

Anne Henriette married Henri Jules de Bourbon, Prince of Condé at the Palais du Louvre in Paris with King Louis XIV of France and the rest of the French royal family attending the wedding. The couple had six daughters and four sons.

• Wikipedia: Anne Henriette of the Palatinate, Princess of Condé

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Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1652 – 1730)

Benedicta Henrietta married Johann Friedrich, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Johann Friedrich was 27 years older than Benedicta Henrietta and was the only member of his family to convert to Roman Catholicism. As reigning Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, he needed a male heir but he had four daughters with Benedicta Henrietta. Their four daughters are also first cousins of King George I of Great Britain through their father. When Johann Friedrich died without a male heir, his younger brother Ernst August became Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Ernst August’s succeeded to the British throne as King George I. After her husband died, Benedicta Henrietta returned to her native France and lived with her sister Anne Henriette of the Palatinate, Princess of Condé.

• Wikipedia: Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg

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This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Lundy, D. (2019). Main Page. [online] Thepeerage.com. Available at: http://www.thepeerage.com/. (for genealogy information)
• Unofficial Royalty. (2019). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com. (for biographical and genealogy information)
• Wikipedia. (2019). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/.  (for biographical and genealogy information)

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

King George II of Great Britain (1683 – 1759)

(All photos credits – Wikipedia unless otherwise noted)

King George II was born at Schloss Herrenhausen in Hanover, now in Germany on November 10, 1683. He was the elder of the two children of first cousins Georg Ludwig, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick-Lüneburg (later King George I of Great Britain), and Sophia Dorothea of Celle. George II’s paternal grandparents were Ernst August, Elector of Hanover and Princess Sophia of the Palatinate who is more commonly known as Sophia, Electress of Hanover. His maternal grandparents were Georg Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and his mistress Éléonore d’Esmier d’Olbreuse who later married morganatically.

George II’s parents both committed adultery and their marriage was dissolved when George was eleven-years-old. His mother was considered the guilty party and was confined in the Castle of Ahlden in Celle, now in Germany, for the rest of her life, 32 years. George and his sister Sophia Dorothea never saw their mother again. George II married Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach, usually known as Caroline of Ansbach, and the couple had eight children.

At the time of George II’s birth, the House of Stuart occupied the British throne but the Stuarts failed to produce a legitimate Protestant heir. George II’s grandmother Sophia, Electress of Hanover was the closest Protestant heir and was named the heiress presumptive to the British throne. Sophia’s mother was Elizabeth Stuart, the second child and eldest daughter of James VI and I, King of Scotland, England, and Ireland. However, Sophia of Hanover died two months before Queen Anne of Great Britain died and George I’s father succeeded to the British throne as King George I upon the death of Queen Anne. George II followed his father on the British throne, however, his eldest son and heir Frederick, Prince of Wales predeceased him. Frederick’s eldest son became the heir apparent and succeeded his grandfather as King George III.

King George II shared his two first cousins with his only sibling Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, Queen of Prussia. He had no maternal aunts, maternal uncles, or maternal first cousins because Sophia Dorothea of Celle, King George II’s mother, was an only child.

• Unofficial Royalty: King George II of Great Britain

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Paternal Aunts and Uncles of King George II: Children of Ernst August, Elector of Hanover and Princess Sophia of the Palatinate

• Friedrich August of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1661 – 1690), Major General in the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Empire, killed in action during the Great Turkish War, unmarried
• Maximilian Wilhelm of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1666 – 1726), Field Marshal in the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Empire, unmarried
• Sophia Charlotte of Hanover (1668 – 1705), married Friedrich I, King in Prussia, had two sons
• Karl Philip of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1669 – 1690), Colonel in the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Empire, died in action during the Great Turkish War, unmarried
• Christian Heinrich of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1671 – 1703) Lieutenant General in the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Empire, drowned in the Danube River during the War of Spanish Succession, unmarried
• Ernst August of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Duke of York and Albany, Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück (1674 – 1728), unmarried

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PATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Sophia Charlotte of Hanover and Friedrich I, King in Prussia

Prince Friedrich August of Prussia (1685 – 1686), died in childhood

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Friedrich Wilhelm I, King in Prussia (1688 – 1740)

King Friedrich Wilhelm I was known as the “Soldier King” and did much to improve Prussia economically and militarily. He married his first cousin Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, George II’s sister, and the couple had seven sons and seven daughters including King Friedrich II of Prussia, known as Frederick the Great, Louisa Ulrika of Prussia, Queen of Sweden who married King Adolf Frederick of Sweden, and Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia whose son succeeded the childless King Friedrich II of Prussia (Frederick the Great) as King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia.

• Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia

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This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Lundy, D. (2019). Main Page. [online] Thepeerage.com. Available at: http://www.thepeerage.com/. (for genealogy information)
• Unofficial Royalty. (2019). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com. (for biographical and genealogy information)
• Wikipedia. (2019). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/.  (for biographical and genealogy information)

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

King George III of the United Kingdom (1738 – 1820)

(All photos credits – Wikipedia unless otherwise noted)

King George III, the eldest son and the second child of Frederick, Prince of Wales and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, was born June 4, 1738, at Norfolk House in St. James’s Square in London, England. His paternal grandparents were King George II of Great Britain and Princess Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach, generally known as Caroline of Ansbach. His maternal grandparents were Friedrich II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and Princess Magdalena Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst.

When George III was thirteen-years-old, his father died at the age of 44. George became heir to the throne and was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester. Nine years later, King George II died and his grandson succeeded him as King George III.  George III married Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.  Their marriage was a very happy one and George remained faithful to Charlotte. Between 1762 – 1783, Charlotte gave birth to fifteen children, all of whom survived childbirth. Only two of the children did not survive childhood. The only disruption in the family’s domestic lives were George’s attacks of illness. There has been speculation that King George suffered from porphyria.

King George III is the longest-reigning British king, having reigned for 59 years, 96 days. His length of reign is surpassed only by two queens, his granddaughter Queen Victoria and his great-great-great-great-granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning British monarch.

King George III shared his 29 first cousins with his eight siblings: Princess Augusta, Duchess of Brunswick; Prince Edward, Duke of York; Princess Elizabeth; Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester; Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland; Princess Louisa; Prince Frederick; and Princess Caroline Matilda, Queen of Denmark and Norway.

• Unofficial Royalty: King George III of the United Kingdom

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Paternal Aunts and Uncles Of King George III: Children of King George II of Great Britain and Princess Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach

• Anne, Princess Royal, Princess of Orange (1709 – 1759), married Willem IV, Prince of Orange, had two daughters and one son
• Princess Amelia of Great Britain (1711 – 1786), unmarried
• Princess Caroline of Great Britain (1713 – 1757), unmarried
• Prince George William of Great Britain (1717 – 1718), died in infancy
• Prince William of Great Britain, Duke of Cumberland (1721 – 1765), unmarried
• Princess Mary of Great Britain, Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel (1723 – 1772), married Friedrich II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, had four sons
• Princess Louise of Great Britain, Queen of Denmark and Norway (1724 -1751), married Frederik V, King of Denmark and Norway, had two sons and three daughters

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Maternal Aunts and Uncles of King George III: Children of Friedrich II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and Princess Magdalena Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst

• Sophie of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1697 – 1703), died in childhood of smallpox
• Friedrich III, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1699 – 1772), married Luise Dorothea of Saxe-Meiningen, had four sons and two daughters
• Wilhelm of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1701 – 1771), married Anna of Holstein-Gottorp, no children
• Karl Friedrich of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1702 – 1703), died in infancy of smallpox
• Johann August of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1704 – 1767), married Louise Reuss of Schleiz, the widow of his brother Christian Wilhelm, had two daughters
• Christian of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (born and died 1705), died in early infancy of smallpox
• Christian Wilhelm of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1706 – 1748), married Luise Reuss of Schleiz, no children
• Ludwig Ernst of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1707 – 1763), unmarried, military career
• Emanuel of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1709 – 1710), died in infancy
• Moritz of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1711 – 1777), unmarried, military career
• Sophie of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (born and died 1712), died in infancy
• Karl of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1714 – 1715), died in infancy
• Friederike of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Weissenfels  (1715 – 1775), married Johann Adolf II, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels, had four sons and one daughter
• Magdalena Sibylle of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (born and died 1718), died in infancy
• Johann Adolf of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1721 – 1799), married morganatically Marie Maximiliane Elisabeth Schauer, had two sons and one daughter

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PATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Anne, Princess Royal and Willem IV, Prince of Orange

Carolina of Orange-Nassau, Princess of Nassau-Weilburg (1743 – 1787)

Carolina married Karl Christian, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg and had six sons and five daughters. Her father had died when she was eight-years-old and her three-year-old brother succeeded as Willem V, Prince of Orange. Willem would not reach his majority for fifteen years and until then he had a series of four regents. Carolina served as the last regent.

• Wikipedia: Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau

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Anna of Orange-Nassau (born and died 1746)

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Willem V, Prince of Orange (1748 – 1806)

Willem was the only son of Anne, Princess Royal and Willem IV, Prince of Orange. His father died when he was three-years-old Willem IV. Willem would not reach his majority for fifteen years and until then he had a series of four regents. Willem married Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia, daughter of Prince Augustus William of Prussia and Luise of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Wilhelmina was the favorite niece of King Friedrich II of Prussia (Frederick the Great) and was the sister of his successor King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia. The couple had three children who survived infancy including Willem I, the first King of the Netherlands.

When the Dutch Republic which Willem ruled was replaced by the Batavian Republic, Willem and his family fled to England where they lived in exile in the part of Kew Palace known as the Dutch House with the permission of Willem’s first cousin King George III. The family later went to Germany where they lived in Nassau and Brunswick. Willem spent the rest of his life in exile and was viewed quite negatively both in England and the Netherlands.

• Unofficial Royalty: Willem V, Prince of Orange

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Mary of Great Britain and Friedrich II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel

Prince Wilhelm of Hesse-Kassel (1741 – 1742), died in infancy

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Wilhelm I, Prince-Elector of Hesse (1743 – 1821)

When Wilhelm was four-years-old, his father Friedrich II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel deserted his family and converted to Roman Catholicism.  Along with his mother Mary of Great Britain and his two younger brothers, Wilhelm moved to Denmark where they lived with Mary’s sister, Louise of Great Britain who was Queen Consort of Denmark. Wilhelm married his first cousin Princess Caroline of Denmark, daughter of his maternal aunt Louise and her husband King Frederik V of Denmark, and had two daughters and two sons. Upon the death of his father, Wilhelm became Wilhelm IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. Later he was created Prince-Elector of Hesse.

• Wikipedia: Wilhelm I, Prince-Elector of Hesse

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Prince Karl of Hesse-Kassel (1744 – 1836)

A younger brother of Wilhelm I, Prince-Elector of Hesse, Karl was brought up with relatives at the Danish court and spent most of his life in Denmark. Like his elder brother, he married also married a Danish first cousin, Princess Louise of Denmark, the youngest daughter of his maternal aunt, Princess Louise of Great Britain, and King Frederik V of Denmark. Karl and Louise had three sons and three daughters including Marie Sophie, who became Queen of Denmark by marrying her first cousin the future King Frederik VI of Denmark. Karl had a military career in the Danish Army and served as Governor-General of Norway and Royal Governor of Schleswig-Holstein.

• Wikipedia: Prince Karl of Hesse-Kassel

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Prince Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel (1747 – 1837)

The youngest son of Princess Mary of Great Britain and Friedrich II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, Friedrich was raised in Denmark and spent most of his life there. Like his brother Karl, Friedrich had a career in the Danish Army. He married Princess Caroline of Nassau-Usingen and had five sons and three daughters, including Wilhelm who married Princess Louise Charlotte of Denmark and was the father of Louise of Hesse-Kassel, wife of King Christian IX of Denmark. Friedrich bought Rumpenheim Castle, now in Offenbach, Germany, from his brother Karl, and it became his family’s seat. The large extended family of Friedrich’s granddaughter Louise of Hesse-Kassel and her husband King Christian IX of Denmark had many family get-togethers at Rumpenheim Castle.

• Wikipedia: Prince Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Louise of Great Britain and Frederik V, King of Denmark and Norway

Crown Prince Christian of Denmark (1745 – 1747), died in early childhood

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Princess Sophia Magdalena of Denmark, Queen of Sweden (1746 – 1813)

Princess Sophia Magdalena was the eldest daughter and the eldest surviving child of the four children of King Frederik V of Denmark and his first wife Princess Louisa of Great Britain. She married King Gustav III of Sweden and had two sons including King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden. On March 16, 1792, Sophia Magdalena’s husband King Gustav III was shot by Jacob Johan Anckarström during a masquerade at the Royal Opera House. King Gustav III died of his wounds at the Stockholm Royal Palace two weeks later. The event is the subject of Giuseppe Verdi’s 1859 opera Un Ballo in Maschera (The Masked Ball).

• Unofficial Royalty: Sophia Magdalena of Denmark, Queen of Sweden

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Princess Caroline of Denmark, Princess-Electress of Hesse (1747 – 1820)

Caroline of Denmark married her maternal first cousin Wilhelm I, Prince-Elector of Hesse and had two sons and two daughters. As explained above, Wilhelm grew up at the Danish court and it was decided during their childhood that they would marry each other. Shortly after their marriage, Caroline and Wilhelm left Denmark to live in Hanau, the capital of the County of Hanau-Münzenberg, which had been separated from Hesse-Kassel and given to Wilhelm. Upon the death of his father, Wilhelm became Wilhelm IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. Later he was created Prince-Elector of Hesse.

• Wikipedia: Princess Caroline of Denmark

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King Christian VII of Denmark (1749 – 1808)

King Christian VII married his maternal first cousin Princess Caroline Matilda of Wales, the youngest sibling of King George III of the United Kingdom. They had one son, King Frederik VI of Denmark, and one daughter. King Christian VII’s reign was marked by mental illness. He publicly declared that he could not love Caroline Matilda because it was “unfashionable to love one’s wife”. Caroline Matilda’s daughter Louise Augusta’s father may have been Christian’s physician Johann Friedrich Struensee. Struensee gained political power and also gained powerful enemies, including Christian VII’s stepmother Queen Dowager Juliana Maria and her son Hereditary Prince Frederik. Juliana Maria directed a plot to overthrow the lovers, which ended with the brutal execution of Struensee and Caroline Matilda’s divorce and banishment. Not quite 20-years-old, Caroline Matilda lost her title of Queen and was forcibly separated from her children whom she never saw again. She died of “a putrid fever and sore throat,” probably scarlet fever, at the age of 23. Because of his mental illness, Christian was only nominally king from 1772 onward and regents ruled for him. Christian lived in isolation with a caretaker. His only involvement with the government was when he had to sign “Christian Rex” on formal papers.

• Unofficial Royalty: King Christian VII of Denmark

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Princess Louise of Denmark, Princess of Hesse-Kassel (1750 – 1831)

Princess Louise married her maternal first cousin Prince Karl of Hesse-Kassel (see above) who had grown up with her at the Danish court. The couple had three daughters and three sons daughters including Marie Sophie, who became Queen of Denmark by marrying her first cousin the future King Frederik VI of Denmark.

• Wikipedia: Princess Louise of Denmark

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MATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Maternal First Cousins: Children of Friedrich III, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and Luise Dorothea of Saxe-Meiningen

Friedrich Ludwig, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1735 – 1756)

Friedrich Ludwig was very well-educated. Along with his tutor Baron Ulrich von Thun, he took a lengthy multi-year educational journey through Europe where he became acquainted with proponents of French Enlightenment such as Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Denis Diderot. Friedrich Ludwig was often sick as a child and he died at the age of 21 after suffering from a fever and severe gouty pains. Friedrich Ludwig’s younger brother Ernst became Hereditary Prince and later Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.

• Wikipedia: Friedrich Ludwig von Sachsen-Gotha-Altenburg (in German)

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Ludwig of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (born and died 1735)

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Friederike Luise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1741 – 1776)

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Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1745 – 1804)

After the death of her eldest son, Ernst’s mother Luise Dorothea of Saxe-Meiningen was intent that her two surviving sons be well educated. They were carefully educated by select tutors and went on an educational trip to the Netherlands, England, and France where they met important people in politics, science and the arts. When he became Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Ernst continued his interest in the arts and science in his duchy. Ernst married Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen and had four sons, two of them became Dukes of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. Their son August, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg married his first cousin Luise Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and their daughter Louise was the mother of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the husband of Queen Victoria and the ancestor of all British monarchs beginning with Edward VII, and of numerous other European monarchs.

• Wikipedia: Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg

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Sophie of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (born and died 1746)

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August of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1747 – 1806)

August was carefully educated with his brother Ernst as explained above. He was to have a career in the military but that did not last long. August never married and was considered a prince of the Enlightenment. He was an important translator of French literature and corresponded with several important German writers including Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

• Wikipedia: Prince August of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Johann August of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and Louise Reuss of Schleiz, co-Countess of Limpurg-Gaildorf

Augusta Luise Friederike of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, co-Countess of Limpurg-Gaildorf, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1752 – 1805)

Upon the death of her mother, Augusta and her sister Luise inherited the title of Co-Countess of Limpurg-Gaildorf. Later the sisters sold their shares of Limpurg-Gaildorf to Carl Eugen, Duke of Württemberg. Augusta became the second wife of Friedrich Karl, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt but the marriage was childless.

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Luise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Co-Countess of Limpurg-Gaildorf, Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1756 – 1808)

As explained above, Luise became co-Countess of Limpurg-Gaildorf with her sister Augusta upon the death of their mother and the sisters later sold their portion of the County of Limpurg-Gaildorf. Luise married Friedrich Franz I, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, who became the first Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin after Luise’s death. Luise and Friedrich Franz had four sons and two daughters. Their daughter Charlotte Frederica was the first wife of the future King Christian VIII of Denmark and the mother of King Frederik VII of Denmark. Charlotte Frederica’s marriage was unhappy and she and her husband eventually divorced.

Luise Charlotte, another daughter of Luise and Friedrich Franz, married August, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and their daughter Luise was the mother of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the husband of Queen Victoria and the ancestor of all British monarchs beginning with King Edward VII and of numerous other European monarchs.

• Unofficial Royalty: Luise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Friederike of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and Johann Adolf II, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels

All their children died in childhood.

• Karl Frederick Adolf, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Weissenfels (1736 – 1737)
• Johann Adolf, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Weissenfels (born and died 1738)
• August Adolf, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Weissenfels (1739 – 1740)
• Johann Georg Adolf, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Weissenfels (born and died 1740)
• Friederike Adolfine of Saxe-Weissenfels (1741 – 1751)

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Johann Adolf of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and his morganatic wife Marie Maximiliane Elisabeth Schauer

Marie Maximiliane Elisabeth Schauer and her two surviving children were ennobled by Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor and given permission to discard the surname Schauer and instead use the surname von Gothart

• Friedrich Adolph (born and died 1760)
• Adolph Christian Carl von Gothart (1761 – 1835)
• Johanna Adolfine Friederike von Gothart (1767 – 1804)

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This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Lundy, D. (2019). Main Page. [online] Thepeerage.com. Available at: http://www.thepeerage.com/. (for genealogy information)
• Unofficial Royalty. (2019). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com. (for biographical and genealogy information)
• Wikipedia. (2019). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/.  (for biographical and genealogy information)

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

King George IV of the United Kingdom (1762 – 1830)

King Willian IV of the United Kingdom (1765 – 1837)

(All photos credits – Wikipedia unless otherwise noted)

King George IV, born at St. James’ Palace in London, England on August 12, 1762, was the eldest of the fifteen children and the eldest of the nine sons of King George III of the United Kingdom and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. His marriage to his first cousin Princess Caroline of Brunswick was one of the worst ever royal marriages. It is doubtful that the couple spent more than a few nights together as husband and wife. They did manage to have one daughter Princess Charlotte of Wales who would have succeeded her father as queen if she had not died at the age of 21 in childbirth along with her son. From 1811 until his accession, George served as Prince Regent during his father’s final mental illness. George was succeeded by his parents’ third son William. George had no surviving children and the second son Prince Frederick, Duke of York had died childless.

King William IV was the third of his parents’ fifteen children and the third of their nine sons. He was born at Buckingham House (now Buckingham Palace) in London, England on August 21, 1765. William had a happy relationship with actress Dorothea Jordan that lasted over twenty years and produced ten illegitimate children. William and Dorothea’s children married into the British aristocracy and their many descendants include a number of notable people. William’s niece Princess Charlotte of Wales was second in line to the throne and was the only legitimate grandchild of King George III, despite the fact that eleven of his fifteen children were still living. Her death left no legitimate heir in the second generation and prompted the aging sons of King George III to begin a frantic search for brides to provide for the succession.

William, along with his unmarried brothers Edward, Duke of Kent and Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, all married. 52-year-old William married 25-year-old Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen. A child of William and Adelaide would have succeeded to the throne as William’s two elder brothers (George IV and Frederick, Duke of York) had no surviving children. Adelaide suffered a miscarriage, gave birth to two princesses who both died in infancy and gave birth to stillborn twin boys. William’s niece Victoria, the daughter of his parents’ fourth son, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, became his heir.

George and William’s paternal grandparents were Frederick, Prince of Wales and Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. Frederick was the eldest child of King George II of Great Britain and Caroline of Ansbach. However, Frederick predeceased his father and upon the death of George II, Frederick’s eldest son became King George III. George and William’s maternal grandparents were Duke Carl Ludwig Friedrich of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Princess Elisabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen.

George IV and William had 12 paternal first cousins and 11 maternal cousins. They share their first cousins with their siblings Prince Frederick, Duke of York; Charlotte, Princess Royal, Queen of Württemberg; Prince Edward, Duke of Kent; Princess Augusta; Princess Elizabeth, Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg; King Ernest Augustus I of Hanover, Duke of Cumberland; Prince Augustus, Duke of Sussex; Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge; Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester; Princess Sophia; Prince Octavius; Prince Alfred; and Princess Amelia.

• Unofficial Royalty: King George IV of the United Kingdom
• Unofficial Royalty: King William IV of the United Kingdom

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Paternal Aunts and Uncles of King George IV and King William IV: Children of Frederick, Prince of Wales and Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg

• Princess Augusta of Wales, Duchess of Brunswick (1737 – 1813) married Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick, had four sons and three daughters
• Prince Edward of Wales, Duke of York (1739 – 1767), unmarried
• Princess Elizabeth of Wales (1740 – 1759), unmarried
• Prince William Henry of Wales, Duke of Gloucester (1743 – 1805) married Maria, Countess Waldegrave, had two daughters and one son
• Prince Henry of Wales, Duke of Cumberland (1745 – 1790) married Anne Luttrell, no issue
• Princess Louisa of Wales (1749 – 1768), unmarried
• Prince Frederick of Wales (1750 – 1765), unmarried
• Princess Caroline Matilda of Wales, Queen of Denmark and Norway (1751 – 1775) married Christian VII, King of Denmark and Norway, had one son and one daughter

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Maternal Aunts and Uncles of King George IV and King William IV: Children of Duke Carl Ludwig Friedrich of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Princess Elisabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen

• Duchess Christiane of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1735-1794), unmarried
• Duchess Caroline of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (born and died 1736)
• Adolf Friedrich IV, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1738-1794), unmarried
• Duchess Elisabeth Christine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1739-1740), died in childhood
  Sophie Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1740-1741), died in childhood
• Carl II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1741-1816), married (1) Princess Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt, had six daughters and four sons (2) Princess Charlotte of Hesse-Darmstadt, his first wife’s sister, had one son
• Duke Ernst Gottlob of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1742-1814), unmarried
• Duke Gotthelf of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (born and died 1745)
• Duke Georg August of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1748-1785), unmarried

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PATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Augusta of Wales and Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick

Augusta of Brunswick, Princess Friedrich of Württemberg ( 1764 – 1788)

Augusta of Brunswick was the eldest of her parents’ seven children. She was the first wife of Prince Friedrich of Württemberg (later Duke of Württemberg 1797 -1803, Elector of Württemberg 1803 – 1806, King of Württemberg 1806 – 1816). Despite having a very unhappy marriage, Augusta and Friedrich had two sons and two daughters including King Wilhelm I of Württemberg.

Friedrich had impressed Empress Catherine II (the Great) while visiting Russia, and she made him Governor-General of Eastern Finland. Four years later, while they were visiting the Empress in St. Petersburg, Augusta asked Catherine for protection from her husband. She claimed that Friedrich was abusive to her, and was having affairs with several men. The Empress took Augusta in and told Friedrich to leave the country. Augusta hoped to obtain a divorce but her father would not permit it. Empress Catherine provided Augusta with a home at Koluvere Castle in Estonia, along with a custodian, Wilhelm von Pohlmann. Soon, Augusta and von Pohlmann began an affair and she became pregnant. Sadly, she went into premature labor and died of blood loss.

Unofficial Royalty: Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Princess Friedrich of Württemberg

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Karl, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1766 – 1806)

Karl was the eldest son and the heir to the Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. However, he had been born blind and mentally disabled. A marriage was arranged for him with Princess Louise of Orange-Nassau but the marriage was childless and Louise was more of a nurse to him than a wife. Karl was eventually forced to renounce his position as heir to his younger brother.

• Wikipedia: Karl, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

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Caroline of Brunswick, Queen of the United Kingdom (1768 – 1821)

Caroline married her first cousin, the future King George IV of the United Kingdom. Despite being first cousins, they had never met. The marriage was very unsuccessful and they separated shortly after the birth of their only child Princess Charlotte of Wales who died at the age of 21 in childbirth.

When George became king, he insisted Caroline would never be queen and wanted a divorce. However, Caroline was popular with the British people who sympathized with her and despised the new king for his immoral behavior. The government introduced a bill in Parliament, the Pains and Penalties Bill 1820, to strip Caroline of the title of queen consort and dissolve her marriage. The reading of the bill in Parliament was effectively a trial of Caroline. The bill passed by 108–99. Prime Minister Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool then declared that since the vote was so close, and public tensions so high, the government was withdrawing the bill.

George had made no plans for Caroline to participate in his coronation. On the day of the coronation, Caroline went to Westminster Abbey but was barred at every entrance and finally left. She died three weeks later and had requested that she be buried in her native Brunswick. The official route of Caroline’s cortege through London was to avoid major streets. However, members of the public blocked those streets and forced a new route through the major streets. Caroline was buried at Brunswick Cathedral in Germany alongside her father. Her casket bears the inscription, “Here lies Caroline, the Injured Queen of England.”

Unofficial Royalty: Caroline of Brunswick, Queen of the United Kingdom

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Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1771 – 1815)

The fourth son of his parents, Friedrich Wilhelm succeeded his father as Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel because of the disabilities of his three elder brothers. He had an army career and participated in the Napoleonic Wars. Friedrich Wilhelm married Princess Marie of Baden and had two sons. His wife died of childbed fever (puerperal fever) four days after giving birth to a stillborn daughter. Friedrich Wilhelm was killed in action at the Battle of Quatre Bras, two days before the Battle of Waterloo where Napoleon was defeated once and for all.

• Wikipedia: Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

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• Georg of Brunswick (1769 – 1811), unmarried, mentally disabled, excluded from the line of succession of the Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
• August of Brunswick (1770 – 1822), unmarried, blind, excluded from the line of succession of the Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
• Amelie of Brunswick ( 1772 – 1773), died in childhood

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Prince William Henry of Wales, 1st Duke of Gloucester and Maria, Countess Waldegrave

Background on this side of the family: Prince William Henry of Wales, 1st Duke of Gloucester, a younger brother of King George III of the United Kingdom, secretly married Maria Walpole, the illegitimate daughter of Sir Edward Walpole and his mistress Dorothy Clement. Her grandfather Robert Walpole served as Prime Minister from 1721 – 1741. At the time of the marriage, Maria was the widow of James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave.

King George III’s brothers were a constant headache for him but he was especially annoyed with Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland. Prince Henry had married a commoner Anne Horton. George III considered Anne Horton inappropriate as a royal bride because she was from a lower social class and German law barred any children of the couple from the succession. George insisted on a new law that would forbid members of the royal family from legally marrying without the consent of the monarch. Although it was unpopular with both George III’s ministers and members of Parliament, the Royal Marriages Act 1772 was passed.

However, King George III did not know that his brother Prince William Henry, 1st Duke of Gloucester had secretly married Maria Walpole in 1766. For six years, King George III believed that his brother William Henry was a bachelor and that Maria was his mistress. In September 1772, five months after the Royal Marriages Act was passed, William Henry found out Maria was pregnant and confessed to his brother that he was married. King George III was quite upset not only by the marriage but also by William Henry’s deception. Because the provisions of the Royal Marriages Act could not be applied retroactively, William Henry and Maria’s marriage was considered valid. Their children were styled His/Her Highness Prince/Princess and used the territorial designation of Gloucester as great-grandchildren in the male line of King George II. However, due to the anger of King George III, Maria, now Duchess of Gloucester, was never received at court.

Princess Sophia of Gloucester (1773–1844)

Sophia was the eldest child of Prince William Henry and Maria Walpole. Her uncle King George III refused to be her godparent because of the deception of her parents’ marriage. She never married. When her brother His Highness Prince William Frederick married their first cousin Princess Mary, daughter of King George III, the king granted him the style His Royal Highness. Sophia was granted the same style the next day.

• Wikipedia: Princess Sophia of Gloucester

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Princess Caroline of Gloucester (1774–1775)

Princess Caroline’s father Prince William Henry of Wales, Duke of Gloucester became ill with smallpox in March 1775. He immediately ordered that his two daughters (his son had not yet been born) be inoculated against smallpox. At that time, 3% of those receiving the smallpox inoculation died after receiving the inoculation. Sadly, eight-month-old Princess Caroline was one of them. A few years later, Caroline’s first cousins, the two youngest sons of King George III, Prince Octavius and Prince Alfred, also died after receiving the smallpox inoculation.

Wikipedia: Princess Caroline of Gloucester
Unofficial Royalty: Smallpox knew no class boundaries

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Prince William Frederick, 2nd Duke of Gloucester (1776–1834)

William Frederick was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge and like his father, had a career in the British Army, attaining the rank of Field Marshal. He was an advocate for the abolition of slavery, served as President of the African Institution and was Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. William Frederick had been encouraged to remain unmarried so that there might be a suitable husband for his first cousin once removed, Princess Charlotte of Wales, the heir to the throne after her father the future King George IV, if no foreign prince proved a suitable match. Charlotte married Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld but within twenty months, Charlotte had died in childbirth along with her son. After Charlotte’s marriage, 40-year-old William Frederick married his first cousin 40-year-old Princess Mary, daughter of King George III of the United Kingdom. The couple had no children.

• Unofficial Royalty: Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Caroline Matilda of Wales and King Christian VII of Denmark and Norway

Background on Caroline Matilda and Christian VII: Princess Caroline Matilda and King Christian VII were first cousins – both were grandchildren of King George II of Great Britain. Christian VII’s reign was marked by mental illness and for most of his reign, he was only nominally king. He publicly declared that he could not love Caroline Matilda because it was “unfashionable to love one’s wife”. Caroline Matilda’s daughter Louise Augusta’s father may have been Christian’s physician Johann Friedrich Struensee. Struensee gained political power and also gained powerful enemies, including Christian VII’s stepmother Queen Dowager Juliana Maria and her son Hereditary Prince Frederik. Juliana Maria directed a plot to overthrow the lovers, which ended with the brutal execution of Struensee and Caroline Matilda’s divorce and banishment. Not quite 20-years-old, Caroline Matilda lost her title of Queen and was forcibly separated from her children whom she never saw again. She died of “a putrid fever and sore throat,” probably scarlet fever, at the age of 23. She was buried at the Stadtkirche St. Marien in Celle next to his great-grandmother Sophie Dorothea of Celle who suffered a similar fate.

King Frederik VI of Denmark (1768 – 1839)

When Frederik came of age, he had to wrest the power from Queen Dowager Juliana Maria and her son Hereditary Prince Frederik, who was ruling as Regent for the mentally disabled King Christian VII. Frederik then ruled permanently as Crown Prince Regent until the death of his father. He married his cousin Princess Marie of Hesse-Kassel, daughter of Prince Carl of Hesse-Kassel and Princess Louise of Denmark. Frederik was a great-grandchild of King George II of Great Britain and Marie was a double great-grandchild of George II. Both of Marie’s parents were children of a daughter of King George II of Great Britain. Frederik and Marie had eight children but unfortunately, six of them, including two boys, died in infancy. Only two daughters survived and both daughters had childless marriages. As he had no sons, Frederik was succeeded by King Christian VIII who was the son of King Frederik’s half-uncle Hereditary Prince Frederik.

• Unofficial Royalty: King Frederik VI of Denmark and Norway

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Princess Louise Augusta of Denmark, Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg  (1771 – 1843)

Louise Augusta was officially the daughter of King Christian VII of Denmark but most likely her biological father was Johann Friedrich Struensee, Christian VII’s physician. When she was only 14-years-old, Louise Augusta married Frederik Christian II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg and had two sons and one daughter. Their daughter Caroline Amalie became Queen of Denmark by marrying the future King Christian VIII of Denmark, son of Hereditary Prince Frederik of Denmark. Louise Auguste’s son Christian August II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg was the father of Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein who married Queen Victoria’s daughter Princess Helena. Another of Christian August II’s sons, Frederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, was the father of Princess Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein, the wife of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia.

• Wikipedia: Princess Louise Augusta of Denmark

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MATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Maternal First Cousins: Children of Carl II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and his first wife Princess Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt who died in childbirth giving birth to her tenth child who lived only one day

Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Duchess of Saxe-Hildburghausen (1769–1818)

Charlotte and her siblings grew up in Hanover, where their father served as governor, on behalf of his brother-in-law King George III of the United Kingdom, who was also King of Hanover. She married Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen (later Duke of Saxe-Altenburg) and had seven sons and five daughters, including Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen who became Queen of Bavaria by marrying King Ludwig I of Bavaria.

• Unofficial Royalty: Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Duchess of Saxe-Hildburghausen

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Duchess Therese of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Princess of Thurn and Taxis (1773–1839)

Therese married Karl Alexander, 5th Prince of Thurn and Taxis and had three daughters and four sons. Karl Alexander was Roman Catholic. Therese’s aunt Queen Charlotte of the United Kingdom and her husband King George III helped to broker the marriage and were responsible for ensuring that Therese could remain Protestant. Therese also had an illegitimate son and daughter with Maximilian, Graf von und zu Lerchenfeld auf Köfering und Schönberg. She Therese took an active role in the administration of the Princely House of Thurn and Taxis and was also devoted to art and literature.

• Wikipedia: Duchess Therese of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

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Duchess Luise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of Prussia (1776–1810)

Following her mother’s death in childbirth in 1782, Luise and her siblings were raised mostly by their maternal grandmother, Marie Louise Albertine of Leiningen-Falkenburg-Dagsburg. Luise and her sister Friederike attracted the attention of two Prussian princes. Luise married the future King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia, while Friederike married his brother Ludwig Karl. Luise and Friedrich Wilhelm III had five sons and four daughters including Friedrich Wilhelm IV, King of Prussia; Wilhelm I, King of Prussia, German Emperor; and Charlotte who married Nicholas I, Emperor of Russia. Luise took it upon herself to stay well-versed in the affairs of the country, earning her the respect of her husband’s advisers. While visiting her father in Strelitz, 34-year-old Luise died in her husband’s arms from an unidentified illness.

• Unofficial Royalty: Luise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of Prussia

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Duchess Friederike of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of Hanover (1778–1841)

Friederike married three times and had a total of ten children. When her sister Luise married the future King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia, Friederike married his brother Ludwig Karl and had two sons and one daughter. The marriage between Friederike and Ludwig was not very happy, with both of them allegedly having affairs. Prince Ludwig died of diphtheria just two days after their third wedding anniversary, leaving Friederike an 18-year-old widow with three children. Two years later, Friederike accepted a proposal from Prince Adolphus of the United Kingdom, Duke of Cambridge, her first cousin. Apparently, Friederike had not very lonely. Despite her unofficial engagement to Adolphus, she soon found herself pregnant with the child of Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Solms-Braunfels. The couple married and had five sons and one daughter. Within a few years of the marriage, the couple had drifted very far apart and were given permission to divorce but remained married.

Friederike fell in love with another first cousin, Prince Ernest August of the United Kingdom, Duke of Cumberland, a son of King George III of the United Kingdom and Friederike’s aunt Charlotte. Divorce proceedings were started but Friederike’s second husband Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Solms-Braunfels suddenly died and Friederike soon married Ernest August. After two stillborn daughters, the couple had one son. When Ernest Augustus’ brother King William IV died, he was succeeded by his niece, Victoria, as Queen of the United Kingdom but because Hanover did not allow for female succession, Friederike’s husband succeeded him as King Ernst August I of Hanover, and Friederike became Queen.

• Unofficial Royalty: Friederike of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of Hanover

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Georg, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1779–1860)

Georg married Princess Marie of Hesse-Kassel, the daughter of Landgrave Freidrich of Hesse-Kassel and Princess Caroline of Nassau-Usingen and had four children including Friedrich Wilhelm, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz who married his first cousin Princess Augusta of Cambridge and Princess Caroline Mariane who married the future King Frederik VII of Denmark. When Georg succeeded his father as Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, he found the grand duchy in great debt and in need of much rebuilding. He abolished serfdom and throughout his reign worked to raise the standards of education, building schools and instituting compulsory education. He made vast improvements to the infrastructure which would help to energize the grand duchy’s economy.

• Unofficial Royalty: Georg, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

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• Duchess Caroline Auguste of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1771–1773), died in childhood
• Duke Georg Carl of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1772–1773), died in childhood
• Duke Friedrich Georg of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (born and died 1774), died in infancy
• Duke Friedrich Karl of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1781–1783), died in childhood
• Duchess Augusta Albertine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (born and died 1782), died in infancy along with her mother

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Carl II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and his second wife Princess Charlotte of Hesse-Darmstadt who was the sister of Carl’s first wife. Like her sister, Charlotte died in childbirth.

Duke Karl of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1785–1837)

Karl’s mother died as a result of his birth. He had a career in the Prussian Army and never married. He fought in the Napoleonic Wars and attained the rank of a Lieutenant General. For the last ten years of his life, Karl was President of the Prussian State Council, an advisory body in the Kingdom of Prussia.

• Wikipedia: Duke Karl of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

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This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Lundy, D. (2019). Main Page. [online] Thepeerage.com. Available at: http://www.thepeerage.com/. (for genealogy information)
• Unofficial Royalty. (2019). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com. (for biographical and genealogy information)
• Wikipedia. (2019). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/.  (for biographical and genealogy information)

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (1819 – 1901)

(All photos credits – Wikipedia unless otherwise noted)

Queen Victoria was born at Kensington Palace in London, England on May 24, 1819. She was the only child of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Victoria’s father died when she was eight months old. Her paternal grandparents were King George III of the United Kingdom and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Her maternal grandparents were Franz Friedrich Anton, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and Augusta Reuss of Erbesdorf.

Eighteen months before Victoria’s birth, her first cousin Princess Charlotte of Wales died in childbirth along with her son. At the time of her death, Charlotte, who was second in line to the throne, was the only legitimate grandchild of King George III, despite the fact that twelve of his fifteen children were still alive. If Charlotte had survived her grandfather King George III and her father, the future King George IV, she would have become Queen. Her death left no legitimate heir in the second generation and prompted the aging sons of King George III to begin a frantic search for brides to provide for the succession. Victoria’s father was the fourth son of King George III but the eldest son who had a surviving child and so Victoria became the heir to the throne during the reign of George III’s third son King William IV and succeeded to the throne upon his death.

Victoria married her maternal first cousin Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and had nine children. She was the longest-reigning British sovereign until her great-great-great-granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II surpassed the length of her reign in 2015.

Victoria had seven paternal first cousins and 21 maternal first cousins. She shared her maternal first cousins with her half-siblings Carl, 3rd Prince of Leiningen and Princess Feodora of Leiningen, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and her husband Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

• Unofficial Royalty: Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom

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Paternal Aunts and Uncles of Queen Victoria: Children of King George III of the United Kingdom and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

• King George IV (1762 – 1830), married Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, had one daughter Princess Charlotte of Wales who died in childbirth as did her child
• Prince Frederick, Duke of York (1763 – 1827), married Frederica of Prussia, no children
• King William IV (1765 – 1837), married Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, no surviving legitimate issue, had illegitimate children
• Charlotte, Princess Royal, Queen of Württemberg (1766 – 1828), married King Friedrich I of Württemberg, no surviving children
• Princess Augusta Sophia (1768 -1840), never married, no children
• Princess Elizabeth, Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg (1770 – 1840), married Friedrich, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg, no children
• King Ernest Augustus I of Hanover, Duke of Cumberland (1771 – 1851), married Friederike of Mecklenburg-Strelitz; had one son
• Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex (1773 – 1843), married twice, both in contravention of the Royal Marriages Act of 1772 1) Lady Augusta Murray, had one son and one daughter, marriage annulled 2) Lady Cecilia Buggin (later 1st Duchess of Inverness), no children
• Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge (1774 – 1850), married Augusta of Hesse-Kassel, had one son and two daughters
• Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester (1776 – 1857), married Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester, no children
• Princess Sophia (1777 – 1848), never married, possible illegitimate issue
• Prince Octavius (1779 – 1783), died in childhood
• Prince Alfred (1780 – 1782), died in childhood
• Princess Amelia (1783 – 1810), never married

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Maternal Aunts and Uncles of Queen Victoria: Children of Franz Friedrich Anton, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and Augusta Reuss of Erbesdorf

• Sophie of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Countess of Mensdorff-Pouilly (1778 – 1835), married Emmanuel, Count of Mensdorff-Pouilly, had six sons
• Antoinette of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Duchess of Württemberg (1779 – 1824), married Alexander of Württemberg, had four sons and one daughter
• Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna after marriage) (1781 – 1860), married Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich of Russia, no issue, marriage annulled in 1820; had two illegitimate children
• Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1784 – 1844), married (1) Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, had two sons, Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria; married (2) Duchess Marie of Württemberg, daughter of his sister Antoinette, no issue; had three illegitimate children
• Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1785 – 1851), married Princess Maria Antonia Koháry, had three sons and one daughter including Ferdinand. King Consort of Portugal and Victoria, Duchess of Nemours; was the grandfather of Tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria
• Leopold I, King of the Belgians (1790 – 1865), married (1) Princess Charlotte of Wales, only child of George, Prince of Wales (King George IV), died in childbirth along with her son   (2)  Princess Louise of Orléans, had three sons and one daughter including Leopold II, King of the Belgians and Charlotte, Empress Carlota of Mexico
• Franz Maximilian Ludwig of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld  (1792 – 1793), died in infancy

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PATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Paternal First Cousins: Child of King George IV of the United Kingdom and Caroline of Brunswick

Princess Charlotte of Wales (1796 – 1817)

Had Princess Charlotte of Wales survived her grandfather King George III and her father King George IV, she would have become Queen of the United Kingdom. During her lifetime, Charlotte was second in the line of succession to the British throne after her father. Charlotte married Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and died in childbirth at the age of 21 along with her son eighteen months later. Charlotte’s pregnancy and delivery had been grossly mismanaged and the doctor in charge later died by suicide. She was mourned by the British people in a manner similar to the mourning of Diana, Princess of Wales. There is a very moving memorial to Charlotte in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.  Charlotte’s body is draped as she ascends to heaven along with angels, one of which carries her stillborn son.

Charlotte’s widower Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld greatly mourned Charlotte but his connection with the British Royal Family continued.  He was the uncle of both Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.  Leopold went on to become the first King of the Belgians, having been elected King by the Belgian National Congress in 1831.

• Unofficial Royalty: Princess Charlotte of Wales
• Unofficial Royalty: Death of Princess Charlotte of Wales in childbirth and its impact on the succession to the British throne

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Paternal First Cousins: Child of King Ernest Augustus I of Hanover, Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale and Friederike of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

George V, King of Hanover, Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale (1819 – 1878)

Prince George of Cumberland, the last King of Hanover, was the only child of King George III’s fifth son Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale. George was born three days after his first cousin Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent (later Queen Victoria), who was ahead of her cousin in the succession by being the child of King George III’s fourth son. In 1828, an accident with a swinging set of keys resulted in George losing some vision. By 1835, George was completely blind. George married Princess Marie of Saxe-Altenburg and had one son and two daughters.

In 1837, upon the accession of Queen Victoria, George’s father became King of Hanover. Up until the point, Hanoverian kings of the United Kingdom were also Electors or Kings of Hanover. However, Hanover followed the Salic Law which did not allow female succession. Ernest Augustus, as the eldest surviving son of King George III, became King of Hanover and his son George became the Crown Prince. George succeeded his father as King of Hanover and Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, as well as Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, in the Peerage of Great Britain, and Earl of Armagh, in the Peerage of Ireland. Fifteen years later, the monarchy was abolished when Hanover was annexed by Prussia.

• Unofficial Royalty: George V, King of Hanover, Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Prince Augustus, Duke of Sussex and Lady Augusta Murray

The sixth son and the ninth of the fifteen children of King George III of the United Kingdom and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Prince Augustus, Duke of Sussex is infamously known for making two marriages in contravention of the Royal Marriages Act 1772. The first marriage to Lady Augusta Murray resulted in the birth of two children. The marriage was null and void because it violated the Royal Marriages Act and the children were considered illegitimate and did not have succession rights. Nevertheless, they were first cousins of Queen Victoria.

Augustus Frederick d’Este (1794 – 1848)

Augustus Frederick D’Este was an active member of the Aborigines Protection Society and was particularly interested in Native Americans. He was also the earliest recorded person for whom a definite diagnosis of multiple sclerosis can be made. The diagnosis was made in 1948 after the discovery of the diaries he kept for 22 years detailing his symptoms. He never married, probably due to his illness.

• Wikipedia: Augustus D’Este

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Augusta Emma d’Este, Baroness Truro (1801-1866)

Augusta Emma D’Este married Thomas Wilde, 1st Baron Truro, but their marriage was childless. Like her father, she suffered from asthma and spent time in the warmer climates of Europe to ease her symptoms. Augusta kept in touch with her father and spent time at court attending Queen Adelaide, the wife of her uncle King William IV.

• Wikipedia: Augusta Emma d’Este

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge and Augusta of Hesse-Kassel

Prince George, 2nd Duke of Cambridge (1819 – 1904)

A maternal uncle of Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, the wife of King George V, Prince George was the son of King George III’s seventh son. He was born two months before his first cousin Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent (Queen Victoria), who was ahead of her cousin in the line of succession by being the child of King George III’s fourth son. George married actress Sarah Louisa Fairbrother and had three sons but the marriage was in contravention of the Royal Marriages Act so it was not legal and children of the marriage were illegitimate.

Because George’s sons were illegitimate, his title Duke of Cambridge became extinct upon his death. 107 years later, the title Duke of Cambridge was created for Prince William, his father’s great-great-great-great-grandson and the grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, on the occasion of William’s wedding.

• Unofficial Royalty: Prince George, 2nd Duke of Cambridge

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Princess Augusta of Cambridge, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1822 – 1916)

Princess Augusta of Cambridge married her maternal first cousin Friedrich Wilhelm, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and had two sons, but only one survived to adulthood. Because she had no daughter of her own, Augusta became very close with her niece Mary (May) of Teck, later the wife of King George V of the United Kingdom, and the two corresponded regularly until Augusta’s death.

Prior to the coronation of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and his wife Queen Alexandra in 1902, which Augusta attended, she was consulted on matters of ceremony and attire as she was almost the only person alive who could remember the coronation of King William IV and Queen Adelaide. Her recollection of Queen Victoria’s coronation also proved invaluable. Unfortunately, due to old age, Augusta was not able to attend the coronation of her niece May (Queen Mary) and her husband King George V of the United Kingdom in 1911.

At the time of her death, Augusta was 94 years, 4 months and 16 days old which made her, at that time, the longest-lived British Princess of the Blood Royal. Princess Alice of Albany, Countess of Athlone, the daughter of Queen Victoria’s son Prince Leopold, became the longest-lived British Princess of the Blood Royal in 1977 and died four years later at the age of at age 97 years and 313 days.

• Unofficial Royalty: Princess Augusta of Cambridge, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

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Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, Duchess of Teck (1833 – 1897)

Princess Mary Adelaide was a granddaughter of King George III, the mother of King George V’s wife Queen Mary, the grandmother of King Edward VIII and King George VI, and the great-grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II. Mary Adelaide weighed approximately 250 pounds and was affectionately known as “Fat Mary.” Her first cousin Queen Victoria wrote of her, “Her size is fearful. It is really a misfortune.” Because of her large size, many members of her family considered her unmarriageable. Mary Adelaide, however, was high-spirited and full of life and was adored by the Victorian public who called her “The People’s Princess.”

However, she married Francis, Duke of Teck and had two sons in addition to her already-mentioned daughter. Mary Adelaide devoted her life to charity, serving as the first royal patron of Barnardo’s, a charity still in existence, founded by Thomas Barnardo in 1866 to care for vulnerable children and young people. Barnardo’s has a long history of royal patrons and presidents including Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary (Mary Adelaide’s daughter), Queen Elizabeth II, Diana, Princess of Wales, and Queen Consort Camilla.

• Unofficial Royalty: Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, Duchess of Teck

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MATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Maternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Sophie of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and Emmanuel, Count of Mensdorff-Pouilly

Alexander von Mensdorff-Pouilly (1813 – 1871)

Alexander had a career in the Austrian Army and attained the rank of Lieutenant Field Marshal. He was the Austrian ambassador to Russia, Governor of Austrian Galicia, and Foreign Minister of the Austrian Empire. Alexander married Alexandrine von Dietrichstein, the heiress of Prince Joseph von Dietrichstein, and had two sons.

• Wikipedia: Alexander of Mensdorff-Pouilly

Other First Cousins: Children of Sophie of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and Emmanuel, Count og Mensdorff-Pouilly

• Hugo of Mensdorff-Pouilly (1806 – 1847), unmarried
• Alphons of Mensdorff-Pouilly (1810 – 1894), married (1) Countess Therese von Dietrichstein-Proskau-Leslie, had two daughters (2) Countess Maria Therese von Lamberg, had one son
• Alfred of Mensdorff-Pouilly (1812 – 1814), died in early childhood
• Leopold of Mensdorff-Pouilly (1815 – 1821), died in childhood
• Arthur of Mensdorff-Pouilly (1817 – 1904), married (1) Magdalene Kremzow, no children (2) Bianca von Wickenburg, no children

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Antoinette of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and Alexander of Württemberg

Duchess Marie of Württemberg, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha  (1799 – 1860)

When she was 33-years-old, Marie became the second wife of her 48-year-old maternal uncle Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. After her marriage, Marie was not only the first cousin but also the stepmother of her husband’s sons from his first marriage, Ernst (later Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) and Albert (later husband of Queen Victoria). Marie and Ernst had no children, but Marie had a good relationship with her stepsons and maintained a correspondence with Albert throughout their lives.

• Unofficial Royalty: Marie of Württemberg, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

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Duke Alexander of Württemberg (1804 – 1881)

Alexander’s branch of the Württemberg was not considered very prestigious but he did have some impressive royal connections. He was the nephew both of King Friedrich I of Württemberg (via his father) and of Leopold I of the Belgians (via his mother), a first cousin of both Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her husband Prince Albert as well the first cousins of King Ferdinand II of Portugal (via his mother) and Alexander I and Nicholas I, Emperors of All Russia (via his father.) Alexander married Princess Marie of Orléans, daughter of Louis-Philippe, King of the French and had one son.

• Wikipedia: Duke Alexander of Württemberg

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• Duke Paul of Württemberg (1800 – 1801), died in infancy
• Duke Ernst of Württemberg (1807 – 1868), married Natalie Eischborn, had one daughter
• Duke Friedrich Wilhelm Ferdinand of Württemberg (1810 – 1815), died in childhood

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and his first wife Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg

Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1818 – 1893)

Ernst II was the reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 1844 – 1893. He grew up and was educated with his brother Albert who was just a year younger. At the urging of Albert, who had married Queen Victoria in 1840, Ernst began his search for a bride. Ernst was suffering from a venereal disease as a result of his many affairs and had been warned that continued promiscuity could leave him unable to father children. He married Princess Alexandrine of Baden, the daughter of Leopold I, Grand Duke of Baden and Princess Sophie of Sweden. Their marriage was childless, perhaps due to Ernst passing the venereal disease to Alexandrine causing her to become infertile. Alexandrine was loyal and devoted to her husband despite his infidelities, and believed that their lack of children was her fault. Upon Ernst’s death, Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, his brother Albert’s second son, succeeded him as Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

• Unofficial Royalty: Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

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Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819 – 1861)

Albert was not only Queen Victoria’s husband but also her first cousin. Albert’s father and Victoria’s mother were siblings. Victoria and Albert had nine children. Their children and grandchildren married into other European royal families and their grandchildren sat upon the thrones of Germany/Prussia, Greece, Norway, Romania, Russia, Spain, and the United Kingdom as monarchs or consorts. Through these marriages, Victoria and Albert’s daughters and granddaughters transmitted the genetic disease hemophilia into other royal families. Albert’s early death at the age of 42 left Victoria in a perpetual state of widowhood that lasted the rest of her life. Victoria and Albert’s descendants currently sit upon the thrones of Denmark, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

• Unofficial Royalty: Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Consort

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and Princess Maria Antonia Koháry

When Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld married Princess Maria Antonia Koháry, daughter and heiress of Ferenc József, Prince of Koháry de Csábrág et Szitnya, he remained Lutheran but agreed that their children would be raised Roman Catholic, thereby establishing the Catholic branch of the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha family. When Antonia’s father died, she inherited his estates in Hungary and Ferdinand took the title of Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry.

Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, King Consort of Portugal (1816 – 1885)

Ferdinand’s marriage to Queen Maria II of Portugal was orchestrated by his paternal uncle Leopold I, King of the Belgians. At the time of the marriage, Ferdinand was created Prince Consort of Portugal. The couple had eleven children and following tradition, Ferdinand was elevated to King Consort following the birth of their eldest son, the future King Pedro V. Ferdinand preferred to stay out of politics and left the affairs of state to his wife but like his cousin Prince Albert who married their cousin Queen Victoria, Ferdinand often stood in for his wife during her numerous pregnancies. When Queen Maria II died after giving birth to their last child, Ferdinand served as Regent for his eldest son, the new King Pedro V, until he became of age. Ferdinand married again to Elise Hensler who was a Swiss-born American actress and opera singer but the couple had no children.

• Unofficial Royalty: Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, King Consort of Portugal

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Prince August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1818 – 1881)

August married Princess Clémentine of Orléans, daughter of Louis Philippe, King of the French and had five children including Ferdinand, reigning Prince of Bulgaria and later Tsar of Bulgaria. August and his family lived in Palais Coburg in Vienna, Austria and the Bürglaß Castle in Coburg. When his mother died, August inherited her extensive land in Hungary and became one of Hungary’s largest landowners.

• Wikipedia: Prince August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

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Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duchess of Nemours  (1822 – 1857)

Victoria married Louis of Orléans, Duke of Nemours, the second son of Louis Philippe, King of the French and had four children. She died ten days after giving birth to her last child.

• Wikipedia: Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

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Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1824 – 1884)

Leopold had a career in the Austrian Army. He had a son born out of wedlock with Constanze Geiger. The couple married six months after their son’s birth. Because the marriage was unequal, Leopold’s wife and son could not share his title and they were created Freihfrau (Countess) and Freiherr (Count) von Ruttenstein.

• Wikipedia: Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Leopold I, King of the Belgians and his second wife Princess Louise-Marie of Orléans

Louis Philippe, Crown Prince of Belgium (1833 – 1834)

Little Louis-Philippe did not fulfill his destiny to be the second King of the Belgians. He died two months short of his first birthday. His father Leopold I, King of the Belgians, recalling the death of his first wife Princess Charlotte of Wales and their son in childbirth, grieved deeply and feared he would never have an heir and this would compromise his position as king of the new Kingdom of the Belgians.

• Wikipedia: Louis Philippe, Crown Prince of Belgium

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Leopold II, King of the Belgians (1835 – 1909)

Leopold II was the second monarch of Belgium and is known for his exploitation of the Congo Free State in Africa for his personal gain and the atrocities committed against the Congolese people. He married Archduchess Marie Henriette of Austria, daughter of Archduke Joseph of Austria and his third wife Maria Dorothea of Württemberg. The couple had three daughters and one son who died at age 10 after falling into a pond and catching pneumonia. At the time of his death, Leopold II was extremely unpopular and his funeral procession was booed. He was succeeded by his nephew King Albert I, the son of his brother Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders.

• Unofficial Royalty: Leopold II, King of the Belgians

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Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders (1837 – 1905)

Prince Philippe is the ancestor of the current Belgian royal family as his son succeeded to the Belgian throne as Albert I, King of the Belgians. Philippe refused the offer of the throne of Romania which was later accepted by his future brother-in-law Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen who reigned as King Carol I of Romania. He married Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and had three daughters and two sons.

• Unofficial Royalty: Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders

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Princess Charlotte of Belgium, Empress Carlotta of Mexico (1840 – 1927)

Princess Charlotte was the only daughter and the youngest of the four children of Leopold I, King of Belgians and his second wife Princess Louise-Marie of Orléans. Her father named her after his first wife Princess Charlotte of Wales who died in childbirth along with their son. Charlotte married Archduke Maximilian of Austria, a younger brother of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria, but the couple had no children. After a French-staged referendum in Mexico that supposedly confirmed the will of the people that they wanted an empire, Maximilian agreed to become the Emperor of Mexico. Charlotte was then known as Empress Carlotta of Mexico. Maximilian’s reign of Mexico was short-lived. Many Mexicans wanted a republic instead of an empire and this led to continuous warfare. Three years after he became Emperor of Mexico, Maximilian was condemned to death by a court of war and executed by a firing squad. After the death of her husband, Charlotte apparently developed some kind of mental illness. She spent the rest of her life at Bouchout Castle in Meise, Belgium where her brother King Leopold II oversaw her care.

• Unofficial Royalty: Princess Charlotte of Belgium, Empress Carlotta of Mexico

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This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Lundy, D. (2019). Main Page. [online] Thepeerage.com. Available at: http://www.thepeerage.com/. (for genealogy information)
• Unofficial Royalty. (2019). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com. (for biographical and genealogy information)
• Wikipedia. (2019). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/.  (for biographical and genealogy information)

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

 

King Edward VII of the United Kingdom (1841 – 1910)

(All photos credits – Wikipedia unless otherwise noted)

King Edward VII was born on November 9, 1841, at Buckingham Palace in London, England. He was the eldest son and the second of the nine children of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her first cousin Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. His maternal grandparents were Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, fourth son of King George III of the United Kingdom and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. His paternal grandparents were Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and his first wife Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. Edward VII married Princess Alexandra of Denmark and had three sons and three daughters.

King Edward VII’s one paternal uncle had no children and his mother had no full siblings but did have two half-siblings. Edward VII has no paternal cousins and eight maternal half-first cousins. He shares his half-first cousins with his siblings Victoria, Princess Royal, German Empress, Queen of Prussia; Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine; Prince Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Edinburgh; Princess Helena, Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein; Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll; Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught; Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany; and Princess Beatrice, Princess Henry of Battenberg.

• Unofficial Royalty: King Edward VII of the United Kingdom

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Paternal Uncle of King Edward VII: Child of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg

• Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1818 – 1893), married Princess Alexandrine of Baden, no children

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Maternal Half-Aunt and Half-Uncle of King Edward VII: Children of Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and her first husband Emich Carl, 2nd Prince of Leiningen

• Carl, 3rd Prince of Leiningen (1804 – 1856), married Countess Maria Klebelsberg, had two sons
• Princess Feodora of Leiningen, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1807 – 1872), married Ernst I, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, had three sons and three daughters. Feodora’s granddaughter Princess Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg married Queen Victoria’s grandson Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia

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Maternal Half First Cousins: Children of Carl, 3rd Prince of Leiningen and Countess Maria Klebelsberg

Ernst Leopold, 4th Prince of Leiningen (1830 – 1904)

Ernst Leopold spent his childhood in England and had a career in the British Royal Navy. He attained the rank of Admiral and retired from the Royal Navy after a forty-six-year career. Upon the death of his father in 1856, Ernst Leopold became the 4th Prince of Leiningen but he was not a reigning prince. His great-grandfather Carl Friedrich Wilhelm, Count of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Hardenburg had received the Principality of Leiningen as a compensation for the lost Hardenburg estates in the Palatinate occupied by French revolutionary troops. Three years later, the territory encompassing the Principality of Leiningen became part of the newly established Grand Duchy of Baden, the Kingdom of Bavaria, and the Grand Duchy of Hesse. Ernst Leopold married Princess Marie of Baden, daughter of Leopold, Grand Duke of Baden and Sophie of Sweden. The couple had two sons, both born at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight in England, one of the two private homes of Queen Victoria, Ernst Leopold’s aunt.

• Wikipedia: Ernst Leopold, 4th Prince of Leiningen

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Prince Eduard Friedrich of Leiningen (1833 – 1914), unmarried

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Maternal Half First Cousins: Children of Princess Feodora of Leiningen and Ernst I, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

Carl Ludwig II, 5th Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1829 – 1907)

Carl Ludwig succeeded as 5th Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg after his father’s death. Nine days later, he renounced his rights as the reigning prince in favor of his brother Hermann because he intended to make a morganatic (unequal) marriage. However, he was able to keep his birth title. Carl Ludwig married Maria Grathwohl and had one son and two daughters.

• Wikipedia: Carl Ludwig II, 5th Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

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Princess Elise of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1830 – 1851)

Princess Elise died in Venice, Italy from tuberculosis. After her death, Queen Victoria sent her grieving half-sister Feodora a bracelet containing a copy of the above portrait. Feodora responded, “I think the miniature very good, and the setting so beautiful, the idea so beautiful … Only with tears I can thank you!”

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Hermann, 6th Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1832 – 1913)

Hermann became the 6th Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg when his elder brother Carl Ludwig renounced his rights after a reign of nine days. He had a military career in the Prussian Army and was a member of the Reichstag, the parliament of the German Empire. Hermann married Princess Leopoldine of Baden and had one son and one daughter. His son and successor Ernst II, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg married Queen Victoria’s granddaughter Princess Alexandra of Edinburg and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

• Wikipedia: Hermann, 6th Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

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Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1833 – 1891)

Victor was a British admiral, sculptor, artist, and watercolor painter and lived in the United Kingdom from the time he was 18-years old when he entered the Royal Navy. He served on active duty in the Royal Navy for 18 years. After his retirement, he was promoted to the rank of Retired Rear Admiral, Retired Vice Admiral and finally to Retired Admiral. He became quite famous as an artist and was particularly noted for his sculptures, including the huge statue of Alfred the Great in his traditional birthplace Wantage, Oxfordshire, England. (List of Victor’s sculptures)

Victor married Laura Seymour, daughter of Admiral Sir George Seymour, and the couple had three daughters and one son. Because this marriage was considered an unequal marriage, Laura could not use Victor’s title. Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Queen Victoria’s brother-in-law and first cousin, created her Countess Gleichen. Eventually, Queen Victoria allowed Laura to use her husband’s title within the British Empire.

Wikipedia: Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

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Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein  (1835 – 1900)

Napoléon III, Emperor of France offered a proposal of marriage to Adelheid’s parents. Adelheid’s aunt Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert were dead-set against the marriage and the negotiations were eventually halted. Instead, Adelheid married Frederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein and had seven children including Princess Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg who married Queen Victoria’s grandson, the future Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia.

• Unofficial Royalty: Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein

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Princess Feodora of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen (1839 – 1872)

Feodora was the second wife of Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. The marriage was primarily intended to find a mother for his children and was not a love match. Georg never got over the death of his first wife, with whom he shared many common interests. The same could not be said for his relationship with Feodora. His attempts to foster in her a love of the arts and theater proved unsuccessful, and he quickly realized that Feodora would never compare to his beloved first wife. Despite their differences, Feodora and Georg had three sons. Feodora died from scarlet fever at the age of 32.

Unofficial Royalty: Feodora of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen

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This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Lundy, D. (2019). Main Page. [online] Thepeerage.com. Available at: http://www.thepeerage.com/. (for genealogy information)
• Unofficial Royalty. (2019). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com. (for biographical and genealogy information)
• Wikipedia. (2019). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/.  (for biographical and genealogy information)

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

King George V of the United Kingdom (1865 – 1936)

(All photos credits – Wikipedia unless otherwise noted)

King George V of the United Kingdom was born on June 3, 1865, a month early, at Marlborough House in London, England. He was the second son and the second of the six children of King Edward VII and his wife Alexandra of Denmark, who were the Prince and Princess of Wales at that time. Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha were George’s paternal grandparents. His maternal grandparents were King Christian IX of Denmark and Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel. George’s elder brother Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence, known as Eddy, was expected to become king. However, Eddy died of pneumonia at the age of 28 and George became second in the line of succession after his father. George married Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, his deceased brother’s fiancee, and had five sons and one daughter.

The children and grandchildren of George’s paternal grandmother Queen Victoria married into other European royal families giving Victoria the unofficial title of “Grandmother of Europe.” Her grandchildren sat upon the thrones of Germany/Prussia, Greece, Norway, Romania, Russia, Spain, and the United Kingdom as monarchs or consorts. Similarly, George’s paternal grandfather King Christian IX of Denmark can be called the “Grandfather of Europe. His grandsons were the monarchs of Denmark, Greece, Norway, Russia, and the United Kingdom.

King George V had 34 paternal first cousins and 33 maternal first cousins for a total of 67 first cousins.  He shares his first cousins with his siblings Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence; Princess Louise, Princess Royal, Duchess of Fife; Princess Victoria; Princess Maud, Queen of Norway; and Prince Alexander John.

Because King George V has so many cousins and because Unofficial Royalty has articles on all of Queen Victoria’s children, grandchildren, and their spouses and on all of King Christian IX’s children and many of his grandchildren and Wikipedia has articles on the others, this article will be a list on the cousins, with some information and an Unofficial Royalty link or a Wikipedia link where more information can be found.

• Unofficial Royalty: King George V of the United Kingdom

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Paternal Aunts and Uncles of King George V: Children of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

• Victoria, Princess Royal (1840-1901) married (1858) Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia (1831-1888), had four sons and four daughters
• Princess Alice (1843-1878) married (1862) Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine(1837-1892), had two sons and five daughters
• Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1844-1900) married (1874) Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia (1853-1920), had one son and four daughters
• Princess Helena (1846-1923) married (1866) Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (1831-1917), had two sons and two daughters
• Princess Louise (1848-1939) married (1871) John Campbell, Marquess of Lorne, 9th Duke of Argyll (1845-1914); no issue
• Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught (1850-1942) married (1879) Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia (1860-1917), had one son and two daughters
• Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany (1853-1884) married (1882) Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont (1861-1922), had one son and one daughter
• Princess Beatrice (1857-1944) married (1885) Prince Henry of Battenberg (1858-1896), had three sons and one daughter

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Maternal Aunts and Uncles of King George V: Children of King Christian IX of Denmark and Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel

• King Frederik VIII of Denmark (1843 – 1912), married (1869) Princess Louise of Sweden,  (1851 – 1926), had issue
• Prince Vilhelm of Denmark, who became King George I of Greece (1845 – 1913), married (1867) Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia, (1851 – 1926), had issue
• Princess Dagmar of Denmark, Maria Feodorovna after marriage (1847 – 1928), married (1866) Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia  (1845 – 1894), had issue
• Princess Thyra of Denmark (1853 – 1933), married (1878) Crown Prince Ernst August of Hanover, 3rd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale,  (1845 – 1923), had issue
• Prince Valdemar of Denmark (1858 – 1939), married (1885) Princess Marie of Orléans (1865 – 1909), had issue

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PATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Victoria, Princess Royal and Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia

• Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia (1859-1941) married (1) (1881) Princess Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg (1858-1921), had issue, Greek and Spanish Royal Families descend from this marriage;  married (2) (1922) Princess Hermine of Reuss (1887-1947), no issue
• Princess Charlotte of Prussia (1860-1919) married (1878) Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (1851-1928), had issue
• Prince Heinrich of Prussia (1862-1929) married (1888) Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine (1866-1953), a grandchild of Queen Victoria, had issue
• Prince Sigismund of Prussia (1864-1866), died young from meningitis
• Princess Viktoria of Prussia (1866-1929), married (1) (1890) Prince Adolf of Schaumburg-Lippe (1859-1917), no issue; married (2) (1927) Alexander Zoubkoff (1901-1936), no issue
• Prince Waldemar of Prussia (1868-1879), died young from diphtheria
• Princess Sophie of Prussia (1870-1932), married (1889) King Constantine I of Greece (1868-1923), had issue, Greek, Romanian, Serbian, and Spanish Royal Families descend from this marriage
• Princess Margarete of Prussia (1872-1954), (1893) married Prince Friedrich Karl of Hesse(1868-1940), had issue

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom and Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine

• Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine (1863-1950), married (1884) Prince Louis of Battenberg (1854-1921) after 1917 Louis Mountbatten 1st Marquess of Milford Haven, had issue, British Royal Family (line of Prince Charles, Prince of Wales) descends from this marriage
• Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine (1864-1918), married (1885) Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia (1857-1905), no issue
• Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine (1866-1953), married (1888) Prince Heinrich of Prussia (1862-1929), a grandchild of Queen Victoria, had issue
• Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine (1868-1937), married (1) (1894) Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh (1876-1936), a grandchild of Queen Victoria, had issue, divorced 1901; married (2) (1905) Princess Eleanore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich (1871-1937), had issue
• Prince Friedrich of Hesse and by Rhine (1870-1873), was a hemophiliac, died young from a brain hemorrhage after falling out a window
• Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine (1872-1918), married (1894) Nicholas II, Emperor of All  Russia (1868-1918), had issue (all died 1918)
• Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine (1874-1878), died young from diphtheria

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia

• Prince Alfred of Edinburgh, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1874-1899), died unmarried, attempted suicide by shooting himself, later died from the injuries
• Princess Marie of Edinburgh (1875-1938), married (1893) King Ferdinand of Romania (1865-1927), had issue, Romanian and Serbian Royal Families descend from this marriage
• Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh (1876-1936), married (1) (1894) Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine (1862-1937), a grandchild of Queen Victoria, had issue, divorced 1901; married (2) (1905) Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia (1876-1938), had issue
• Princess Alexandra of Edinburgh (1878-1942), married (1896) Prince Ernst II of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1863-1950); had issue
• Princess Beatrice of Edinburgh (1884-1966), married (1909) Infante Alfonso of Spain, Duke of Galliera (1886-1975), had issue

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Helena and Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein

• Prince Christian Victor of Schleswig-Holstein (1867-1900), died unmarried of malaria while serving in the Boer War
• Prince Albert, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein (1869-1931), died unmarried, had illegitimate issue
• Princess Helena Victoria (1870-1948), Princess of Schleswig-Holstein 1870-1917, Princess Helena Victoria 1917-1948, died unmarried
• Princess Marie Louise (1872-1956), Princess of Schleswig-Holstein 1870-1917, Princess Marie Louise 1917-1956, married (1891) Prince Aribert of Anhalt, no issue, marriage dissolved 1900
• Prince Harald of Schleswig-Holstein (1876), died in infancy

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia

• Princess Margaret of Connaught (1882-1920), married (1905) Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden (1882-1973), had issue, Margaret died before her husband became King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden, Danish, and Swedish Royal Families descend from this marriage
• Prince Arthur of Connaught (1883-1938), married Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife (1891-1959), a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria, had issue
• Princess Patricia of Connaught (1886-1974), married (1919) The Honorable Alexander Ramsay (1881-1972), had issue, upon her marriage Patricia voluntarily relinquished her title of Princess and her style Royal Highness and was known as Lady Patricia Ramsay

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany and Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont

• Princess Alice of Albany (1883-1981), married (1904) Prince Alexander of Teck (1874-1957) after 1917 Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone, had issue
• Prince Charles Edward, Duke of Albany, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1884-1954), deprived of British titles in 1919, married (1905) Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein (1885-1970), had issue, Swedish Royal Family descends from this marriage

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Beatrice and Prince Henry of Battenberg

• Prince Alexander of Battenberg (1886-1960), after 1917 Alexander Mountbatten, Marquess of Carisbrooke, married (1917) Lady Irene Denison (1890-1956), had issue
• Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg (1887-1969), married (1906) King Alfonso XIII of Spain (1886-1931), had issue, Spanish Royal Family descends from this marriage
• Prince Leopold of Battenberg (1889-1922), after 1917 Lord Leopold Mountbatten, died unmarried, hemophiliac, died after an operation
• Prince Maurice of Battenberg (1891-1914), died unmarried, killed in action during the First World War

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MATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Maternal First Cousins: Children of King Frederik VIII of Denmark and Princess Louise of Sweden

• King Christian X of Denmark (1870 -1947), married (1898) Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1879 – 1952), had issue, Danish Royal Family descends from this marriage
• Prince Carl of Denmark, later King Haakon VII of Norway (1872 – 1957), married (1896) Princess Maud of Wales (1869 – 1938), daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, had one son, Norwegian Royal Family descends from this marriage
• Princess Louise of Denmark (1875 – 1906) married (1896) Prince Friedrich of Schaumburg-Lippe,  (1868 – 1945), had issue
• Prince Harald of Denmark (1876 – 1949) married (1909) Princess Helena Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (1888 -1962) had issue
• Princess Ingeborg of Denmark (1878 – 1958), married (1897) Prince Carl of Sweden, Duke of Västergötland, (1861 – 1951), had issue, Norwegian Royal Family and Belgian Royal Family descend from this marriage
• Princess Thyra of Denmark (1880 – 1945), unmarried
• Prince Gustav of Denmark (1887 – 1944), unmarried
• Princess Dagmar of Denmark (1890 – 1961) married (1922) Jørgen Castenskiold (1893- 1978), had issue

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Prince Vilhelm of Denmark, King George I of Greece and Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia

• King Constantine I of Greece (1868 – 1923) married (1889) Princess Sophie of Prussia (1870 –1932), had issue, Greek Royal Family descends from this marriage
• Prince George of Greece (1869 – 1957) married (1907) Princess Marie Bonaparte (1882 – 1962) had issue
• Princess Alexandra of Greece (1870 – 1891) married (1889) Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia (1860 – 1919), executed during the Russian Revolution, had issue
• Prince Nicholas of Greece (1872 – 1938) married (1902) Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia (1882 – 1957), had issue
• Princess Maria of Greece (1876 – 1940) married (1900) (1) Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia (1863 – 1919), executed during the Russian Revolution, had issue; married (1922)  (2) Admiral Perikles Ioannidis (1881 – 1965), no issue
• Princess Olga (born and died 1880) died in infancy
• Prince Andrew of Greece (1882 – 1944) married (1903) Princess Alice of Battenberg, (1885 – 1969), had issue, parents of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, British Royal Family descends from this marriage
• Prince Christopher of Greece (1888 – 1940) married (1920) (1) Nancy Stewart Worthington Leeds (1878 – 1923), no issue; married (1929) (2) Princess Françoise of Orléans,  (1902 – 1953), had issue

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Dagmar of Denmark, Maria Feodorovna after marriage, and Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia

• Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia (1868 – 1918), married (1894) Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine (Alexandra Feodorovna) (1872 – 1918), had five children, the entire family was executed during the Russian Revolution
• Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich (1869 – 1870), died young of meningitis
• Grand Duke George Alexandrovich (1871 – 1899), unmarried, died of tuberculosis
• Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna (1875 – 1960), married (1894) Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia,  (1866 – 1933), had seven children
• Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich (1878 – 1918), married (1912) Natalia Sergeyevna Sheremetyevskaya, Countess Brasova  (1880 – 1952), had one child
• Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna (1882 – 1960), married (1901) (1) Peter Friedrich Georg, Duke of Oldenburg (1868 – 1924), no children, marriage annulled 1916; married (1916) (2) Nikolai Kulikovsky,  (1881 – 1958), had two children

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Thyra of Denmark and Crown Prince Ernest Augustus of Hanover, 3rd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale

• Princess Marie Louise of Hanover (1879 – 1948), married (1900) Prince Maximilian of Baden,  (1867 – 1929) had two children
• Prince Georg Wilhelm of Hanover (1880 – 1912), unmarried, killed in a car accident
• Princess Alexandra of Hanover (1882 – 1963)  married (1904) Friedrich Franz IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1882 – 1945), had five children
• Princess Olga of Hanover (1884 – 1958), unmarried
• Prince Christian of Hanover (1885 – 1901), died from peritonitis
• Ernst Augustus, Duke of Brunswick (1887 – 1953), married (1913) Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia,  (1892 – 1980), had five children, Greek Royal Family descends from this marriage

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Prince Valdemar of Denmark and Princess Marie of Orléans

• Prince Aage of Denmark (1887 – 1940), married (1914) Matilda Calvi dei conti di Bergolo (1885 – 1949), due to the unequal marriage, he renounced his place in the line of succession to the Danish throne, forfeited the title Prince of Denmark, and was then titled Prince Aage, Count of Rosenborg; had one son, divorced 1939
• Prince Axel of Denmark (1888 – 1964), married (1919) Princess Margaretha of Sweden (1899 – 1977), had two sons
• Prince Erik of Denmark (1890 – 1950), married (1924) Lois Frances Booth (1897 – 1941), a Canadian, due to the unequal marriage, he renounced his place in the line of succession to the Danish throne, forfeited the title Prince of Denmark, and was then titled Prince Erik, Count of Rosenborg, had one son and one daughter, divorced 1937
• Prince Viggo of Denmark (1893 – 1970), married (1924) Eleonor Green (1895 – 1966), an American, due to the unequal marriage, he renounced his place in the line of succession to the Danish throne, forfeited the title Prince of Denmark, and was then titled Prince Viggo, Count of Rosenborg, had no children
• Princess Margrethe of Denmark (1895 – 1992), married (1921) Prince René of Bourbon-Parma (1894 – 1962), had three sons and one daughter

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This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Lundy, D. (2019). Main Page. [online] Thepeerage.com. Available at: http://www.thepeerage.com/. (for genealogy information)
• Unofficial Royalty. (2019). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com. (for biographical and genealogy information)
• Wikipedia. (2019). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/.  (for biographical and genealogy information)

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, later The Duke of Windsor (1894 – 1972)

 

King George VI of the United Kingdom (1894 – 1952)

(All photos credits – Wikipedia unless otherwise noted)

King Edward VIII, the Duke of Windsor after his abdication, was born on June 23, 1894, at White Lodge, Richmond Park on the outskirts of London, England. At the time of his birth, his great-grandmother Queen Victoria sat upon the throne of the United Kingdom. His parents, the future King George V and Queen Mary were the Duke and Duchess of York and his grandparents, the future King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra were Prince and Princess of Wales. The infant prince was the eldest son of his parents and was third in the line of succession behind his grandfather and father. Christened Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David, he was known as David. After his abdication in 1936, he married Wallis Simpson and had no children.

Eighteen months after David’s birth, another son was born into the family on December 14, 1895, at York Cottage, his parents’ home on the grounds of the Sandringham estate in Sandringham, Norfolk, England. Christened Albert Frederick Arthur George, he was known as Bertie and would succeed his elder brother upon his abdication as King George VI. He married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon and had two daughters.

The brothers’ paternal grandparents were King Edward VII, eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Alexandra of Denmark, eldest daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark and Louise of Hesse-Kassel. Their mother had been born Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, known as May, the eldest of the four children and the only daughter of Prince Francis, Duke of Teck and Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, a first cousin of Queen Victoria.

The Duke of Windsor and King George VI had ten first cousins. They share their first cousins with their siblings Mary, Princess Royal, Countess of Harewood; Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester; Prince George, Duke of Kent; and Prince John.

• Unofficial Royalty: King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, Duke of Windsor
• Unofficial Royalty: King George VI of the United Kingdom

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Paternal Aunts and Uncles: Children of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Alexandra of Denmark

• Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (1864 – 1892), unmarried
• Princess Louise, Princess Royal, Duchess of Fife (1867 – 1931), married Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife; had two daughters
• Princess Victoria (1868 – 1935), unmarried
• Princess Maud, Queen of Norway (1869 – 1938), married King Haakon VII of Norway; had one son
• Prince Alexander John (born and died 1871)

Maternal Aunts and Uncles: Children of Prince Francis, Duke of Teck, and Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge

• Prince Adolphus of Teck, later Duke of Teck and Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge (1868 – 1927), married Lady Margaret Evelyn Grosvenor, had two sons and two daughters
• Prince Francis of Teck (1870 – 1910), unmarried
• Prince Alexander of Teck, later Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone (1874 – 1957), married Princess Alice of Albany, granddaughter of Queen Victoria, had one daughter and two sons

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PATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Louise, Princess Royal and Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife

Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife, Princess Arthur of Connaught (1891 – 1959)

Princess Alexandra was the eldest surviving child of Princess Louise, Princess Royal and Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife. As a female-line great-granddaughter of the British sovereign, (Queen Victoria) at birth, Alexandra was not entitled to the title of Princess or the style Royal Highness. Instead, she was styled Lady Alexandra Duff, the style of daughters of a Duke. The Letters Patent for her father’s title allowed the dukedom to pass to the daughters of the 1st Duke of Fife if he had no son, and then to the male heirs of his daughters. Therefore, Alexandra became heir to her father’s dukedom and did succeed her father as 2nd Duchess of Fife in her own right.

When Alexandra’s mother was created Princess Royal in 1905, Alexandra and her sister Maud were granted the title of Princess with the style of “Highness” and received precedence immediately after all members of the royal family bearing the style of “Royal Highness.” Alexandra married her first cousin once removed, Prince Arthur of Connaught, the only son of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught who was a son of Queen Victoria.

• Unofficial Royalty: Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife

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Princess Maud of Fife, Countess of Southesk (1893 – 1945)

Princess Maud of Fife was the younger of the two daughters of Princess Louise, Princess Royal and Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife. Maud married Charles Carnegie, the eldest son of Charles Noel Carnegie, 10th Earl of Southesk. The couple had one child, James Carnegie. After her marriage, Maud stopped using ‘Her Highness Princess Maud’ and was known as Lady Carnegie, and later The Countess of Southesk after her husband succeeded his father as the 11th Earl of Southesk. Maud’s son James Carnegie succeeded his maternal aunt Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife, as the 3rd Duke of Fife, because her only child, Alastair, 2nd Duke of Connaught, had predeceased her. James also succeeded his father upon his death in 1992 as the 12th Earl of Southesk and as Chief of the Clan Carnegie.

• Unofficial Royalty: Princess Maud, Countess of Southesk

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Maud of Wales, Queen of Norway and King Haakon VII of Norway

King Olav V of Norway (1903 – 1991)

King Olav V of Norway was born Prince Alexander of Denmark on July 2, 1903, at Appleton House on the Sandringham Estate in Sandringham, Norfolk, England. He was the only child of Prince Carl of Denmark, son of King Frederik VIII of Denmark, and Princess Maud of Wales, daughter of the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. At the time of his birth, there was little expectation that he would one day become a king himself. However, this would all change in 1905, when his father was named as the new King of Norway, taking the name Haakon VII. Young Alexander was given the more Norwegian-sounding name Olav and at the age of just two years old, became Crown Prince of Norway.

Olav represented Norway in the 1928 Olympic Games, winning a Gold Medal in the sailing competition and remained active in sailing his whole life. He married Princess Märtha of Sweden and had one son, King Harald V of Norway, and two daughters. Sadly, Märtha died of cancer before Olav succeeded his father in 1957.

• Unofficial Royalty: King Olav V of Norway

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MATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Maternal First Cousins: Children of Prince Adolphus of Teck, later Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge and Lady Margaret Evelyn Grosvenor

Prince George of Teck, later 2nd Marquess of Cambridge (1895 – 1981)

Styled His Serene Highness Prince George of Teck at birth, George’s name and title changed in 1917, when King George V requested that his relatives who were British subjects relinquish their German titles, styles, and designations, due to anti-German sentiment during World War I. George’s father became Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge and George became George Cambridge, Earl of Eltham, one of his father’s subsidiary titles. George married Dorothy Hastings and they had one daughter. Upon his father’s death, George succeeded to the title Marquess of Cambridge. However, the title became extinct upon George’s death because he had no sons and his only brother had died in World War II.

• Wikipedia: George Cambridge, 2nd Marquess of Cambridge

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Princess Mary of Teck, later Lady Mary Cambridge, Duchess of Beaufort  (1897 – 1987)

Like her brother George, Princess Mary of Teck’s title changed in 1917 to Lady Mary Cambridge. She was a bridesmaid at the wedding of her first cousin Prince Albert, Duke of York and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. Mary married Henry Somerset, 10th Duke of Beaufort but the couple had no children.

• Wikipedia: Mary Somerset, Duchess of Beaufort

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Princess Helena of Teck, later Lady Helena Cambridge, Lady Helen Gibbs (1899 – 1969)

In 1917, as per King George V’s request, Princess Helena of Teck relinquished her German title and was then styled Lady Helena Cambridge. Lady Helena married Colonel John Gibbs, a veteran of the Boer Wars and World War I but their marriage was childless.

• Wikipedia: Lady Helen Gibbs

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Prince Frederick of Teck, later Lord Frederick Cambridge (1907 – 1940)

Born Prince Frederick of Teck, like the rest of his family, he relinquished his title in 1917 and was then styled Lord Frederick Teck. During World War II, Frederick served as a Captain in the Coldstream Guards. He was killed in action in Leuven, Belgium and was buried in Heverlee War Cemetery in Belgium.

• Wikipedia: Lord Frederick Cambridge

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Prince Alexander of Teck, later Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone and Princess Alice of Albany

Princess May of Teck, later Lady May Cambridge, Lady May Abel Smith (1906- 1994)

Princess May of Teck was the eldest of the three children of Prince Alexander of Teck and Princess Alice of Albany, the daughter of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, the hemophiliac son of Queen Victoria. At the request of King George V, the family relinquished their German titles. May’s father became Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone and May was styled Lady May Cambridge. When Lady May married Henry Abel Smith in 1931, the future Queen Elizabeth II was one of her child bridesmaids. Lady May and her husband had two daughters and one son.

Wikipedia: Lady May Abel Smith

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Prince Rupert of Teck, later Rupert Cambridge, Viscount Trematon (1907 – 1928)

In 1917, Prince Rupert of Teck, along with the rest of his family, gave up his title and was then styled Rupert Cambridge, Viscount Trematon, one of his father’s subsidiary titles. Rupert inherited hemophilia from his mother Princess Alice of Albany. Princess Alice’s father, Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany was Queen Victoria’s youngest son and had hemophilia. The daughter of a hemophiliac will always be a carrier because her father can only pass on to her an X chromosome with hemophilia on it.

On April 1, 1928, Rupert was driving with two of his friends when the car skidded and crashed into a tree. One of his friends died due to injuries and the other was only slightly injured. At first, Rupert also did not seem to be seriously injured. However, after being in the hospital for several days, he began to hemorrhage from the ear due to a slight fracture of the skull. The bleeding was arrested and Rupert seemed to be improving, but it did not last. On April 15, 1928, 20-year-old Rupert died from an injury he probably would have recovered from had he not been a hemophiliac.

• Wikipedia: Rupert Cambridge, Viscount Trematon
• Unofficial Royalty: Hemophilia in Queen Victoria’s Family

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Prince Maurice of Teck (born and died 1910)

Prince Maurice of Teck was born March 29, 1910. On September 14, 1910, five-month-old Maurice died at Reinhardsbrunn Castle in Germany while his family was visiting Princess Alice’s brother, Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Maurice was interred on a burial island on the grounds of Reinhardsbrunn Castle.

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Works Cited

• Lundy, D. (2019). Main Page. [online] Thepeerage.com. Available at: http://www.thepeerage.com/. (for genealogy information)
• Unofficial Royalty. (2019). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com. (for biographical and genealogy information)
• Wikipedia. (2019). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/.  (for biographical and genealogy information)