| Prince Alfred | |
|---|---|
| Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | |
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| Full name | |
| Alfred Alexander William Ernest Albert | |
| Titles | |
| HRH The Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha HRH Prince Alfred of Edinburgh |
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| Royal house | House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha |
| Father | Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha |
| Mother | Maria Alexandrovna of Russia |
| Born | 15 October 1874 Buckingham Palace, London |
| Baptised | 27 November 1874 Buckingham Palace, London |
| Died | 06 February 1899 (aged 24) Merano, Italy |
| Burial | Friedenstein Castle, Germany |
Hereditary Prince Alfred of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Alfred Alexander William Ernest Albert; 15 October 1874 – 6 February 1899) was born a member of the British Royal Family.
Contents |
Early life
Prince Alfred of Edinburgh was born on 15 October 1874 at Buckingham Palace, London. His father was Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, second eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. His mother was Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, a daughter of Alexander II of Russia and Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine. He was baptised in the Lower Bow Room of Buckingham Palace November 27 1874 by Archibald Tait, Archbishop of Canterbury and his godparents were Queen Victoria, the Tsar of Russia, the German Emperor and German Crown Princess, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and the Prince of Wales.
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
In 1893, his granduncle, Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, brother of his paternal grandfather, died without an heir. Being ineligible under Duchy law to occupy the ducal throne[1], The Prince of Wales had previously renounced his claim to the ducal throne of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, therefore the vacant duchy fell to Alfred's father, the Duke of Edinburgh. Alfred thus became styled HRH The Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Prince Alfred had lived in Clarence House in the early years of his life with his parents and sisters - after his father's accession to the ducal throne of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, he moved to Schloss Rosenau at Coburg.
Later life
By 1899, Alfred began exhibiting severe symptoms of the syphilis he had acquired as a young and wild Guards officer. He married Mabel Fitzgerald in Potsdam in 1898. However the marriage was contrary to the House laws and was void[1]. Sandner also notes that he was suffering from syphilis when he was absent from his parents’ silver wedding celebrations on 22 January 1899. The reason given was nervous depression. However he had attempted suicide by shooting himself with a revolver. For three days he was looked after at Schloss Friedenstein before being sent - badly wounded – to the Sanitorium Martinnsbrunn in Gratsch bei Meran in the Tyrol. Alfred died there at a quarter past four on the afternoon of February 6 1899. He was 24 years old.[1] His death meant the throne of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha would pass to his uncle, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught. However, the Duke of Connaught renounced his claim to the Duchy on behalf of himself and his only son, Prince Arthur of Connaught. The Dukedom passed to Prince Charles Edward, Duke of Albany (the posthumous son of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, Queen Victoria's fourth son).
Ancestors
| Alfred, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | Father: Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha |
Paternal Grandfather: Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha |
Paternal Great-grandfather: Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha |
| Paternal Great-grandmother: Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg |
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| Paternal Grandmother: Victoria of the United Kingdom |
Paternal Great-grandfather: Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent and Strathearn |
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| Paternal Great-grandmother: Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld |
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| Mother: Maria Alexandrovna of Russia |
Maternal Grandfather: Alexander II of Russia |
Maternal Great-grandfather: Nicholas I of Russia |
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| Maternal Great-grandmother: Charlotte of Prussia |
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| Maternal Grandmother: Marie of Hesse |
Maternal Great-grandfather: Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse |
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| Maternal Great-grandmother: Wilhelmine of Baden |
Titles, styles, honours and arms
Titles
- 15 October 1874–23 August 1893: His Royal Highness Prince Alfred of Edinburgh
- 23 August 1893–6 February 1899: His Royal Highness The Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Arms
As a male-line grandson of the British Sovereign, young Alfred bore the royal arms, with an inescutcheon of the shield of Saxony, all differenced by a label argent of five points, the odd bearing crosses gules and even anchors azure.[2]
References
- ^ a b c Sandner, Harold [2004]. "II.4.2 Erbprinz Alfred", Das Haus von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha 1826 bis 2001, Andreas, Prinz von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha (preface) (in German), 96450 Coburg: Neue Presse GmbH, 155-156. ISBN 3000085254.
- ^ Heraldica – British Royalty Cadency
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| 1st Generation | |
| 2nd Generation | |
| 3rd Generation | |
| 4th Generation | |
| 5th Generation | |
| 6th Generation | |
| 7th Generation |
Albert, Duke of Clarence · George V of the United Kingdom · John of Wales · Alfred, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha · George of Hanover · Arthur of Connaught · Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha · Christian of Hanover · Ernest, Duke of Brunswick |
| 8th Generation |
Edward VIII of the United Kingdom · George VI of the United Kingdom · Henry, Duke of Gloucester · George, Duke of Kent · The Prince John · John Leopold, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha · Hubertus of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha · Ernest Augustus IV, Prince of Hanover · Alastair, Duke of Connaught · George of Hanover |
| 9th Generation | |
| 10th Generation | |
| 11th Generation | |
