Category Archives: British Royals

Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Credit – Wikipedia

Born on December 21, 1804 in Bloomsbury, London, England, Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice during the reign of Queen Victoria, from February 1868 – December 1868 and from 1874 – 1880. Disraeli was the eldest son and the second of the five children of Isaac D’Israeli, a literary critic and historian, and Maria (Miriam) Basevi. All of Disraeli’s grandparents and great-grandparents were born in Italy and were from a Sephardic Jewish background. His paternal grandfather, Benjamin D’Israeli was a Jewish merchant who had emigrated from Cento, Italy in 1748.

Disraeli had five siblings:

  • Sarah D’Israeli (1802–1859)
  • Naphtali D’Israeli (born and died 1807), died in infancy
  • Raphael D’Israeli (“Ralph”; 1809–1898), known as Ralph Disraeli, held the office of Deputy Clerk of the Parliaments, married and had one son and one daughter
  • Jacobus D’Israeli (1813–1868), known as James Disraeli, married Isabella Anne Cave, no surviving children

When Disraeli was about six-years-old, he began to attend a dame school, a private elementary school with a woman teacher often located in the teacher’s home. About two years later, he became a boarder at Rev. John Potticary’s St Piran’s School in Blackheath, London. Disraeli was originally raised in the Jewish faith but in 1816, his father had a dispute with his synagogue, renounced Judaism, and had his four children christened in the Church of England.

This change of religion allowed an older Disraeli to think about a career in politics. Until 1858, Members of Parliament were required to take an oath of allegiance containing these words: “…and I make this Declaration upon the true Faith of a Christian…” The Jews Relief Act 1858 allowed any person professing the Jewish religion to omit those words when taking the oath of allegiance.

In 1817, Disraeli began to attend a school run by run by Eliezer Cogan, a minister and a scholar, in Higham Hill, Walthamstow, near London. He was unhappy at the school and had wanted to attend Winchester College, one of the most prestigious schools in England, attended by many future politicians and where his two younger brothers were sent.

Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield after Sir Francis Grant mezzotint, (circa 1830-1850) NPG D18883 © National Portrait Gallery, London

In 1821, Disraeli was employed as a clerk at a law firm and began to study law. In 1827, he began writing the first of his seventeen novels. He continued writing novels the rest of his life and when he died, he left an unfinished novel. With the money earned from his first novel, he traveled in Europe. Between 1832 and 1835, Disraeli unsuccessfully ran several times for a seat in the House of Commons. Finally, in 1837, the year of Queen Victoria’s accession to the throne, he won a seat as a Conservative Member of Parliament. After having a rough start, Disraeli became a loyal supporter of the party leader Sir Robert Peel and his policies.

Mary Anne Lewis by James Godsell Middleton, circa 1820 – 1830; Credit – Wikipedia

On August 28, 1839, at St. George’s Church, in Hanover Square in London, England, Disraeli married Mary Anne Lewis, the widow of Wyndham Lewis, a Member of Parliament and a close associate of Disraeli. Mary Anne was twelve years older than Disraeli and had a substantial income of £5,000 a year. It is thought that Disraeli married her for her money but the couple learned to love each other. They had no children.

When Sir Robert Peel became Prime Minister in 1841, Disraeli hoped for a Cabinet position but did not receive one and he gradually became a critic of Peel’s government. The Great Irish Potato Famine had caused a disastrous fall in food supplies and so Peel decided to join with Whigs and Radicals to repeal the Corn Laws which imposed tariffs and other trade restrictions on imported food and grain. Peel’s Conservative Party failed to support the bill but it passed with support from other parties and the Duke of Wellington persuaded the House of Lords to pass it. Following the repeal of the Corn Law, Peel resigned as Prime Minister on June 29, 1846.

When the Conservative Party came back in power in 1852 with Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby as Prime Minister, Disraeli finally got a Cabinet position. He served in the Cabinet as Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1852, 1858 – 1859 and 1866 – 1868. In 1868, Lord Derby died in office and Disraeli succeed him as Prime Minister. In the 1869 elections, the Liberal Party won a majority and William Ewart Gladstone became Prime Minister. Disraeli served as Leader of the Opposition during two of Gladstone’s terms: 1868 – 1874 and from 1880 until his death in 1881.

Disraeli in the 1860s; Credit – Wikipedia

Disraeli served one more term as Prime Minister, from 1874 – 1880. Queen Victoria originally disliked Disraeli due to his treatment of Sir Robert Peel, her second Prime Minister. However, over time she grew to like Disraeli because he took great pains to treat her with flattery. One of his famous quotes was, “Everybody likes flattery and, when you come to royalty, you should lay it on with a trowel.” One thing Queen Victoria wanted was an imperial title. She was disturbed because Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia held a higher rank than her, and was appalled that her eldest daughter Victoria who was married to the Crown Prince of Prussia and the future German Emperor, would outrank her when her husband came to the throne.

A cartoon from the magazine Punch, New Crowns for Old, depicts Disraeli as Abanazer from the pantomime Aladdin, offering Victoria an imperial crown in exchange for a royal one; Credit – Wikipedia

Queen Victoria pressured Disraeli to introduce a bill that would make her Empress of India. Disraeli did so but his handling of the bill was awkward. He did not notify either the Prince of Wales or the Liberal opposition. When they found out, the Prince of Wales was irritated and the Liberals went into motion with a full-scale attack. Disraeli was reluctant to bring the bill to a vote because he thought it would be defeated. However, it passed with a majority of 75. For the rest of her life, Victoria signed her name “Victoria R & I” – Regina et Imperatrix in Latin, Queen and Empress in English. For Disraeli, the unpopular Royal Titles Act undermined his authority in the House of Commons. Four of Victoria’s successors, her son Edward VII, her grandson George V and her great-grandsons Edward VIII and George VI also were Emperors of India. George VI ceased to use the title when India became an independent country in 1947.

In 1868, at the end of Disraeli’s first term as Prime Minister, Queen Victoria wanted to create Disraeli a peer in recognition of his services to the country. If he were a peer, Disraeli would have to leave the House of Commons for the House of Lords, and he did not want to do so at that time. Instead, Disraeli’s wife Mary Anne was created Viscountess Beaconsfield in her own right, allowing her husband to remain a member of the House of Commons. When Disraeli finally agreed to accept the Earl of Beaconsfield peerage in 1876, he automatically lost his seat in the House of Commons but remained Prime Minister, leading his government from the House of Lords. In 1878, Disraeli refused Queen Victoria’s offer to make him a duke, instead, accepting a knighthood in the Order of the Garter.

Disraeli in 1878; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1880, Disraeli called for new elections but his party, the Conservatives, lost and Gladstone was again Prime Minister. Queen Victoria, who detested Gladstone, was very bitter about the election results. Despite being 76 years old and ill with gout and asthma, Disraeli continued serving as the Conservative Party Leader and the Leader of the Opposition. In March 1881, Disraeli became ill with bronchitis. Queen Victoria wanted to visit him but Disraeli declined saying, “She would only ask me to take a message to Albert.” On April 19, 1881, Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield died at his home 19 Curzon Street in London, at the age of 76.

Disraeli was buried with his wife, who had died in 1872, in the family vault which is located in the west wall of St. Michael and All Angels Church on the grounds of Hughenden Manor, his country home in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. Queen Victoria also erected a memorial in the chancel of the church. Disraeli also has a memorial in Westminster Abbey which was erected at the instigation of Gladstone who recommended it in his eulogy before the House of Commons.

The grave of Benjamin Disraeli and his wife Mary Anne with primroses growing; Credit – Par Rob Farrow, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9274309

Queen Victoria’s memorial to Disraeli inside At. Michael and All Angels Church; Credit – Von Hans A. Rosbach – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4669256

Until World War I, Primrose Day was celebrated annually on the anniversary of Disraeli’s death. On this day, Disraeli’s tomb and his statue in Parliament Square in London were decorated with primroses. Primroses were his favorite flower and Queen Victoria would often send him bunches of them from Windsor Castle and Osborne House and she sent a wreath of primroses to his funeral.

‘Primrose Day’ (Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield) by W. Saull wood engraving, 1886 NPG D21540 © National Portrait Gallery, London

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

  • Baird, Julia. Victoria The Queen. Random House, 2016.
  • De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Benjamin Disraeli. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Disraeli [Accessed 30 Jul. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Benjamin Disraeli. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Disraeli [Accessed 30 Jul. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Mary Anne Disraeli. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Anne_Disraeli [Accessed 30 Jul. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Primrose Day. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primrose_Day [Accessed 30 Jul. 2018].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. (2018). Benjamin Disraeli. [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Disraeli [Accessed 30 Jul. 2018].
  • Erickson, Carolly. Her Little Majesty: The Life of Queen Victoria.Simon and Schuster, 1997.
  • Hubbard, Kate. Serving Victoria: Life In The Royal Household. Harper Collins Publishers, 2012

Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

by Francis Cruikshank, 1855; Credit – Wikipedia

Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice during the reign of Queen Victoria, from 1855 – 1858 and from 1859 – 1865. He was the only son and the youngest of the three children of Henry Temple, 2nd Viscount Palmerston and his second wife Mary Mee, daughter of Benjamin Mee, a London merchant. The 2nd Viscount Palmerston was born into the Protestant Ascendancy, a minority of landowners, clergy, and members of the professions, all Protestants, who dominated Catholic Ireland socially, politically and economically between the 17th century and the early 20th century. He was a member of the House of Commons and had settled in a house in Hanover Square in Westminster, London, England where his son Henry John Temple (henceforth called Palmerston) was born on October 20, 1784.

Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston had two elder sisters:

Palmerston at age 18 by Thomas Heaphy, 1802; Credit – Wikipedia

Palmerston was educated at Harrow School where two future Prime Ministers, George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen and Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet and the poet Lord Byron (George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron) were his fellow students. From 1800 – 1803, he studied political economy at the University of Edinburgh. While at the University of Edinburgh, Palmerston’s father died and he succeeded to his father’s title as 3rd Viscount Palmerston at the age of 17. Palmerston attended St John’s College, Cambridge from 1803–1806. During his years at university, Palmerston met Lawrence Sulivan who later became his Private Secretary and married his sister Elizabeth.

Because he had no seat in the House of Lords as an Irish peer, Palmerston began his political career as a Tory in the House of Commons in 1807. He defected to the Whigs in 1830, and became a member of the newly formed Liberal Party in 1859. Palmerston served in Cabinets as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1830 – 1834, 1835 – 1841, and 1846 – 1851), Home Secretary (1852 – 1855). He was Leader of the Opposition from 1858 – 1859.

The British Empire’s uneasy alliance with France and the Ottoman Empire in the mismanagement of the Crimean War caused Prime Minister George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen to rapidly lose popularity and in February 1855, he was forced to resign as Prime Minister. After exhausting the possibilities of several possible Prime Ministers, Queen Victoria reluctantly invited Palmerston to Buckingham Palace on February 4, 1855 to form a government. At the age of 70 years, 109 days, Palmerston became the oldest person to become Prime Minister for the first time and no one since has surpassed his record.

A peace treaty ending the Crimean War was signed on March 30, 1856 and the following month, Queen Victoria created Palmerston a Knight of the Order of the Garter. Immediately after the Crimean War, Palmerston’s government had to deal with the Indian Rebellion of 1857.  After the Italian republican Felice Orsini tried to assassinate Napoleon III, Emperor of the French with a bomb made in the United Kingdom (The Orsini Affair), the French were outraged. Palmerston introduced a Conspiracy to Murder Bill which would make it a felony to plot in the United Kingdom to murder someone abroad. At the first reading of the bill, the Conservatives voted for it but at the second reading, they voted against it. Palmerston lost by nineteen votes and was forced to resign as Prime Minister in February 1858. In 1859, Palmerston returned to power, this time in an alliance with his former rival John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, in what is regarded as the first Liberal government. Palmerston remained Prime Minister until his death in 1865, when Lord Russell succeeded him.

Emily Lamb, Countess Cowper by William Owen by William Owen circa 1810; Credit – Wikipedia

Beginning around 1807, Palmerston had a long-time affair with Emily Cowper, Countess Cowper, born The Honorable Elizabeth Lamb, the sister of William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, Queen Victoria’s first Prime Minister. Previous to this affair, Palmerston had the nickname “Cupid” for his various affairs. In 1805, Emily married Peter Clavering-Cowper, 5th Earl Cowper. Lord Cowper was rather dull and not into the social scene. Emily threw herself into the Regency social scene, became one of the patronesses of the exclusive club Almack’s, and had several affairs. Emily was frequently seen with Palmerston at Almack’s and they began a romantic relationship. Lady Emily Cowper, one of the five children born during Emily’s marriage to Lord Cowper, may have been Palmerston’s child.

Emily, Viscountess Palmerston, circa 1860; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1837, two days after the reign of Queen Victoria began, Lord Cowper died and Emily and Palmerston hoped to marry. However, both were in their 50s and Emily’s family was concerned about Palmerston’s reputation as a womanizer. After Queen Victoria was consulted and her approval was received, Palmerston and Emily married on December 16, 1839. Their marriage was a happy one and when not in their London townhouse Cambridge House on Piccadilly in Mayfair, they lived at Palmerston’s country estate Broadlands in Romsey, Hampshire, England or at Brockett Hall in Hatfield in Hertfordshire, England which Emily had inherited from her brother William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne upon his death. After her marriage, Emily remained an active hostess and Palmerston would encourage her to float his ideas among her guests and report their impressions back to him.

Lord Palmerston in 1863; Credit – Wikipedia

Palmerston remained healthy and active into his old age. An apocryphal version of his last words is: “Die, my dear doctor? That is the last thing I shall do.” He died at Brockett Hall on October 18, 1865, two days before his eighty-first birthday. Queen Victoria wrote in her journal after his death that though she regretted his passing, she had never liked or respected him: “Strange, and solemn to think of that strong, determined man, with so much worldly ambition – gone! He had often worried and distressed us, though as Pr. Minister he had behaved very well.”

Palmerston wanted to be buried at Romsey Abbey nearby his Broadlands home but the Cabinet insisted that he should have a state funeral and be buried at Westminster Abbey, which he was, on October 27, 1865, in the North Transept.  At the time, he was the fourth non-royal person to be granted a state funeral – after Sir Isaac Newton, Lord Nelson, and the Duke of Wellington. When his wife Emily died four years later on September 11, 1869, at the age of 82, she was buried with her husband and Westminster Abbey. Their grave is marked by red granite marker on the floor and nearby is a statue of Lord Palmerston dressed in his robes of the Order of the Garter.

The funeral of Lord Palmerston from Harper’s Weekly; Credit – Wikipedia

Palmerston left no heirs and upon his death his title Viscount Palmerston became extinct. Emily’s second son from her first marriage, born The Honorable William Cowper, inherited parts of his stepfather’s estates, including Broadlands, and assumed the additional surname of Temple. In 1880, he was created Baron Mount Temple, a subsidiary title held by the Viscounts Palmerston but he died childless and the peerage became extinct at the time of his death. However, the title Baron Mount Temple was created once again in 1932 for his great-nephew Wilfrid Ashley. He had no sons and the title became extinct again upon his death in 1938. However, his daughter, born Edwina Ashley, wife of Lord Louis Mountbatten, the future 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, inherited Broadlands.

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

  • Baird, Julia. Victoria The Queen. Random House, 2016.
  • De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Henry Temple, 3. Viscount Palmerston. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Temple,_3._Viscount_Palmerston [Accessed 29 Jul. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Emily Temple, Viscountess Palmerston. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Lamb,_Countess_Cowper [Accessed 29 Jul. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_John_Temple,_3rd_Viscount_Palmerston [Accessed 29 Jul. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Viscount Palmerston. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viscount_Palmerston [Accessed 29 Jul. 2018].
  • Erickson, Carolly. Her Little Majesty: The Life of Queen Victoria.Simon and Schuster, 1997.
  • Hubbard, Kate. Serving Victoria: Life In The Royal Household. Harper Collins Publishers, 2012

Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

The Prince of Wales’s Feathers. This heraldic badge is derived from the ostrich feathers worm by Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales. The German motto “Ich dien” means “I serve”; Credit – By Coat of Arms of Charles, Prince of Wales.svg: SodacanThis W3C-unspecified vector image was created with Inkscape.derivative work: Sodacan (talk) – Coat of Arms of Charles, Prince of Wales.svg, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10955988

The current Prince of Wales is William, the elder son and heir apparent of King Charles III of the United Kingdom. Prince of Wales is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and British throne. The heir apparent is the person who is first in the line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting the throne by the birth of another person. Usually, the heir apparent has been the eldest son of the Sovereign but not always. Twice, the heir apparent was the grandson of the Sovereign. The fathers of the future Richard II and George III both predeceased their own fathers leaving their sons as the heir apparent.

From 1254, the title Earl of Chester had been granted to the heir apparent but starting in 1343, it has been given together with the title Prince of Wales. Neither titles are automatic and must be created for each person.

The Succession to The Crown Act 2013, which formally went into effect on March 26, 2015, put in place absolute primogeniture, which means that for those born after October 28, 2011, the eldest child born becomes the heir to his or her parent, regardless of gender. Someday in the future, it is likely that there will be a female heir apparent to the British throne. Because there is no charter or any other document regarding the Prince of Wales title, it appears that the Sovereign can bestow the title on a female heir apparent at his or her will and pleasure using the royal prerogative.

All children of The Prince of Wales are styled HRH Prince/Princess <First Name> of Wales, as is now the style of the elder son of the current Prince of Wales: HRH Prince George of Wales.

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History

Early 14th-century depiction of Edward I (left) declaring his son Edward (right) the Prince of Wales; Credit – Wikipedia

The tradition of conferring the title Prince of Wales on the heir apparent of the monarch began in 1301, when King Edward I of England invested his son Edward of Caernarvon (the future King Edward II) with the title at a Parliament held in Lincoln, England. Since then, the title has been granted (with a few exceptions) to the heir apparent of the English or British monarch. However, it should be no surprise that the title Prince of Wales originated in the independent Principality of Wales and that if King Edward I conferred the title upon his son, he played a role in the conquest and annexation of the Principality of Wales.

Medieval Principalities of Wales; Credit – Wikipedia

The Native Princes of Wales

Wales was divided into a number of separate kingdoms. The largest of these was Gwynedd in northwest Wales and Powys in east Wales. Gwynedd was the most powerful of the Welsh kingdoms. For one man to rule all of Wales during this period was rare. This was because of the inheritance system practiced in Wales. All sons received an equal share of their father’s property, including illegitimate sons, resulting in the division of territories.

Statue of Llywelyn the Great in Conwy, Wales; Credit – Wikipedia

Llywelyn ap Iorwerth (circa 1173 – 1240) (Note: “ap” means “son of”), later known as Llywelyn Fawr (Llywelyn the Great) was the longest reigning ruler of Welsh principalities, maintaining control for 45 years. He was Prince of Gwynedd and Prince of Powys Wenwynwyn. In 1216, Llewellyn received the fealty of other Welsh lords and although he never used the title, he was the de facto Prince of Wales. Llywelyn dominated Wales for 45 years, and was one of only two Welsh rulers to be called “the Great”, the other being his ancestor Rhodri the Great.

Manuscript drawing showing Llywelyn the Great with his sons Gruffydd and Dafydd. By Matthew Paris, in or before 1259; Credit – Wikipedia

Dafydd ap Llywelyn (circa 1212 – 1246) succeeded his father Llywelyn the Great. He was Prince of Gwynedd from 1240 to 1246 and the first ruler to claim the title Prince of Wales. Dafydd’s mother, known as Joan, Lady of Wales, was an illegitimate daughter of King John of England. King Henry III of England, who was Dafydd’s maternal uncle, accepted his claim to rule Gwynedd, but he was not in favor of allowing Dafydd to retain his father’s Welsh land outside Gwynedd. This led Dafydd to seek out other alliances including one with King Louis IX of France. In August 1241, King Henry III invaded Gwynedd, and after a short campaign, Dafydd was forced to submit. Under the terms of the Treaty of Gwerneigron, he had to give up all his lands outside Gwynedd. Dafydd and Henry III, who was Dafydd’s maternal uncle, continued to battle over Welsh land, with each having victories and losses.

Llywelyn ap Gruffudd; Credit – Wikipedia

Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (circa 1223 – 1282), a grandson of Llywelyn the Great, succeeded his paternal uncle Dafydd ap Llywelyn. Llywelyn came to terms with King Henry III of England and in 1247, signed the Treaty of Woodstock at Woodstock Palace in England. In 1258, Llywelyn received the homage of all the other Welsh princes and assumed the style Prince of Wales which was officially recognized by King Henry III. The uneasy peace with England ended in 1282. By that time, King Edward I had reigned in England for ten years. In the spring of that year, Llywelyn’s brother, Dafydd ap Gruffudd, attacked the English at Hawarden Castle and then laid siege to Rhuddlan Castle. The revolt quickly spread to other parts of Wales.

On December 11, 1282, at the Battle of Orewin Bridge, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd was killed while separated from his army. His head was then hacked off and sent to London for public display. After being displayed in the city pillory for a day, the head was taken to the Tower of London and set up over the gate. It was still on the Tower of London gate fifteen years later.

In June 1282, Llywelyn’s wife Eleanor de Montfort had given birth to their only child, a daughter named Gwenllian, and then she died due to childbirth complications. Eleanor de Monfort was the daughter of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester and Eleanor of England, the daughter of King John. That would make Eleanor de Monfort the first cousin of King Edward I. The infant Gwenllian was placed in a convent, Gilbertine Priory in Sempringham, England, where she was basically imprisoned until her death 54 years later. Her first cousin once removed, King Edward I, wanted to prevent her from marrying and having sons who might claim the Principality of Wales.

Coat of Arms of Dafydd ap Gruffydd of Wales; Credit – Wikipedia

Dafydd ap Gruffydd (1238 – 1283) succeeded his brother as Prince of Wales and was the last independent ruler of the Principality of Wales. His reign did not even last for a year. Within a month after Llywelyn ap Gruffudd’s death, King Edward I of England had the main areas of Wales encircled with a massive army. Ultimately, Dafydd was captured and was the first person known to have been tried and condemned to death for high treason against the King. King Edward I made sure that Dafydd’s execution would be slow and agonizing. He was the first prominent person to be hanged, drawn and quartered. Dafydd was dragged through the streets of Shrewsbury, England attached to a horse’s tail, then hanged and revived, next he was disemboweled, and finally, his entrails were burned before him. Lastly, his body was cut into four quarters.

Like King Edward I had done with Llywelyn ap Gruffudd’s daughter, he also made sure Dafydd’s children would never reproduce and have heirs. Dafydd’s daughter Gwladys was sent to a convent in Sixhills, Lincolnshire, England where she died in 1336. Dafydd’s two sons were both imprisoned at Bristol Castle for the rest of their lives. Llywelyn ap Dafydd died in mysterious circumstances in 1287 and Owain ap Dafydd, who was kept in a cage, was last known to be alive in 1325.

After the brutal conquest of Wales and the destruction of the ruling family, Wales was stripped of all royal insignia, relics, and regalia. King Edward I took particular delight in appropriating Aber Garth Celyn, the royal home of the defeated dynasty. He then took their title, Prince of Wales, and bestowed it upon his heir.

The native Princes of Wales are among the characters in Sharon Penman‘s historical fiction trilogy, The Welsh Trilogy:

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Prince William is the current Prince of Wales; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince of Wales as Title of English and British Heirs Apparent

(Years after the names are birth and death years, names in bold became King)

Name Parent Created Prince of Wales Acceded to the Throne
Edward of Carnarvon (1284 – 1327) King Edward I February 7, 1301 Acceded to throne as Edward II on July 7, 1307
Edward of Woodstock, the Black Prince (1330 – 1376) King Edward III May 12, 1343 Predeceased his father and never became king
Richard of Bordeaux (1367 – 1400) Son of Edward the Black Prince, grandson of King Edward III November 20, 1376 Succeeded his grandfather Edward III on June 22, 1377 as Richard II
Henry of Monmouth (1386 – 1422) King Henry IV October 15, 1399 Acceded to throne as Henry V on March 21, 1413
Edward of Westminster (1453 – 1471) King Henry VI March 15, 1454 Father deposed on April 11, 1471, Edward killed in battle May 4, 1471
Edward of York (1470 -1483?) King Edward IV June 26, 1471 Acceded to throne as Edward V on April 9, 1483
Edward of Middleham (1473 – 1484) King Richard III August 24, 1483 Predeceased his father, father lost crown via conquest
Arthur Tudor (1486 – 1502) King Henry VII November 29, 1489 Predeceased his father and never became king
Henry Tudor (1491 – 1547) King Henry VII February 18, 1504 Acceded to throne as Henry VIII on April 21, 1509
Edward Tudor (1537 – 1553) King Henry VIII Never formally created Prince of Wales but used the title Acceded to throne as Edward VI on January 28, 1547
Henry Frederick Stuart (1594 – 1612) King James I June 4, 1610 Predeceased his father and never became king
Charles Stuart (1600 – 1649) King James I November 4, 1616 Acceded to throne as Charles I on March 27, 1625
Charles Stuart (1630 – 1685) King Charles I Declared Prince of Wales circa 1638–1641 Acceded as Charles II on January 30, 1649, monarchy abolished, monarchy restored in 1660
James Francis Edward Stuart, The Old Pretender (1688 – 1766) King James II Circa July 4, 1688 Forfeited title when James II was declared to have abdicated on December 11, 1688
Prince George (1683 – 1760) King George I September 27, 1714 Acceded to the throne as George II on June 11, 1727
Prince Frederick (1707 – 1751) King George II January 8, 1729 Predeceased his father and never became king
Prince George (1738 – 1820) Son of Frederick, Prince of Wales, grandson of George II April 20, 1751 Succeeded his grandfather George II as George III on October 25, 1760
Prince George (1762 – 1830) King George III August 19, 1762 Acceded to throne as George IV on January 29, 1820
Prince Albert Edward (1841 – 1910) Queen Victoria December 8, 1841 Acceded to throne as Edward VII on January 22, 1901
Prince George (1865 – 1936) King Edward VII November 9, 1901 Acceded to throne as George V on May 6, 1910
Prince Edward (1894 – 1972) King George V June 23, 1910 Acceded to throne as Edward VIII on January 20, 1936, abdicated on December 11, 1936, later Duke of Windsor
Prince Charles (born 1948) Queen Elizabeth II July 26, 1958 Acceded to throne as Charles III on September 8, 2022
Prince William (born 1982) King Charles III September 9, 2022

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.

George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

by Chester Harding, 1847; Credit – Wikipedia

George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom once during the reign of Queen Victoria, from 1852 – 1855. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on January 28, 1784, the eldest of the seven children of George Gordon, Lord Haddo, son and heir of George Gordon, 3rd Earl of Aberdeen, and Charlotte Baird, daughter of William Baird of Newbyth.

Lord Aberdeen had six younger siblings:

Lord Aberdeen’s father died on October 2, 1791, at age 27 from injuries sustained when he fell from his horse. At the age of 3 ½, Lord Aberdeen became the heir of his grandfather the 3rd Earl of Aberdeen, and was styled Lord Haddo, one of his grandfather’s subsidiary titles. Four years later, his mother died and he was brought up by Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville and William Pitt the Younger. In 1801, upon the death of his grandfather, he succeeded to his grandfather’s title as the 4th Earl of Aberdeen.

Lord Aberdeen was educated at Harrow School where two future Prime Ministers, Lord Palmerston and Robert Peel, and his cousin, the poet George, Gordon Byron, Lord Byron (6th Baron Byron) were his fellow students. He then attended St. John’s College, Cambridge. Lord Aberdeen was a student of classical studies and published research on the topography of Troy and the principles of beauty in Greek architecture. He was President of The Society of Antiquaries of London from 1812 – 1846.

Portrait of Lord Aberdeen showing his interest in classic studies by John Partridge, circa 1847; Credit – Wikipedia

On 28 July 1805, Lord Aberdeen married Lady Catherine Hamilton (1784 – 1812) daughter of John Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Abercorn They had four children but they all died before the age of 20. Their mother also died young, at the age of 28, from tuberculosis.

  • Lady Jane Hamilton-Gordon (1807 – 1824), died at the age of seventeen
  • Lady Charlotte Hamilton-Gordon (1808 – 1818) died at the age of ten
  • Lady Alice Hamilton-Gordon (1809 – 1829) died at the age of nineteen years old.
  • Unnamed son, Lord Haddo (born and died November 23, 1810)

In December 1805, Lord Aberdeen took his seat in the House of Lords as a Conservative Scottish representative peer. After the death of his first wife in 1812, he joined the Foreign Service and served as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Austria. In 1814, Lord Aberdeen returned to England and received another peerage when he was created a peer of the United Kingdom, Viscount Gordon of Aberdeen, and was made a member of the Privy Council.

On July 8, 1815, Lord Aberdeen married a second time to Harriet Hamilton, Dowager Viscountess Hamilton. His second wife was born Harriet Douglas (1792 – 1833), the daughter of The Honorable John Douglas and Lady Frances Lascelles. Harriet was the paternal granddaughter of James Douglas, 14th Earl of Morton and maternal granddaughter of Edward Lascelles, 1st Earl of Harewood. She was also the widow of James Hamilton, Viscount Hamilton, the heir of John Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Abercorn, and was also the brother of Lord Aberdeen’s first wife. They had five children:

Lord Aberdeen by Thomas Lawrence, 1829; Credit – Wikipedia

It was during his second marriage, that Lord Aberdeen’s career in Parliament really took off. He served in Cabinets as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1828), Secretary of State for War and the Colonies (1834 – 1835), and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1828 – 1830 and 1841 – 1846). During this time period, Lord Aberdeen moved away from the Tory Party and joined Prime Minister Robert Peel’s Peelites. After Peel’s death in 1850, he became the recognized leader of the Peelites.

Following the downfall of the Conservative minority government under Lord Derby in December 1852, Lord Aberdeen formed a new government and became Prime Minister. During Lord Aberdeen’s term as Prime Minister, the British Empire was involved in the Crimean War which was originally fought to preserve the rights of Christian minorities in the Holy Land, which was a part of the Ottoman Empire. The British Empire’s uneasy alliance with France and the Ottoman Empire in the mismanagement of the Crimean War caused Lord Aberdeen to rapidly lose popularity and in February 1855, he was forced to resign as Prime Minister. He retired from active politics and spoke for the last time in the House of Lords in 1858.

Lord Aberdeen shortly before his death in 1860; Credit – Wikipedia

George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen died on December 14, 1860, aged 76, at Argyll House, St. James’s, London was buried in the family vault at St. John the Evangelist Church in Great Stanmore, Harrow, Middlesex, England.

St. John the Evangelist Church; Credit – By Jon Hansen – Stanmore. St John the Evangelist, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62269361

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

  • Baird, Julia. Victoria The Queen. Random House, 2016.
  • https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Hamilton-Gordon,_4._Earl_of_Aberdeen
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen. [online] Available at:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Smith-Stanley,_14th_Earl_of_Derby[Accessed 27 Jul. 2018].
  • Erickson, Carolly. Her Little Majesty: The Life of Queen Victoria.Simon and Schuster, 1997.
  • Hubbard, Kate. Serving Victoria: Life In The Royal Household. Harper Collins Publishers, 2012

Their Royal Highness Prince and Princess

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Coronet of a son or daughter of a sovereign; Credit – By SodacanThis W3C-unspecified vector image was created with Inkscape. – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10963941

There are articles about most of the people mentioned here (and lots more!) at British Index.

Derivation of Words Prince and Princess

Prince and its female equivalent Princess come from the Latin word prīnceps, meaning the one who takes the first place or position. The title of the leader of the Senate in ancient Rome was the princeps senatus.

prince – noun – a non-reigning male member of a royal family

Origin of the word prince – first used in Middle English 1175-1225; from Anglo-Norman prince, from Old French prince, from Latin prīnceps (“first head”), from prīmus (“first”) + capiō (“seize, take”).

princess – noun – a non-reigning female member of a royal family

Origin of the word princess – first used in Middle English 1350-1400; from Anglo-Norman princesse, from Old French princesse 

-ess – a suffix forming distinctively feminine nouns; since at least the 14th century, English has borrowed feminine nouns ending in -ess from French

Origin of the suffix – ess, from Middle English, from Old French -esse, from Late Latin -esse, from Greek -issa

from https://www.dictionary.com, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/prince, and https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/princess#English

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History

Edward, Prince of Wales (the Black Prince) as Knight of the Order of the Garter, illustration from the Bruges Garter Book 1453; Edward never became King as he predeceased his father King Edward III; Credit – Wikipedia

The formal use of the titles prince and princess and the styles of Royal Highness for members of the British royal family is of fairly recent origin. In the past, children of kings were often identified by their birthplace: King Edward II’s daughter Joan of the Tower was born at the Tower of London and King Edward III’s son Lionel of Antwerp was born in Antwerp (now in Belgium) due to his parents’ long stay in the Low Countries due to the Hundred Years War. Usually, when sons of kings became older, they received peerages. For instance, Lionel of Antwerp was created Duke of Clarence when he was twenty years old. Frequently, daughters of kings were called “Lady” or “The Lady” followed by their first name. Although Prince and Princess were sometimes used, it was not a consistent practice.

From 1301, the heir apparent of the Kings of England (and later Great Britain and the United Kingdom) has generally been created Prince of Wales. Their wives were styled Princess of Wales. In 1642, Mary, the eldest daughter of King Charles I, was created the first Princess Royal. Her mother Queen Henrietta Maria, daughter of King Henri IV of France, wanted to imitate the way the eldest daughter of the King of France was styled Madame Royale. Holders retain the style for life, so a princess cannot receive the style during the lifetime of another Princess Royal. There will be separate articles dealing with the titles Prince of Wales and Princess Royal.

In 1714, when Georg Ludwig, Elector of Hanover and Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg came to the British throne as King George I, the first monarch of the House of Hanover, princely titles and styles began to follow the German practice. The children, grandchildren, and male-line great-grandchildren of the British sovereign were automatically titled Prince or Princess of Great Britain and Ireland. Children and grandchildren of the British sovereign were styled Royal Highness and male-line great-grandchildren were styles Highness.

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Current Styles of Princes (using current or recent examples)

       
The Prince of Wales and The Duke of Sussex; Credit – Wikipedia

Examples (HRH = His Royal Highness)

  • Sovereign’s heir apparent if Prince of Wales: HRH The Prince of Wales
  • The Prince of Wales’ sons without a peerage: HRH Prince George of Wales
  • Sovereign’s sons with a peerage (not Prince of Wales): HRH The Duke of York
  • Sovereign’s sons without a peerage: HRH The Prince John
  • Sovereign’s male-line grandsons with a peerage: HRH The Duke of Kent
  • Sovereign’s male-line grandsons without a peerage: HRH Prince Michael of Kent (territorial designation of their father’s senior peerage)
  • Sons of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales: HRH Prince George of Cambridge – before his father became Prince of Wales (territorial designation of their father’s senior peerage)

Current Princes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Current Styles of Princess (using current or recent examples)

    
The Princess Royal, Princess Beatrice, Mrs. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi; Credit – Wikipedia

Only a princess in her own right – a Sovereign’s daughter, The Prince of Wales’ daughter, a Sovereign’s male-line granddaughter, and a daughter of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales – may use Princess followed by her first name:

When a princess marries, she takes on her husband’s title: HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon or HRH Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone. However, some of the lower styles are not used by senior royals. For instance, Princess Anne remains HRH The Princess Royal rather than HRH The Princess Royal, Lady Laurence. If a married princess had a territorial designation, she stops using it upon marriage: Princess Alexandra of Kent was styled Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Mrs. Angus Ogilvy upon her marriage.

Examples (HRH = Her Royal Highness)

  • Sovereign’s eldest daughter: HRH The Princess Royal (usually, but not automatically, granted by the Sovereign, when the previous Princess Royal is no longer living)
  • Sovereign’s daughter: HRH The Princess Margaret
  • The Prince of Wales’ daughter: HRH Princess Charlotte of Wales
  • Sovereign’s male-line granddaughter: HRH Princess Beatrice of York (before her marriage, territorial designation of their father’s senior peerage)
  • Daughters of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales: HRH Princess Charlotte of Cambridge (before her father was Prince of Wales, territorial designation of their father’s senior peerage)

A woman who marries a Prince does not become a Princess in her own right. It is incorrect to use the title Princess followed by the wife’s first name. For example, Princess Diana and Princess Meghan are incorrect.

After marrying The Prince of Wales in 2005, the former Camilla Parker-Bowles automatically received the female counterparts of her husband’s titles, including Princess of Wales. However, because the title Princess of Wales was so strongly associated with the previous holder of that title, Diana, Princess of Wales, Camilla adopted the feminine form of her husband’s highest-ranking subsidiary title, Duke of Cornwall, so she was styled Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall. When in Scotland, she was known as The Duchess of Rothesay – more about the Duke of Rothesay in a separate article.

  • Wife of The Prince of Wales: HRH The Princess of Wales
  • Wife of a prince who has a peerage: HRH The Duchess of Sussex
  • Wife of a son of a Sovereign who has no peerage: HRH The Princess Edward would be HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh’s style if her husband did not have a peerage
  • Wife of a prince who has no peerage: HRH Princess Michael of Kent (territorial designation of the father of their husband)
  • Divorced wife of a prince who has a peerage: Diana, Princess of Wales and Sarah, Duchess of York (according to a 1996 Letters Patent, divorced wives are no longer entitled to use the style Her Royal Highness)

Current Princesses of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

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General Letters Patent and Proclamations Regarding Titles and/or Styles

“A Good Riddance”; cartoon from Punch, Vol. 152, 27 June 1917, commenting on King George V’s order to relinquish all German titles held by members of his family; Credit – Wikipedia

Although Letters Patent, Warrants and Proclamations are sometimes issued when titles and styles are changed, it is not necessary. Royal styles and titles are a matter of royal prerogative. At the Sovereign’s will and pleasure, styles and titles can be changed as the Sovereign pleases. Letters Patent tend to be encompassing.  For instance, in 2012, Queen Elizabeth II issued a Letters Patent declaring that all the children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales should have the title Prince or Princess and the style Royal Highness – not a Letters Patent stating that children of Prince William will be HRH Prince/Princess.

The links below lead to the actual text of each document.

Children of sons of the Sovereign (January 30, 1864): Three weeks after the birth of Prince Albert Victor of Wales, Queen Victoria’s first male-line grandson, she issued Letters Patent which formally confirmed the practice of styling children and male-line grandchildren of the Sovereign His/Her Royal Highness Prince/Princess. However, the Letters Patent did not mention the styling of great-grandchildren as His/Her Highness or Prince or Princess.
Letters Patent: Children of sons of the Sovereign (January 30, 1864)

Children of the eldest son of any Prince of Wales (May 28, 1898): The children of Prince George, Duke of York, the eldest living son of the Prince of Wales, were titled Prince/Princess with the style of Highness, as great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria in the male-line. Queen Victoria issued Letters Patent which granted all children of the eldest son of any Prince of Wales the style and title of Royal Highness Prince/Princess.
Letters Patent: Children of the eldest son of any Prince of Wales (May 28, 1898)

German titles (July 17, 1917): King George V issued a royal proclamation changing the name of the Royal House from the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to the House of Windsor and ordering the relinquishment of the German titles Duke of Saxony, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and other German titles.
Proclamation: German titles (July 17, 1917)

Titles Deprivation Act 1917 (November 8, 1917): The Titles Deprivation Act 1917 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom which authorized enemies of the United Kingdom during World War I to be deprived of their British peerages and royal titles. The Act contained specific procedures to identify British peers or British princes who had “borne arms against His Majesty or His Allies, or who have adhered to His Majesty’s enemies.” A report naming such persons would be sent to both Houses of Parliament. If neither House passed a motion disapproving of the report within forty days, the report would be sent to the King and the persons named would be deprived of their British peerages and/or British royal titles. A successor of a peer or a prince deprived of titles could petition for the restoration of the titles. So far, no successor has petitioned for a title to be restored.
Titles Deprivation Act (1917)

In 1919, four people were deprived of their British peerages and/or titles:

  • His Royal Highness Charles Edward, Duke of Albany, Earl of Clarence and Baron Arklow (also previously reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, grandson of Queen Victoria)
  • His Royal Highness Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, Earl of Armagh (also previously reigning Duke of Brunswick, great-grandson of King George III)
  • His Royal Highness Ernest Augustus, Prince of Great Britain and Ireland (also previously Hereditary Prince of Brunswick, son and heir-apparent of the Duke of Cumberland)
  • Henry Taaffe, Viscount Taaffe of Corren and Baron of Ballymote

Members of the Royal Family (November 30, 1917): King George V issued Letters Patent changing the rights to the style Royal Highness and the title Prince/Princess. The children of the Sovereign, the children of the sons of the Sovereign, and the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales would be entitled to the style Royal Highness and the title Prince/Princess. The Letters Patent also stipulated that the styles Royal Highness, Highness or Serene Highness and the title Prince or Princess should not be used by any descendent of any Sovereign. Grandchildren of the sons of the Sovereign in the direct male-line are entitled to the style and title enjoyed by the children of Dukes: Lord/Lady followed by their first name and surname.
Letters Patent: Members of the Royal Family (November 30, 1917)

Former Wives (August 21, 1996): Queen Elizabeth II issued a Letters Patent stating that a former wife (other than a widow until she shall remarry) of a son of a Sovereign, a son of a son of a Sovereign, and the eldest living son of the eldest son of The Prince of Wales shall not be entitled to the style of Royal Highness.
Letters Patent: Former Wives (August 21, 1996)

Children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales (December 31, 2012): Queen Elizabeth II issued a Letters Patent declaring that all the children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales should have the title Prince or Princess and the style Royal Highness.
Letters Patent: Children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales (December 31, 2012)

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Exceptions to the Rule

Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria was granted the style His Royal Highness upon his marriage in 1840 and the title Prince Consort in 1857; Credit – Wikipedia

The links below lead to the actual text of each document.

Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh (July 22, 1816): As a male-line great-grandchild of King George II, he was styled His Highness. In 1816, when he married Her Royal Highness Princess Mary, his cousin and daughter of King George III, he was granted the style His Royal Highness by his uncle The Prince Regent. His only surviving sibling, Princess Sophia of Gloucester, was also granted the style Her Royal Highness at the same time.
Warrant: 2nd Duke of Gloucester (July 22, 1816)
Warrant: Princess Matilda of Gloucester (July 22, 1816)

Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Saalfeld (April 6, 1818): Upon his marriage to Princess Charlotte of Wales in 1818, The Prince Regent granted him the style His Royal Highness.
Warrant: Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (April 6, 1818)

Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (February 6, 1840): Upon his marriage to Queen Victoria in 1840, he was granted the style His Royal Highness.
Warrant: Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (February 6, 1840)

Prince Albert (June 29, 1857): Queen Victoria granted her husband the title Prince Consort in 1857. He is the only husband of an English or British Queen Regnant to have that title.
Letters Patent: Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (June 29, 1857)

Prince Ludwig of Hesse (June 29, 1866): Queen Victoria granted Prince Ludwig of Hesse, the future Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, the style of His Royal Highness when he married her daughter Princess Alice in 1862.
Warrant: Prince Louis of Hesse (July 5, 1862)

Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein: Queen Victoria granted Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, the style of His Royal Highness when he married her daughter Princess Helena in 1866.
Warrant: Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (June 29, 1866)

Children of Prince and Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (May 15, 1867): Through Her Royal Will and Pleasure, Queen Victoria declared that the children of her daughter Princess Helena and her husband Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein would be British-born subjects and descendants of her Royal House and have the style of Highness prefixed to their respective Christian names. As male-line grandchildren of the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, the children of Princess Helena and her husband Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein would have been styled His/Her Serene Highness. Highness is considered a higher ranking than Serene Highness.
Children of Prince and Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (May 15, 1867)

Prince Henry of Battenberg (July 22, 1885): Queen Victoria granted Prince Henry of Battenberg the style of His Royal Highness when he married her daughter Princess Beatrice in 1885.
Warrant: Prince Henry of Battenberg (July 22, 1885)

Children of Prince and Princess Henry of Battenberg (December 4, 1886): Through Her Royal Will and Pleasure, Queen Victoria declared that the children of her daughter Princess Beatrice and her husband Prince Henry of Battenberg would be British-born subjects and descendants of her Royal House and have the style of Highness prefixed to their respective Christian names. The children of Princess Beatrice and Prince Henry of Battenberg would have used their father’s style His/Her Serene Highness. Highness is considered a higher ranking than Serene Highness.
Children of Prince and Princess Henry of Battenberg (December 4, 1886) (scroll up a bit)

Francis, Duke of Teck (July 1, 1887): Francis, Duke of Teck married Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, granddaughter of King George III and first cousin of Queen Victoria. He had been styled His Serene Highness. Queen Victoria granted the Duke of Teck the style of Highness as a gift to celebrate her Golden Jubilee. Francis and Mary Adelaide were the parents of Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, better known as Queen Mary, wife of King George V.
Warrant: Duke of Teck (July 1, 1887)

Daughters of The Princess Royal (November 9, 1905): In 1889, Prince Louise of Wales, elder daughter of the future King Edward VII, married Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife. The couple had two daughters, Alexandra and Maud. As female-line great-granddaughters of the British monarch, (Queen Victoria), Alexandra and Maud were not entitled to the title of Princess or the style Royal Highness. Instead, they were styled Lady Alexandra Duff and Lady Maud Duff, the styles of daughters of a Duke.

In 1900, when it became apparent that the Duke and Duchess of Fife were unlikely to have a son to inherit the title, Queen Victoria issued the Duke of Fife a new Letters Patent as Duke of Fife and Earl of Macduff in the Peerage of the United Kingdom giving the second dukedom of Fife a special remainder in default of male issue to the Duke’s daughters and their male descendants. Upon the death of the Duke of Fife, his daughter Alexandra succeeded him as Duchess of Fife in her own right.

Louise was the eldest daughter of King Edward VII and was created Princess Royal during her father’s reign, in 1905. At the same time, King Edward VII granted Louise’s daughters Alexandra and Maud the title of Princess with the style of Highness.
The Princess Royal and her daughters (November 9, 1905)

Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg (April 3, 1906): In 1886, Queen Victoria declared that the children of her daughter Princess Beatrice and her husband Prince Henry of Battenberg would be British-born subjects and descendants of her Royal House and have the style of Highness. In 1906, Her Highness Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg was to marry King Alfonso XIII of Spain. Although one of Victoria Eugenie’s brothers had hemophilia, the bigger obstacles were her Anglican religion and, as far as Alfonso’s mother was concerned, her less-than-royal bloodline. The princess willingly agreed to convert to Catholicism, and her uncle King Edward VII elevated her rank to Royal Highness so there could be no question of an unequal marriage.
Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg (April 3, 1906)

Adolphus, Duke of Teck (June 9, 1911): Adolphus, Duke of Teck was the brother of Queen Mary, wife of King George V. He had been styled His Serene Highness. On June 9, 1911, King George V granted his brother-in-law the style His Highness as a gift to mark the King’s coronation.
Warrant: 2nd Duke of Teck (June 9, 1911)

Children of Ernst August, Duke of Brunswick (June 17, 1914): In 1914, shortly after the birth of Ernst August, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick, the eldest child of Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick, King George V granted the children of the Duke and Duchess of Brunswick the style Highness and declared that they would be Prince or Princess of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Ernst August, Duke of Brunswick was a grandson of King George III’s son Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, who succeeded to the throne of the Kingdom of Hanover in 1837, when Queen Victoria became the British monarch. Hanover did not allow for female succession and so the eldest surviving son of King George III became King of Hanover.
Letters Patent: Children of Ernst August, Duke of Brunswick (June 17, 1914)

Lady Patricia Ramsay (February 25, 1919): In 1919, Princess Patricia of Connaught, male-line granddaughter of Queen Victoria, married The Honorable Alexander Ramsay, the third son of John Ramsay, 13th Earl of Dalhousie. Upon her marriage, Princess Patricia voluntarily relinquished the style of Royal Highness and the title of Princess of Great Britain and Ireland and assumed the style of Lady Patricia Ramsay. However, Lady Patricia remained a member of the British Royal Family, remained in the line of succession, and attended all major royal events including weddings, funerals, and the coronations. Her first cousin King George V issued a warrant allowing Princess Patricia to relinquish her style and title upon her marriage.
Warrant: Lady Patricia Ramsay (February 25, 1919)

Duke of Windsor (May 27, 1937): After King Edward VIII abdicated in 1936, his brother and successor King George VI issued Letters Patent regranting his brother his style His Royal Highness, as a son of a Sovereign. However, his brother’s wife and any descendants were denied the style Royal Highness. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor’s marriage was childless.
Letters Patent: Duke of Windsor (May 27, 1937)

Duke of Edinburgh (November 19, 1947): Upon the marriage of his daughter Princess Elizabeth and Lt. Philip Mountbatten, King George VI issued Letters Patent granting his daughter’s husband the style His Royal Highness and the peerage Duke of Edinburgh.
Letters Patent: Duke of Edinburgh (November 19, 1947)

Children of HRH The Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh (October 22, 1948): Just prior to the birth of the first child of Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh, King George VI issued Letters Patent declaring that their children have the style Royal Highness and the titles Prince or Princess. Without this Letters Patent, their children would have been styled as the children of a Duke: Charles Mountbatten, Earl of Merioneth and The Lady Anne Mountbatten.
Letters Patent: Children of HRH The Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh (October 22, 1948)

Duke of Edinburgh (February 22, 1957): Queen Elizabeth II issued Letters Patent creating her husband the Duke of Edinburgh, a Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Before his marriage, Philip relinquished his Greek and Danish royal titles, adopted the surname Mountbatten from his mother’s family, and became a naturalized British subject.
Letters Patent: Duke of Edinburgh (February 22, 1957)

Duchess of Kent (1961): When her son Prince Edward, Duke of Kent married in 1961, the Duchess of Kent asked Queen Elizabeth II permission to be styled Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent to avoid confusion with her daughter-in-law Katherine Worsley, the new Duchess of Kent. Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent had been born Her Royal Highness Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark.

Duchess of Gloucester (1974): In 1974, after the death of her husband, the Duchess of Gloucester received permission from Queen Elizabeth II to style herself Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester to distinguish herself from her son’s wife, the new Duchess of Gloucester. Unlike Princess Marina, Alice had been born Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott and had never been a princess in her own right, and so allowing this was far more unusual.

The children of the Earl of Wessex (June 19, 1999): At the time of the wedding of Prince Edward, Queen Elizabeth II’s youngest child, and Sophie Rhys-Jones, it was announced that Queen Elizabeth II had decided, in agreement with the wishes of Prince Edward and Miss Rhys-Jones, that any children of their marriage would not be given the style Royal Highness and the title Prince or Princess. Instead, any children would have courtesy titles of sons or daughters of an Earl. No Letters Patent was issued. However, royal styles and titles are a matter of royal prerogative. At the Sovereign’s will and pleasure, styles and titles can be changed as the Sovereign pleases.

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.

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Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). British prince. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_prince [Accessed 30 Nov. 2018].
  • Velde, F. (2018). Royal Styles and Titles of Great Britain: Documents. [online] Heraldica.org. Available at: https://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/prince_highness_docs.htm [Accessed 30 Nov. 2018].

Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Credit – Wikipedia

Edward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom three times during the reign of Queen Victoria (February 1852 – December 1852, 1858 – 1859, and 1866 – 1868) but his total time as Prime Minister adds up to only three years and nine months. Born on March 29, 1799, at Knowsley Hall in Knowsley, Lancashire, England, Stanley was the eldest of the seven children of Edward Smith-Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby and Charlotte Margaret Hornby, daughter of Reverend Geoffrey Hornby. Stanley was educated at Eton College and at Christ Church, Oxford.

He had six younger siblings:

Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby; Credit – Wikipedia

The Stanley family has long-served kings. Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby (1435 – 1504) was a power player during the Wars of the Roses, the battle for the crown of England between the House of Lancaster and the House of York. During the early part of the 1st Earl’s career, Henry VI was king and head of the House of Lancaster. The 1st Earl then formed a powerful alliance with the House of York when he married Eleanor Neville, daughter of Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury (a descendant of Edward III) and sister of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick and 6th Earl of Salisbury known as “The Kingmaker”. After Warwick was killed and the 1st Earl’s first wife died, the 1st Earl of Derby married Lady Margaret Beaufort, whose son Henry Tudor was the leading Lancastrian claimant. The 1st Earl’s brother Sir William Stanley famously switched sides at the Battle of Bosworth. Instead of supporting King Richard III and the Yorkists, Sir William attacked them, helping to secure a victory for Henry Tudor, who became King Henry VII, and the Lancastrians. After the battle, Henry Tudor’s men were yelling, “God save King Henry!” Inspired by this, Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Debry found Richard’s battle crown and placed it on the head of his stepson, Henry Tudor, saying, “Sir, I make you King of England.”

In 1822, Stanley was elected as a Whig member of the House of Commons. He served as a member of the Cabinet in several positions: Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies (1827 – 1828), Chief Secretary for Ireland (1830 – 1833), and Secretary of State for War and the Colonies (1833 – 1834 and 1841 – 1845). In 1844, Stanley was created Baron Stanley of Bickerstaffe, a subordinate title of his father by a special Royal Decree called a Writ of Acceleration and he became a member of the House of Lords during his father’s lifetime. When his father died on June 30, 1851, he inherited his title as the 14th Earl of Derby.

Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby by Thomas Henry Illidge, 1844; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1841, Stanley became a member of the Conservative Party and he served as Leader of the Conservative Party from 1846 – 1868. He formed a minority government and became Prime Minister in February 1852 following the collapse of Lord John Russell‘s Whig government. Ten months later, the minority government fell. Stanley was the Leader of the Opposition from the time his first government fell until 1858. In that year, Stanley formed another minority government upon the resignation of Lord Palmerston as Prime Minister. However, once again his government was short-lived, lasting only one year, having narrowly lost a vote of no-confidence. Stanley again served as Leader of the Opposition from 1859 – 1866.

The Derby Cabinet of 1867 by Henry Gales, 1868; Credit – Wikipedia

Stanley returned to power for the third and last time in 1866, following the collapse of Lord Russell’s second government. This term was most noted for the Reform Act 1867, an electoral reform by which the new industrial cities for the first time received a significant representation in the House of Commons. In 1868, Stanley resigned as Prime Minister on advice from his doctor but continued to serve in the House of Lords until his death.

Emma Bootle-Wilbraham, Stanley’s wife; Credit – Wikipedia

On May 31, 1825, Stanley married The Honorable Emma Bootle-Wilbraham, daughter of Edward Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Baron Skelmersdale. The couple had two sons and one daughter:

Stanley’s younger son, Frederick Arthur Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby served as Governor-General of Canada from 1888 – 1893. While in Canada, Stanley’s sons played ice hockey and Lord and Lady Stanley became hockey fans. In 1892, Stanley gave Canada a treasured national icon, the Stanley Cup. Originally a trophy for Canada’s best amateur hockey team, it is now the championship trophy for the National Hockey League which has professional teams in Canada and the United States.

Twenty months after he resigned as Prime Minister, Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby died on October 23, 1869, aged 70, at Knowsley Hall in Knowsley, Lancashire, England. He was buried at St. Mary’s Church in Knowsley. In 1871–72 a memorial chapel to the 14th Earl of Derby was added to St. Mary’s Church.

St. Mary’s Church in Knowsley, Lancashire, England; Credit – By Sue Adair, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4754011

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

  • Baird, Julia. Victoria The Queen. Random House, 2016.
  • https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Smith-Stanley,_14._Earl_of_Derby
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Edward Smithe-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby. [online] Available at:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Smith-Stanley,_14th_Earl_of_Derby[Accessed 27 Jul. 2018].
  • Erickson, Carolly. Her Little Majesty: The Life of Queen Victoria.Simon and Schuster, 1997.
  • Hubbard, Kate. Serving Victoria: Life In The Royal Household. Harper Collins Publishers, 2012

December 14 – Queen Victoria’s Dire Day

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Oakley; The Last Moments of HRH the Prince Consort; Wellcome Library; http://www.artuk.org/artworks/the-last-moments-of-hrh-the-prince-consort-126148

December 14 was the worst day of the year for Queen Victoria.  On that day in 1861, her beloved husband Prince Albert had died at the age of 42.  Left a widow with nine children at the age of 42, the Queen’s grief was immense.  She withdrew from public life and wore black for the 40 years that she survived Albert.  The Blue Room in Windsor Castle where Albert had died was kept as it had been when he was alive, complete with hot water brought in the morning, and linen and towels changed daily.  Among themselves, Queen Victoria’s family called December 14 “Mausoleum Day.”  They were expected to attend the annual memorial service in the Royal Mausoleum at Frogmore where Albert was buried.  Besides the death of Prince Albert, December 14 marked several other events in Queen Victoria’s family.

Prince Albert, the Prince Consort; Credit – Wikipedia

December 14, 1861 – Death of Prince Albert, the Prince Consort, husband of Queen Victoria, at Windsor Castle; buried in the Royal Mausoleum at Frogmore in Windsor
In March of 1861, Queen Victoria’s mother died.  Because of Victoria’s grief, Albert took over many of her duties despite the fact that he was chronically suffering from stomach problems.  In the fall, Victoria and Albert learned that their 20-year-old eldest son Bertie (the future King Edward VII) was having an affair with an Irish actress.  Devastated by this news, Albert traveled to Cambridge to discuss the matter with his son.  On November 25, 1861, the two walked together in the pouring rain while Albert explained how horrified he and the Queen felt about the situation.

When Albert returned to Windsor Castle, he complained of shoulder, leg, back, and stomach pain and could not eat or sleep.  He was examined by doctors who assured Victoria that Albert would be better in two or three days.  However, Albert’s condition continued to worsen.  Victoria continued to hope for a recovery, but finally, on December 11, the doctors told her the dismal prognosis.  At 10:50 PM on December 14, 1861, Albert died in the presence of his wife and five of their nine children.

Sir William Jenner, one of Prince Albert’s doctors, diagnosed his final illness as typhoid fever, but Albert’s modern biographers have argued that the diagnosis is incorrect.  Albert had been complaining of stomach pains for two years and this may indicate that he died of some chronic disease, perhaps Crohn’s disease, kidney failure, or cancer.

Tomb of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert; Photo Credit – findagrave.com

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Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, Credit – Wikipedia

December 14, 1871 – Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII) begins to recover from typhoid fever
In November of 1871, the Prince of Wales, called Bertie in the family, was not feeling well and took to his bed at Sandringham.  Typhoid fever, a bacterial disease transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, was diagnosed and it was realized by the family that he might die.  Within a few weeks, it would be the 10th anniversary of the death of Bertie’s father, Prince Albert, who, it was believed, had died of typhoid fever. Bertie’s sister Princess Alice, who was visiting with her husband, was there to help nurse her brother as she had done ten years earlier with her father.  The Princess of Wales, called Alix, spent most of her time at her husband’s bedside and was quite alarmed by his delirium and violent and hysterical ravings.

On December 7, it seemed the worst might be over and Alix and Alice went for a sled ride.  When they returned, they found Bertie had suffered a relapse.  On December 8, Sir William Jenner sent a telegram to Queen Victoria: “The Prince passed a very unquiet night.  Not so well. Temperature risen to 104. Respiration more rapid. Dr. Gull and I are both very anxious.”  The Queen, who had visited her son in the early stages of his illness, returned to Sandringham, sure that Bertie would die on December 14, the 10th anniversary of her husband’s death.

On December 13, Bertie’s condition was grave.  Alix wrote in her diary that she and Princess Alice said to each other in tears, “There can be no hope.”  Bertie’s doctors consulted with Prince Alfred, Queen Victoria’s second son, about whether they should issue a bulletin saying that the Prince of Wales’ strength was failing.  Prince Alfred later told one of the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting, there had been “36 hours of the wildest, loudest, incessant talking, in all languages, whistling, and singing.”  The worst attack came just hours before the start of December 14, and it seemed certain Bertie would die.

Dawn broke on December 14 and miraculously, Bertie had slept through the night.  Queen Victoria came into his room early in the morning and found him awake and smiling.  That day the bulletin regarding the Prince of Wales’ condition said, “…there is some abatement of the gravity of the symptoms.”  Within 24 hours, the fear of a relapse had all but disappeared.  A thanksgiving service was held at St. Paul’s Cathedral for the recovery of the Prince of Wales from typhoid fever on February 27, 1872.

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Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine; Credit – Wikipedia

December 14, 1878 – Death of Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine at the New Palace in Darmstadt, Hesse (Germany); buried at the Grand Ducal Mausoleum at Rosenhöhe in Darmstadt
Diphtheria is a serious bacterial infection affecting the mucous membranes of the nose and throat. Diphtheria causes a sore throat, fever, swollen glands, and weakness, but the determining sign is a thick, gray membrane covering the back of the throat. The membrane can block the windpipe so that the patient has to struggle for breath. Today, diphtheria is extremely rare in developed countries due to the vaccination against the disease.  However, before the advent of modern medicine, diphtheria could be epidemic and it often killed its victims.

In November of 1878, diphtheria invaded the household of the Grand Ducal Family of Hesse and by Rhine, where the reigning Grand Duke was Ludwig IV, the husband of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, the third child and second daughter of Queen Victoria.  Victoria, Alice’s eldest child was the first to become ill, on November 5, and soon Alice’s husband and four of Alice’s other children, Irene, Ernest, Alix, and Marie, developed diphtheria.  Only Elizabeth remained healthy and she was sent to the palace of her paternal grandmother.

On November 15, 1878, Alice’s youngest child, four-year-old Marie, choked to death because of the membrane covering her throat. Alice kept Marie’s death secret from her other children, however, she finally told them in early December.  Alice’s son Ernest was inconsolable, and to comfort him, Alice hugged and kissed him despite the risk of infection. On December 7, Alice realized that she had diphtheria. By December 14, 1878, the 17th anniversary of her father’s death, Alice became gravely ill and died that day.  Her last words were “Dear Papa.”

Tomb of Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine (She is hugging her daughter Marie on her left side); Credit – findagrave.com

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Queen Victoria with her York great-grandchildren in 1900 (Princess Mary, the future Princess Royal, and Prince Edward, the future King Edward VIII, standing; Prince Albert, the future King George VI, in front; Prince Henry, the future Duke of Gloucester, being held by the Queen)

December 14, 1895 – Birth of King George VI at York Cottage at Sandringham in Norfolk, England
Prince Albert Frederick Arthur George was born on the anniversary of the death in 1861 of his great-grandfather Prince Albert and of his great-aunt Princess Alice in 1878.  Queen Victoria received the news with mixed feelings. Her son, the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) wrote to his son, the new baby’s father (later King George V): “Grandmama was rather distressed that this happy event should have taken place on a darkly sad anniversary for us, but I think – as well as most of us in the family here – that it will break the spell of this unlucky date.”

The Prince of Wales later wrote to his son: “I really think it would gratify her [Queen Victoria] if you yourself proposed the name Albert to her”.  Queen Victoria was pleased to hear of the proposal to name the new baby Albert, and wrote to the baby’s mother: “I am all impatience to see the new one, born on such a sad day but rather more dear to me, especially as he will be called by that dear name which is a byword for all that is great and good.”

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King Paul I of Greece and his siblings, clockwise from left: Helen, George, Alexander, Paul, and Irene (Katherine was born after this photograph was taken.); Credit – Wikipedia

December 14, 1901 – Birth of King Paul I of Greece in Athens, Greece
A Greek great-grandson of Queen Victoria was also born on December 14, 11 months after Queen Victoria’s death and on the 40th anniversary of Prince Albert’s death.  The future King Paul I of Greece was the son of King Constantine I of Greece and Princess Sophie of Prussia, the daughter of Queen Victoria’s eldest child Victoria, Princess Royal.  Paul was the father of Queen Sofia of Spain and of former King Constantine II of Greece.

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Princess Maud on the left with her mother and sister; Credit – Wikipedia

December 14, 1945 – Death of Princess Maud, Countess of Southesk at a nursing home in London, England
Maud was a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria and died of bronchitis at the age of 52  on the 84th anniversary of Prince Albert’s death. She was born Lady Maud Duff, the youngest daughter of Princess Louise, Princess Royal, and Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife. In 1905, her grandfather King Edward VII granted Maud and her older sister Alexandra the title of Princess with the style of “Highness” and they received precedence immediately after all members of the royal family bearing the style of “Royal Highness.”

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.

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Works Cited

  • “Albert, Prince Consort.” Wikipedia. Web. 11 Dec. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Albert>.
  • Erickson, Carolly. Her Little Majesty: The Life of Queen Victoria. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 1997. Print.
  • Hough, Richard. Edward and Alexandra: Their Private and Public Lives. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press, 1992. Print.
  • Pope-Hennessy, James. Queen Mary. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1959. Print.
  • Princess Alice of the United Kingdom.” Wikipedia. Web. 14 Dec. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Alice_of_the_United_Kingdom>

John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

From an albumen carte-de-visite, 1861; Credit – Wikipedia

John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, known as Lord John Russell before 1861, the courtesy title of a younger son of a duke, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice during the reign of Queen Victoria (1846 – 1862 and 1865 – 1866). Born August 18, 1792, in the Mayfair section of London, he was the younger of the three sons of John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford and his first wife The Honorable Georgiana Byng, daughter of George Byng, 4th Viscount Torrington. After the death of his first wife in 1801, the 6th Duke of Bedford married Lady Georgiana Gordon, daughter of Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon.

Russell had two older brothers:

Russell had ten half-siblings from his father’s second marriage to Lady Georgiana Gordon:

Russell had been born prematurely and was often ill during childhood. He started to attend Westminster School but his ill health caused him to withdraw. Thereafter, he was educated at home by tutors. From 1809 – 1812, Russell attended the University of Edinburgh.

In 1813, at the age of 21, Russell first entered the House of Commons as a Whig Member of Parliament for Tavistock. He had some help winning his first election. The 6th Duke of Bedford told the electors of Tavistock to vote for his son. Russell eventually acquired a prominent position in the Whig Party. When the Whigs came to power in 1835, Russell became Home Secretary (1835 – 1839). He also served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for War and the Colonies (1839 – 1841), Lord President of the Council (1854 – 1855), Secretary of State for the Colonies (1855), and Foreign Secretary (1852 -1853 and 1859 – 1865). Russell was the Leader of the Opposition when the Conservative 14th Earl of Derby was Prime Minister (1852 and 1866 – 1868).

The Great Irish Potato Famine (1845 – 1852) had caused a disastrous fall in food supplies and so Conservative Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel decided to join with Whigs and Radicals to repeal the Corn Laws which imposed tariffs and other trade restrictions on imported food and grain. Peel’s Conservative Party failed to support the bill but it passed with Whig and Radical support and the Duke of Wellington persuaded the House of Lords to pass it. Following the repeal of the Corn Law, Peel resigned as Prime Minister on June 29, 1846, and Russell became Prime Minister.

Lord John Russell, 1853; Credit – Wikipedia

Russell’s solutions to the Potato Famine proved inadequate as the situation worsened. The Whigs believed that the market would provide the food needed and they refused to intervene against food exports to England. They stopped the previous government’s food and relief works, leaving many hundreds of thousands of people without any work, money, or food. Russell’s government introduced a new program of public works that by the end of December 1846 employed a half million Irish and was impossible to administer. During Russell’s first term as Prime Minister around one million Irish starved to death or died of diseases caused by malnutrition, and one million more were forced to immigrate, reducing the population of Ireland by 25%.

In the election of 1852, neither the Whigs nor the Conservatives had a majority. Queen Victoria asked the Conservative Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby to form a government that lasted only six months. From 1852 – 1853 and from 1859 – 1865, Russell served as Foreign Secretary in the governments of George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen and Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston. In 1861, Russell was created a peer, the 1st Earl Russell, and sat in the House of Lords for the remainder of his career in Parliament. When Palmerston died on October 18, 1865, Russell once again became Prime Minister. In 1866, Russell’s second government made a failed attempt at further electoral reform and he resigned on June 26, 1866. Russell never held another leadership position but he was active in the House of Lords until a few years before his death.

Adelaide Lister, Russell’s first wife; Credit – Wikipedia

Russell married Adelaide Lister, widow of Thomas Lister, 2nd Baron Ribblesdale on April 11, 1835, but Adelaide died in childbirth delivering her daughter Victoria. The couple had two daughters:

  • Lady Georgiana Adelaide Russell (1836 – 1922), married Archibald Peel, had seven children
  • Lady Victoria Russell (1838 – 1880), married Henry Villiers, had ten children

Frances Anna Maria (‘Fanny’) (née Elliot), Countess Russell published by Mason & Co (Robert Hindry Mason), albumen carte-de-visite, early-mid 1860s, NPG Ax29968 © National Portrait Gallery, London

On July 20, 1841, Russell married Lady Frances Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, daughter of Gilbert Elliot, 2nd Earl of Minto. They had four children:

  • John Russell, Viscount Amberley (1842 – 1876), married The Honorable Katherine Stanley, daughter of Edward Stanley, 2nd Baron Stanley of Alderley, had three children
  • The Honorable George Gilbert William Russell (1848 – 1933)
  • The Honorable Francis Albert Rollo Russell (1849 – 1914), married (1) Alice Godfrey, had one son (2) Gertrude Joachim, had one son and one daughter
  • Lady Mary Agatha Russell (1853 – 1933)

Russell and his second wife Frances took over the care of the surviving children of their eldest son John Russell, Viscount Amberley. In a similar situation to diphtheria going through the family of Queen Victoria’s daughter Princess Alice (scroll down to Death of Princess Alice)  in 1878, Russell’s daughter-in-law Katherine nursed her elder son Frank and her daughter Rachel while they were ill with diphtheria. Katherine then became ill with diphtheria and died on June 28, 1874, and Rachel died five days later. Viscount Amberley died from bronchitis eighteen months later. The Viscount had unusual religious beliefs and did not want his children raised as Christians, so in his will, he had named two friends the guardians of his elder son Frank and his younger son Bertrand. However, Earl Russell and his wife successfully sued for custody of their grandchildren.

John Russell, 1st Earl Russell died May 28, 1878, aged 85, in Richmond Park, Surrey, England. He was buried in St. Michael’s Church in Chenies, Buckinghamshire, England in the Bedford Chapel, the private mausoleum of the Russell family and the Dukes of Bedford.

John Russell, 1st Earl Russell was succeeded by his grandson Frank Russell, 2nd Earl Russell (full name John Francis Stanley Russell). The 2nd Earl Russell had no children so he was succeeded by his younger brother Bertrand Russell as the 3rd Earl Russell. Bertrand Russell was a philosopher, mathematician, historian, writer, social critic, and political activist. In 1950, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature “in recognition of his varied and significant writings in which he champions humanitarian ideals and freedom of thought.”

St. Michael’s Church in Chenies, Buckinghamshire, England, with the Bedford Chapel on the side; Credit – Wikipedia

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

  • Baird, Julia. Victoria The Queen. Random House, 2016.
  • https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Russell,_1._Earl_Russell
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). John Russell, 1st Earl Russell. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Russell,_1st_Earl_Russell [Accessed 21 Jul. 2018].
  • Erickson, Carolly. Her Little Majesty: The Life of Queen Victoria.Simon and Schuster, 1997.
  • Hubbard, Kate. Serving Victoria: Life In The Royal Household. Harper Collins Publishers, 2012

Duke of Lancaster

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Arms of the Duchy of Lancaster; Credit – By Jr JL – This file was derived from: Duchy of Lancaster-coa.png: CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39911069

The Duchy of Lancaster is one of the two royal duchies in England and is held in trust for the Sovereign to provide income for the use of the British monarch. The other royal duchy is the Duchy of Cornwall which provides a similar purpose for the eldest son of the reigning British monarch. The monarch, regardless of gender, has the style of Duke of Lancaster. The duchy comprises 46,000 acres and includes urban developments, historic buildings, farmland in many parts of England and Wales, and large holdings in Lancashire. The Sovereign is not entitled to the capital of the Duchy’s portfolio or to capital profits. Revenue profits are distributed to the Sovereign and are subject to income tax.

John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, circa 1593, probably modeled after John of Gaunt’s tomb effigy; Credit – Wikipedia

The Duchy of Lancaster came into the British royal family via the marriage of one of King Edward III’s sons, John of Gaunt. John of Gaunt was the fourth son but the third surviving son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault. It is through John’s first marriage that the Duchy of Lancaster eventually became a possession of the British Crown. John is also quite important in royal genealogy. His daughter Catherine of Lancaster married King Enrique III of Castile, which made John the grandfather of King Juan II of Castile and the ancestor of all subsequent monarchs of Castile and a united Spain. His daughter Philippa of Lancaster married King João I of Portugal making all future Portuguese monarchs descendants of John. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and her predecessors since King Henry IV are descended from John of Gaunt. In fact, most European monarchies are descended from John. The Houses of Lancaster, York, and Tudor were all descended from three of John of Gaunt’s children:

  • King Henry IV (Lancaster: father of King Henry V, grandfather of King Henry VI)
  • Joan Beaufort (York: grandmother of King Edward IV and King Richard III)
  • John Beaufort (Tudor: great-grandfather of King Henry VII)

Following his father’s plan for his sons to marry wealthy heiresses, John of Gaunt married Blanche of Lancaster on May 19, 1359, in the Queen’s Chapel at Reading Abbey. The bride was fourteen-years-old and the groom was nineteen-year-old. Blanche’s father was Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster, a great-grandson of King Henry III. Blanche had only one sibling, an elder sister Maud. Blanche and John were third cousins, both being great-great-grandchildren of King Henry III. This was an excellent match for both Blanche and John. Blanche was marrying into the royal family and John’s wealth was greatly increased by marrying one of the richest heiresses in England.

The marriage of John of Gaunt and Blanche of Lancaster in Reading Abbey on 19 May 1359 by Horace Wright (1914); Credit – Wikipedia

Description of above painting from the Reading Museum where the painting is on display: In this painting John of Gaunt and his bride walk from beneath a gilded canopy towards the officiating Bishop of Salisbury. Four lords support the wedding canopy. The one nearest to Blanche is her father, Henry Duke of Lancaster. Close by is the poet Chaucer, clothed in black and bearing a scroll. On the throne is John’s father, King Edward III, beneath a crimson canopy decorated with the lions of England. Beside the King are two of the royal princes, Edward the Black Prince and Prince Lionel.

Blanche’s father died in 1361 and her sister died in 1362, making Blanche the sole heiress. At this time, it was common for extinct titles of heiresses’ fathers to pass to their husbands. John of Gaunt was created Duke of Lancaster on November 13, 1362. By that time, his wealth was immense. He owned thirty castles and estates in England and France. His household was comparable in size and organization to that of a monarch and his annual income was between £8,000 and £10,000 a year which would be several million pounds in today’s terms. This was the beginning of today’s Duchy of Lancaster which descended to John of Gaunt’s eldest son King Henry IV and has remained in the British Crown ever since.

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.

Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

by Henry William Pickersgill; Credit – Wikipedia

Born on February 5, 1788, in Bury, Lancashire, England, Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, once during the reign of King William IV (1834–35) and once during the reign of Queen Victoria (1841–46). He was the eldest son and the third of the eleven children of Sir Robert Peel, 1st Baronet, one of the early textile manufacturers of the Industrial Revolution and a Member of Parliament, and his first wife Ellen Yates.  Sir Robert Peel, 1st Baronet had high hopes for his children.  Peel accepted that he would not mingle with high society but intended to prepare his children to be able to do so.

Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet had ten siblings:

  • Mary Peel (1784 – 1848), married George Robert Dawson, had five sons
  • Elizabeth Peel (1786 – 1828), married Sir William Cockburn of Langton, 11th Baronet, had three sons
  • William Yates Peel, Member of Parliament and politician (1789 – 1858), Lady Jane Elizabeth Moore, daughter of Stephen Moore, 2nd Earl Mount Cashell, had 16 children
  • Edmund Peel, Member of Parliament and politician (1791 – 1850), married Emily Swinfen, had three sons
  • Eleanor Peel (1794 – ?)
  • Anne Peel (1796 – ?), married Charles Wickstead Ethelston
  • Very Rev. John Peel  (1798 – 1875), married Augusta Swinfen
  • General Jonathan Peel, soldier, Member of Parliament and politician (1799 – 1879), married Lady Alice Kennedy, daughter of Archibald Kennedy, 1st Marquess of Ailsa, had eight children
  • Laurence Peel, Member of Parliament and politician (1801 – 1888), married Lady Jane Lennox, daughter of Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond
  • Harriet Eleonora Peel (1803 – 1869), married Robert Henry Henley, 2nd Baron Henley of Chardstock, had two sons

Peel was educated at Bury Grammar School, Hipperholme Grammar School, and Harrow School.  He attended Christ Church, Oxford where he studied classics and mathematics. After Oxford, Peek studied law at Lincoln’s Inn.

The Duke of Wellington, Prime Minister 1828–1830, with Peel; Credit – Wikipedia

Peel was first elected to Parliament in 1809 at the age of 21. His mentor in Parliament was Sir Arthur Wellesley, the future 1st Duke of Wellington and victor at the Battle of Waterloo where Napoleon was defeated. Peel named one of his sons after the Duke of Wellington as did Queen Victoria. Quickly rising in power, Peel served as Chief Secretary for Ireland (1812 – 1818), Home Secretary (1822 – 1827 and 1828 – 1830), Chancellor of the Exchequer (1834 – 1835), Leader of the Opposition when Lord Melbourne was Prime Minister (1835 – 1841) and Prime Minister (1834 – 1835 and 1841 – 1846).

Julia, Lady Peel by Thomas Lawrence, 1807; Credit – Wikipedia

Peel married Julia Floyd, daughter of General Sir John Floyd, 1st Baronet on June 8, 1820. The couple had seven children:

In 1829, when he was Home Secretary, Peel established the Metropolitan Police Force in London based at Scotland Yard. The constables were nicknamed “bobbies” or “peelers” after Robert Peel. Peel is known as the father of modern policing and devised the Peelian Principles which defined the ethical requirements police officers must follow. The Peelian Principles have been used not only in the United Kingdom but in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and other countries.

In 1839, Lord Melbourne (Whig Party) announced his intention to resign as Prime Minister after a government bill passed by a very narrow margin of only five votes in the House of Commons. This led to the Bedchamber Crisis. The Conservative Peel, as Leader of the Opposition, was the prospective Prime Minister. He requested that Queen Victoria dismiss some of the wives and daughters of Whig Members of Parliament who made up her personal household, arguing that the monarch should avoid any hint of political favoritism to a party out of power. Queen Victoria refused to do so, saying her ladies were her friends. Peel refused to form a new government and Lord Melbourne was persuaded to stay on as Prime Minister. Eventually, Lord Melbourne’s support in Parliament declined and by 1840 it grew difficult to hold the Cabinet together. He resigned in August 1841 after a series of parliamentary defeats and Peel became Prime Minister for the second time.

Edward Drummond  (1792 – 1843) a British civil servant, was personal secretary to several British Prime Ministers including Sir Robert Peel. On January 20, 1843, Drummond was walking along Whitehall on his way back to Downing Street after visiting his brother at the Drummonds Bank in Charing Cross when Daniel McNaughton, a Scottish woodturner, approached him from behind and shot him at point-blank range in the back. McNaughton was under the impression that he had shot Prime Minister Robert Peel. Drummond, age 51, died five days later.

The House of Commons by Sir George Hayter oil on canvas, 1833-1843 NPG 54 © National Portrait Gallery, London

The most outstanding achievement of Peel’s second term as Prime Minister would eventually cause his downfall. The Great Irish Potato Famine had caused a disastrous fall in food supplies and so Peel decided to join with Whigs and Radicals to repeal the Corn Laws which imposed tariffs and other trade restrictions on imported food and grain. Peel’s Conservative Party failed to support the bill but it passed with Whig and Radical support and the Duke of Wellington persuaded the House of Lords to pass it. Following the repeal of the Corn Law, Peel resigned as Prime Minister on June 29, 1846.

Like Lord Melbourne, Peel also had been a mentor to Queen Victoria but as his term progressed, Victoria with the help of her husband Prince Albert became more self-sufficient.  Queen Victoria was still recovering from the difficult birth of her fifth child Princess Helena when she learned that Peel had resigned.  Her response was much calmer than her response when Lord Melbourne had resigned five years earlier.   Victoria wrote in her journal: “Really when one is so happy & blessed in one’s home life, as I am, Politics (provided that my country is safe) must take only a second place.”

After his resignation as Prime Minister, Peel remained an influential Member of Parliament and was the leader of the Peelites, a breakaway faction of the Conservative Party that eventually joined with the Whigs and Radicals to form the Liberal Party.

On June 29, 1850, Peel went out for his usual evening ride on a new horse that was not yet fully accustomed to its rider. He stopped at Buckingham Palace to write his name in the visitors’ book and then continued on Constitution Hill. During his ride, Peel met two girls he knew with a groom on a restless horse. Peel’s horse acted up, threw him off, and then fell on him. A woman offered to bring Peel home in her carriage. The doctors found that Peel had broken his left collarbone and probably several ribs. They also suspected severe internal bleeding. Peel’s condition worsened and he died at his London home Whitehall Gardens on July 2, 1850, at the age of 62. Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet was buried at St. Peter Church in Drayton Bassett, Staffordshire, England near his now-demolished country home Drayton Manor.

The plaque inside St. Peter’s Church where Sir Robert Peel is buried; Credit – www.findagrave.com/memorial/10192/robert-peel#view-photo=157861196

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