Category Archives: British Royals

Coronation of King George V and Queen Mary

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2013
Revised and Expanded 2023

The Coronation Ceremony of His Most Gracious Majesty King George V in Westminster Abbey. 22nd June 1911 © National Portrait Gallery, London (used with permission)

The Coronation Ceremony of His Most Gracious Majesty King George V in Westminster Abbey. 22nd June 1911
© National Portrait Gallery, London (used with permission)

Check out all our British coronation articles at the link below:

King George V became Sovereign upon the death of his father, King Edward VII, on May 6, 1910.  The following year, on June 22, 1911, King George V and his consort, Queen Mary, were crowned at Westminster Abbey.  The guests were all in place by 8:30 am although the service did not begin until 11: am.  At 10:30, King George V and Queen Mary left Buckingham Palace in the Gold State Coach, in a grand procession to Westminster Abbey.  Following the traditional Coronation ceremony, including the homage of their eldest son, The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII, and Duke of Windsor), the newly crowned King and Queen returned to Buckingham Palace, where they appeared on the balcony several times throughout the day.

Peers and peeresses arrive at Westminster Abbey for the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary. All peers and peeresses were invited along with all Members of Parliament.

King George V and Queen Mary’s eldest son The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII and The Duke of Windsor) and their only daughter Princess Mary (later The Princess Royal) in their coronation garb.

King Georg V and Queen Mary’s coronation was one of the last great gatherings of royalty before World War I. Many foreign royals listed below are from monarchies that ceased to exist after World War I or later during the 20th century.

Among the 6,000 guests at the coronation service were:

British Royal Family

Foreign Royalty

A photo taken on June 20, 1911, two days before the coronation, shows the Coronation Chair in front of the high altar at Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey, the site of English and British coronations going back to 1066, had closed a month earlier to prepare for the event.  To accommodate the 6,000 guests, the fixed pews were removed, and Chippendale-style chairs were put in place, each carved with a royal coronet and inscribed with the guest’s name.  Afterward, the guests were given the opportunity to purchase the chairs as souvenirs.  A brilliant new carpet was designed and installed, and a special annex was built to serve as the robing room for the King and Queen.

Over 50,000 military troops participated in the festivities, marching in the procession and lining the route.  Special camps were set up to accommodate them: in Hyde Park and Kensington Park for the British troops, in Alexandra Park for the Dominion troops, and in Hampton Court Palace for the Indian troops.

G5-M Coronation 1911

Official Coronation photo; Credit – Wikipedia

King George V re-established the tradition of being crowned with St. Edward’s Crown, last used for King William III at the coronation of King William III and his wife and co-ruler Queen Mary II in 1689.  St. Edward’s Crown was only used for the actual crowning part of the Coronation ceremony, after which the King wore the Imperial State Crown, created for Queen Victoria’s coronation in 1838 and also used for King Edward VII’s coronation in 1902.)  This is the crown he is wearing in the photograph above.

Queen Mary’s Crown as it looked in 1911; Credit – Wikipedia

In keeping with the tradition started by Queen Adelaide in 1831, a new crown was created for Queen Mary, containing the Koh-i-Noor diamond and the Cullinan III and Cullinan IV diamonds.  Previous Queen Consorts used the Crown of Mary of Modena.  Queen Mary’s new crown was designed with eight removable arches so it could be worn as a circlet.  This is how Queen Mary later wore it to the coronation of her son King George VI in 1937. The  Koh-i-Noor diamond was transferred to the Crown of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 1937 for her coronation and, will remain in that crown. Queen Camilla was crowned using Queen Mary’s Crown on May 6, 2023. Modifications included re-setting the crown with the original Cullinan III and IV diamonds, and additionally, the Cullinan V diamond, and removing four of its eight half-arches.

A brief extract from the diary of King George V on the day of the Coronation:

“The Service in the Abby was most beautiful and impressive, but it was a terrible ordeal.  IT was grand, yet simple & most dignified & went without a hitch.  I nearly broke down when dear David came to do homage to me, as it reminded me so much when I did the same thing to beloved Papa, he did it so well.  Darling May looked lovely & it was indeed a comfort to have her by my side as she has been ever to me during these last 18 years.”

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John, 1st Duke of Bedford

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

John, 1st Duke of Bedford praying before St. George, Credit – Wikipedia

Born on June 20, 1389, John was the third surviving son of the future King Henry IV of England and his first wife Mary de Bohun.  His paternal grandparents were John of Gaunt (son of King Edward III of England) and Blanche of Lancaster, the heiress of England’s wealthiest and most powerful peer, Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster.  It was through Blanche that the Duchy of Lancaster came into the royal family.  His maternal grandparents were Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford, and Joan Fitzalan, daughter of Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel  When John was five years old, his mother died while giving birth to her last child Philippa.

John had five surviving siblings:

In 1399, John’s father declared himself King Henry IV, imprisoned his cousin King Richard II, who died in 1400 under mysterious circumstances, and bypassed Richard’s seven-year-old heir-presumptive Edmund de Mortimer.  In 1403, John was made Constable of England and in 1410 he was confirmed in that position for life.  His father King Henry IV died in 1413 and his brother became King Henry V.  In 1414, John’s brother created him Duke of Bedford, Earl of Kendal, and Earl of Richmond.

When King Henry V died at the early age of 35 in 1422, he left his nine-month-old son to succeed him as King Henry VI.  John served as Regent for his young nephew and fought many battles against the French.  It was John who tried and executed Joan of Arc.

Anne of Burgundy, Duchess of Bedford; Credit – Wikipedia

John married Anne of Burgundy, daughter of John II the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy and Margaret of Bavaria in June of 1423.  The couple was childless.  Anne died on November 14, 1432, at the Hôtel de Bourgogne in Paris, France from the plague.

Jacquetta of Luxembourg; CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=135902202

On April 22, 1433, John married 17-year-old Jacquetta of Luxembourg, daughter of Peter I, Count of Saint-Pol, Conversano and Brienne and Margaret de Baux in Thérouanne, France.  The marriage was short-lived and childless as John, Duke of Bedford died on September 14, 1435, at age 46 at his Castle of Joyeux Repos in Rouen, Normandy, France.  He was buried at Rouen Cathedral in France. John’s widow Jacquetta married Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers in 1437 and had fourteen children including Elizabeth Woodville, the wife of King Edward IV.

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Princess Henrietta of England, Duchess of Orléans

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Princess Henrietta of England, Duchess of Orléans; Credit – Wikipedia

Known as Henrietta-Anne during her years at the French court, she is an ancestor of the royal families of Belgium, Luxembourg, and Spain.  When the line of Henriette-Anne’s brother King James II of England died out, the Jacobite claims to the British throne descended from her daughter Anne Marie d’Orléans, Queen of Sardinia. The Orléanist pretenders to the French throne and the Savoy pretenders to the Italian throne descend from Henrietta-Anne.

Princess Henrietta was born on June 16, 1644, amid the English Civil War, at Bedford House in Exeter, England, the home of William Russell, 5th Earl of Bedford, where her mother had fled from Oxford, England to safety.  It was in Oxford shortly before her birth that Henrietta’s parents, King Charles I and Henrietta Maria of France, last saw each other.  Henrietta Maria’s parents were King Henri IV of France, who had been assassinated when she was a year old, and Marie de Medici from the famous House of Medici.

Princess Henrietta, drawing by Anthony Van Dyck; Credit – Wikipedia

Henrietta’s siblings who survived infancy:

Henrietta on the right with her brother James and Charles, circa 1660; Credit – Wikipedia

Henrietta was well connected to European royalty through her maternal aunts and uncles: Louis XIII, King of France; Elisabeth, Queen of Spain, wife of Philip IV, King of Spain; Christine Marie, Duchess of Savoy, wife of Vittorio Amedeo I, Duke of Savoy; and Gaston, Duke of Orléans.  Her only surviving paternal aunt or uncle was Elizabeth Stuart who married Frederick V, Elector Palatine.  It was through Elizabeth’s daughter Sophia that the Protestant Hanovers came to the British throne in 1714 through the 1701 Act of Settlement.

About a month after Henrietta’s birth, her mother went to France to ask her nephew, King Louis XIV, for assistance for the Royalist side in the English Civil War.  Henrietta was left in the care of Lady Dalkeith (born Anne Villiers, the daughter of Sir Edward Villiers).  While in Lady Dalkeith’s care, King Charles I saw his daughter for the first time and ordered her baptized with the Church of England rites.  In 1646, Lady Dalkeith disguised herself and the princess as peasants and fled to France, reuniting the princess with her mother.  Lady Dalkeith was Princess Henrietta’s governess in France until 1651.

At the French court, Henrietta was given the additional name of Anne, in honor of Anne of Austria, widow of King Louis XIII and mother of King Louis XIV. Thereafter, the princess was known as Henriette-Anne, but she was called Minette by her family and friends.  Mother and daughter were given apartments at the Louvre Palace, the use of the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, and a pension, much of which was given to King Charles I in England and to royalist exiles in France.  In January 1649, King Charles I was beheaded and Henriette-Anne and her mother moved to the Palais Royal with her cousins King Louis XIV and Philippe, Duke of Orléans and their mother Anne of Austria, Dowager Queen of France.  At this time Henrietta Maria decided to have her daughter brought up as a Roman Catholic.

Henrietta Maria wanted her daughter to marry her cousin King Louis XIV, but his mother was against the marriage.  Instead, Louis married Maria Theresa of Spain, another first cousin, in 1660.  Also in 1660, the monarchy was restored in England and Henriette-Anne’s oldest brother became King Charles II.  Now that Henriette-Anne was the sister of the English king, her cousin Philippe became interested in marrying her.  Philippe had homosexual affairs, but apparently, he was intent on fulfilling his dynastic responsibility of having children.  The cousins married on April 1, 1661, and moved into the Palais des Tuileries.  Philippe was styled Monsieur and so Henrietta was then styled as Madame.  Henriette-Anne and Philippe had four children.  Some members of the French court doubted their children’s paternity. Henriette-Anne had affairs, including an affair with her husband’s lover Guy Armand de Gramont, Comte de Guiche.

Henrietta with her daughter Marie Louise by Jean Nocret, 1670; Credit – Wikipedia

Henriette-Anne regularly corresponded with the playwrights Molière and Racine, and the fabulist La Fontaine.  She was interested in gardening and created the water gardens at the Palais Royal. She also had a large art collection focusing on the Flemish artist Van Dyck and the Italian artist Correggio.  In 1669, Henriette-Anne’s mother Henrietta Maria died after mistakenly taking too many opiates as a painkiller.

The Death of the Duchess of Orléans; Credit – Wikipedia

Beginning in 1667, Henriette-Anne’s health started to suffer.  She had pains in her side and her digestive problems became so severe that she could only drink milk.  On June 29, 1670, Henriette-Anne drank a glass of iced chicory water and immediately felt severe pain in her side.  She thought she had been poisoned and asked to be given an antidote.  The last rites were administered and Henriette-Anne died on June 30, 1670, at the age of 26, at the Château de Saint-Cloud in Hauts-de-Seine, France.  There were rumors that her husband’s lover Philippe, Chevalier de Lorraine had poisoned her.

An autopsy was conducted by 17 French doctors and two English doctors and attended by the British ambassador and an audience of 100.  The official report stated that Henriette-Anne died from “cholera morbus caused by heated bile” which was a medical diagnosis at the time for acute gastroenteritis occurring in summer and autumn with severe cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting.  Many of the autopsy observers disagreed with this diagnosis.  Henriette-Anne was buried at the Basilica of St. Denis near Paris, the burial site of the Kings of France and their families.

Henrietta’s funeral; Credit – Wikipedia

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Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset, Illegitimate Son of King Henry VIII of England

by Emily McMahon  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset; Credit: Wikipedia

Born on June 15, 1519, Henry Fitzroy was the illegitimate son of King Henry VIII of England by his mistress Elizabeth Blount, a maid of honor to Catherine of Aragon, better known as Bessie Blount. Fitzroy (a surname meaning “son of the king”) was born in relative seclusion at the Augustinian Priory of St. Lawrence in Blackmore, Essex. Elizabeth was between 17 and 21 years old when she gave birth to King Henry VIII’s son after becoming his mistress a few years prior.

Fitzroy’s birth came at a crucial time in his father’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon as a few months before Catherine had given birth to the last of her six children, a stillborn daughter. The future Mary I was Henry’s and Catherine’s only surviving child, and Henry was wary of entrusting his kingdom to a sickly female. Fitzroy’s birth proved to Henry that he could father a healthy male child, and convinced him that Catherine was at fault for the lack of male heirs.

Fitzroy was christened a few weeks later with Cardinal Thomas Wolsey and possibly the King himself serving as godfathers.  Fitzroy is King Henry VIII’s only acknowledged illegitimate child. Although little documentation from his first years survives, Fitzroy is thought to have been cared for in the royal nursery with his half-sister Mary.

Fitzroy was given his own London residence in 1525, the same year he was raised to the peerage as the Duke of Richmond and Somerset. He was also given numerous titles such as Lord High Admiral of England, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and Lord President of the Council, among others. Fitzroy also spent time in Cambridge living with his tutor Richard Croke.

The granting of Fitzroy’s peerage and many titles suggests the esteem in which his father held him. Henry wanted to make Fitzroy his heir, even considering the possibility of marriage between Fitzroy and his half-sister Mary. Due to the scandal surrounding Henry’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon, the Pope was willing to provide a dispensation to accommodate the unconventional marriage to prevent Henry’s eventual break from the Church.

Fitzroy was said to be rather handsome in his teens, greatly resembling King Henry VIII. He was also reportedly intelligent and well-behaved. In 1533, Fitzroy married Lady Mary Howard, a daughter of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, the uncle of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, two of Henry VIII’s wives. Henry’s second wife Anne Boleyn arranged the marriage. Fitzroy and Mary reportedly did not consummate their relationship, possibly due to their young age or concerns for Fitzroy’s health.

Fitzroy died somewhat unexpectedly on July 23, 1536, at the age of seventeen, likely of tuberculosis. At this point, Henry VIII had made both his daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, illegitimate and was left with no real heir. Henry VIII may have been planning to legitimize his son in the years before Fitzroy’s death. Fitzroy was buried rather hastily at Thetford Priory in Norfolk and with no autopsy, suggesting that perhaps he died of the plague. Fitzroy’s remains were later moved to St. Michael the Archangel Church in Framlingham, Suffolk, England where his widow was later interred. Fitzroy may have left two illegitimate daughters of his own at the time of his death, but their fates are unknown. His younger half-brother succeeded their father as King Edward VI in 1547.

Tomb of Henry Fitzroy and his wife Lady Mary Howard; Credit – https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10925235/henry-fitzroy#view-photo=9540028

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King George V of Hanover

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2012

King George V of Hanover, Credit – Wikipedia

Kingdom of Hanover: In 1714, George, Elector of Hanover, became King George I of Great Britain due to the extinction of the Protestant Stuart line. He remained Elector of Hanover as did his successors King George II and King George III. In 1814, under the terms of the Congress of Vienna, the Electorate of Hanover was raised to the Kingdom of Hanover and King George III also became King of Hanover.

George III’s sons George IV and William IV succeeded him as King of the United Kingdom and King of Hanover. However, because the Kingdom of Hanover followed the Salic Law which did not allow female succession, Queen Victoria who succeeded her uncle William IV as Queen of the United Kingdom, could not become Queen of Hanover. Therefore, Queen Victoria’s paternal eldest surviving uncle Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland became King of Hanover.

King George V, Ernest Augustus’ son, was the last King of Hanover. Hanover backed the losing side in the Austro-Prussian War and was conquered by the Kingdom of Prussia in 1866 and became a Prussian province. Since then, the senior heir of the House of Hanover has been the pretender to the throne of the Kingdom of Hanover. Today the former Kingdom of Hanover is in the German state of Lower Saxony.

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The last King of Hanover was born Prince George of Cumberland on May 27, 1819, in a hotel in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany.  His parents were Prince Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, the fifth son of King George III, and Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.  Prince George was born amidst the race for an heir to the British throne in the third generation.  The death of Princess Charlotte of Wales in childbirth in 1817 left King George III without any legitimate grandchildren.  Prince George was born three days after the eventual heir, Alexandrina Victoria (Queen Victoria), who was ahead of her cousin in the succession by being the child of King George III’s fourth son.  After Queen Victoria succeeded to the throne in 1837, Prince George remained second in the line of succession after his father until Queen Victoria’s first child was born.  Today his descendant Prince Ernst August of Hanover is the senior male-line descendant of King George III and the Head of the House of Hanover.

While George had no full siblings, he did have half-siblings from his mother’s first two marriages:

From his mother’s first marriage to Prince Ludwig of Prussia, George had three half-siblings:

From his mother’s second marriage to Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Solms-Braunfels, George had six half-siblings:

  • Princess Caroline of Solms-Braunfels (born and died 1799)
  • Prince Wilhelm of Solms-Braunfels (1801–1868), married Countess Maria Anna Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau, had nine children
  • Princess Sophie of Solms-Braunfels (born and died 1803)
  • Princess Auguste Luise of Solms-Braunfels (1804–1865), married Prince Albert of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, had four children
  • Prince Friedrich of Solms-Braunfels (1807–1867), married Baroness Louise of Landsberg-Velen, had one child
  • Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels (1812–1875), married (1) morganatically Louise Beyrich, had three children  (2) Princess Sophie of Loewenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, had five children

Prince George was christened George Frederick Alexander Charles Ernest Augustus on July 8, 1819, at a hotel in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia with what might be a record number of godparents:

Prince George spent his childhood in England and Prussia. In 1828, an accident with a swinging set of keys resulted in the loss of some vision.  By 1835, George was completely blind.  In 1837, upon the accession of Queen Victoria, George’s father became King of Hanover.  Up until this point, Hanoverian kings of the United Kingdom were also Electors or Kings of Hanover.  However, Hanover followed the Salic Law which did not allow female succession.  Ernest Augustus, the eldest surviving son of King George III, became King of Hanover and his son George became the Crown Prince.

In 1839, Crown Prince George met Princess Marie of Saxe-Altenburg at Schloss Monbrillant, a summer palace of the Hanovers.  George and Marie were married on February 18, 1843, and had three children:

George and his family; Credit – Wikipedia

George succeeded his father as King of Hanover and Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, as well as Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, in the Peerage of Great Britain, and Earl of Armagh, in the Peerage of Ireland, on November 18, 1851. King George V of Hanover reigned for only 15 years, being exiled from Hanover in 1866 because of his support for Austria in the Austro-Prussian War.  On September 20, 1866, Hanover was annexed by Prussia.  George never abdicated from the throne of Hanover and he and his wife Marie lived in exile in Gmunden, Austria, and in Paris, France where George died on June 12, 1878, at the age of 59.  After a funeral service was held at the Lutheran Church in the Rue Chacat in Paris and George’s remains were transported to England and buried in the Royal Tomb House under St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England.

An artist’s view inside the Royal Tomb House at St. George’s Chapel. Caskets were placed on the shelves along the sides. The bench in the middle was used as a temporary place for caskets waiting to be buried elsewhere.

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Unofficial Royalty Kingdom of Hanover Resources

Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, Credit – Wikipedia

Henry William Frederick Albert was the third son and fourth child of King George V of the United Kingdom and Princess Victoria Mary of Teck (Queen Mary).  He was born on March 31, 1900, at York Cottage on the Sandringham estate.  His great-grandmother Queen Victoria had created Letters Patent giving the style of Royal Highness to the children of the Duke and Duchess of York, so Henry was HRH Prince Henry of York from birth.  He had five siblings:

Prince Henry (front center) with his siblings, 1910. source: Wikipedia

Prince Henry (known as Harry) was christened on May 17, 1900, in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle, by the Bishop of Winchester.  His godparents were:

Henry attended St. Peter’s Court School in Kent and then Eton College near Windsor which was unusual for a royal child at that time.  He also attended the Royal Military College at Sandhurst and Trinity College, Cambridge. On his 28th birthday, his father King George V created him Duke of Gloucester.

Henry had a military career in the British Army and served with The King’s Royal Rifle Corps and the 10th Royal Hussars.  He retired from active duty in 1937 but served with the British Expeditionary Force during World War II. In 1940, he was wounded when the car he was in was attacked from the air.  The highest ranks Henry attained were Field Marshal (1955) and Marshal of the Royal Air Force (1958).

On November 6, 1935, Henry married Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott, a daughter of John Montagu Douglas Scott, 7th Duke of Buccleuch.  The wedding was originally set to be held at Westminster Abbey, but when Lady Alice’s father died on October 19, 1935, the wedding venue was changed.  It was deemed more appropriate to have the wedding at the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace. Among the bridesmaids were the groom’s nieces Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret Rose.

The couple had two sons and the family lived at the 16th-century Barnwell Manor in Northamptonshire and York House, St. James’s Palace in London.

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester with King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, 1945. source: Wikipedia

The Duke of Gloucester served as Governor-General of Australia from 1945 – 1947.  During the early reign of the Duke’s niece Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester carried out royal engagements including some overseas tours.

In 1965, while driving back to Barnwell Manor after attending the funeral of Winston Churchill, the Duke suffered a stroke causing a car accident.  The Duchess suffered injuries to the face which required 57 stitches.  Three years later, the Duke suffered another stroke which left him incapacitated. The Duchess continued to talk and read to her husband hoping he could hear and understand.  She never did tell him about the death of their son in a plane crash, but she thought he understood from watching television.

Graves of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester. photo: www.findagrave.com

On June 10, 1974, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester died at Barnwell Manor, his country home at the age of 73.  He was buried at the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore near Windsor Castle.  After the Duke’s death, his widow received permission from Queen Elizabeth II to style herself Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester to distinguish herself from her son’s wife.  Princess Alice died in 2004 at the age of 102, the longest-living member of the British Royal Family ever.

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Sophia of the Palatinate, Electress of Hanover

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Dowager Electress Sophia of Hanover, Credit – Wikipedia

If the Stuarts had been able to provide a Protestant heir to the British throne, Sophia of Hanover would not have become possibly the most famous footnote in British royal history.  Princess Sophia of the Palatine was born on October 14, 1630, at the Wassenaer Hof in The Hague, Dutch Republic, now in the Netherlands where her parents were in exile during the Thirty Years War.  Her father was Friedrich V, Elector Palatine, but Sophia’s more important dynastic line was through her mother.  Her mother was Elizabeth Stuart, the second child and eldest daughter of James VI and I, King of Scotland, England and Ireland, and his wife Anne of Denmark.

Sophie had twelve siblings:

Sophia married Ernst August, Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg on September 30, 1658.  Ernst August became the first Elector of Hanover in 1692.  Sophia and Ernst August had seven children:

Sophia in 1650; Credit – Wikipedia

Sophia was intelligent and well-read. She was an admirer of the German philosopher and mathematician Gottfried Leibniz and the two regularly corresponded.  Sophia and her husband did much work improving the Hanover ancestral home at Herrenhausen, particularly the beautiful gardens.

Palace of Herrenhausen and the Great Garden, circa 1708; Credit – Wikipedia

The Stuarts came to the British throne after the death of Queen Elizabeth I.  King James VI of Scotland, the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, was the great-grandson of Margaret Tudor (the sister of King Henry VIII), and upon Elizabeth’s death became King James I of England.  James I was succeeded by his son King Charles I who was beheaded during the English Civil War. Oliver Cromwell ruled as Lord Protector for eleven years until the monarchy was restored in 1660 and Charles I’s son became King Charles II.  Despite having at least fourteen illegitimate children by his mistresses, Charles II and his wife Catherine of Braganza had no children.  Charles II was succeeded by his brother King James II in 1685.

King James II had eight children with his first wife Anne Hyde, who died before he became king.  Only two of the eight children survived childhood, the future Queen Mary II and the future Queen Anne.  James converted to Catholicism in 1668 or 1669 during his first marriage, kept his conversion secret, and continued to attend Church of England services until 1673 when his conversion became public.  Charles II refused to allow James’ daughters from his first marriage to become Catholic.  James married again to the Catholic Maria Beatrice of Modena and all of their children born between 1675 – 1682 died young.  The birth of James Francis Edward, a Catholic son of James and Maria Beatrice of Modena, in 1688 precipitated the Glorious Revolution which placed James’ elder daughter Mary and her husband and first cousin William III, Prince of Orange, jointly on the throne as the Protestant monarchs King William III and Queen Mary II.

William and Mary had married in 1677.  William was the only child of Mary, Princess Royal, the daughter of King Charles I, and therefore was Mary’s first cousin.  Mary suffered a miscarriage early in her marriage which may have left her unable to have children.  She had several periods of illness which may have also been miscarriages.  Mary’s inability to have children caused her great grief.  Queen Mary II died of smallpox in 1694 at the age of 32.  King William III reigned until he died in 1702, and was succeeded by Anne, the younger daughter of King James II.

Queen Anne married George of Denmark in 1683. Anne had 17 pregnancies and tragically only three of the pregnancies resulted in children who lived longer than a few days.  The promise of the Stuart succession was with Anne’s only surviving child Prince William, Duke of Gloucester.  Prince William was a sickly child and probably had hydrocephalus. Less than a week after his 11th birthday, Prince William died and there was a succession crisis as his mother was the only person remaining in the Protestant line to the throne established by the Bill of Rights of 1689.

Sophia of Hanover’s family was the most junior of the Stuart lines but was the most Protestant.  In 1701, Parliament passed the Act of Settlement, giving the succession to the British throne to Sophia and her non-Catholic heirs. This act ensured the Protestant succession and bypassed many Catholics with a better hereditary claim to the throne.

On  June 5, 1714, 83-year-old Sophia fell ill after receiving an angry letter from Queen Anne. Two days later, while she was walking in the gardens of Schloss Herrenhausen, it began to rain quite heavily and Sophia ran to a shelter where she collapsed. Sophia of the Palatinate, Electress of Hanover, died on June 8, 1714, at Schloss Herrenhausen in Hanover, Electorate of Hanover, now in Lower Saxony, Germany. She was initially buried at the Chapel of Leineschloss in Hanover which was destroyed during World War II. In 1957, her remains were moved to the mausoleum of King Ernst August I of Hanover in the Berggarten of Herrenhausen Gardens.  She narrowly missed becoming queen, having died two months before Queen Anne. Sophia’s son George, Elector of Hanover, became King George I.

Berggarten Mausoleum at Schloss Herrenhausen in Hanover, Germany; Credit – Wikipedia

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Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II

 by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Credit – By BiblioArchives / LibraryArchives from Canada – Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II / uronnement de la Reine Elizabeth IIUploaded by oaktree_b, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19783528

June 2, 2013 was the 60th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.  This occasion was marked by a service of celebration at Westminster Abbey on June 4, 2013, at 11 AM attended by The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, and other members of the Royal Family.

The Queen had acceded to the throne on February 6, 1952, upon the death of her father King George VI.  She was 25 years old at the time and the mother of two young children under the age of four.  Queen Mary, the new queen’s grandmother, died on March 24, 1953.  Before her death, Queen Mary insisted that the coronation go on as scheduled on June 2, 1953. The ceremony in Westminster Abbey, with the exception of the anointing and communion, was televised for the first time.

Westminster Abbey was closed for five months prior to the coronation so that the construction needed for 8,000 people to attend could be completed.  See the BBC news video for more details below.

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Guests: Westminster Abbey opened at 6:00 AM on Coronation Day to the approximately 8,000 invited guests including members of the Queen’s family and foreign royalty, the peers of the United Kingdom, heads of state, Members of Parliament from the Queen’s various legislatures, and other guests from the member countries of the  Commonwealth of Nations. Guests seated on stools were able to purchase their stools following the ceremony, with the profits going towards the cost of the coronation. Below are listed members of The Queen’s family, members of The Duke of Edinburgh’s family, and foreign royalty who attended the coronation.

Guests from the British Royal Family

  • Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen’s husband
  • Prince Charles, Duke of Cornwall, the Queen’s son and heir
  • Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, the Queen’s mother
  • Princess Margaret, the Queen’s sister
  • Princess Mary, Princess Royal, the Queen’s paternal aunt
  • George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood and Marion Lascelles, Countess of Harewood, the Queen’s first cousin and his wife
  • The Honorable Gerald Lascelles, the Queen’s first cousin
  • Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, the Queen’s paternal uncle and aunt
  • Prince William of Gloucester, the Queen’s first cousin
  • Prince Richard of Gloucester, the Queen’s first cousin
  • Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, the Queen’s paternal aunt by marriage and the Duke of Edinburgh’s first cousin
  • Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, the Queen’s first cousin
  • Princess Alexandra of Kent, the Queen’s first cousin
  • Prince Michael of Kent, the Queen’s first cousin
  • Princess Marie Louise, the Queen’s first cousin twice removed and a granddaughter of Queen Victoria
  • Lady Patricia Ramsay (a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, born Princess Patricia of Connaught) and The Honorable Sir Alexander Ramsay, the Queen’s first cousin twice removed and her husband
  • Alexander Ramsay of Mar, the Queen’s second cousin once removed
  • Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone and Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, the Queen’s paternal great-uncle and great-aunt (Princess Alice was the Queen’s first cousin twice removed and a granddaughter of Queen Victoria)
  • Lady May Abel Smith and Colonel Sir Henry Abel Smith, the Queen’s first cousin once removed and her husband
  • Richard Abel Smith, the Queen’s second cousin

Guests from the Bowes-Lyon Family

  • Albemarle Bowes-Lyon, the Queen’s first cousin
  • James Bowes-Lyon, the Queen’s first cousin once removed

Guests from the Teck-Cambridge Family

  • George Cambridge, 2nd Marquess of Cambridge and Dorothy Cambridge, Marchioness of Cambridge, the Queen’s first cousin once removed and his wife
  • Lady Mary Whitney and Peter Whitney, the Queen’s second cousin and her husband
  • The Duchess of Beaufort (born Lady Mary Cambridge) and Henry Somerset, 10th Duke of Beaufort, the Queen’s first cousin once removed and her husband
  • Lady Helena Gibbs, the Queen’s first cousin, once removed, born Princess Helena of Teck

Guests from The Duke of Edinburgh’s Family

  • Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark, the Duke of Edinburgh’s mother, born Princess Alice of Battenberg
  • The Princess and Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, the Duke of Edinburgh’s sister Margarita and brother-in-law Gottfried
  • Princess Beatrix of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, the Duke of Edinburgh’s niece
  • The Margravine and Margrave of Baden, the Duke of Edinburgh’s sister Theodora and brother-in-law Berthold
  • The Hereditary Prince of Baden, the Duke of Edinburgh’s nephew Maximilian
  • Princess and Prince Georg Wilhelm of Hanover, the Duke of Edinburgh’s sister Sophie and brother-in-law Georg Wilhelm
  • Princess Christina Margarethe of Hesse, the Duke of Edinburgh’s niece
  • Prince and Princess George of Greece and Denmark, the Duke of Edinburgh’s paternal uncle George and aunt Marie Bonaparte, representing King Paul of Greece

Guests from the Mountbatten Family

  • Nadejda Mountbatten, Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven, the Duke of Edinburgh’s maternal aunt by marriage (and widow of the Queen’s second cousin once removed)
  • David Mountbatten, 3rd Marquess of Milford Haven, the Duke of Edinburgh’s first cousin (and the Queen’s third cousin)
  • Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma and Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, the Duke of Edinburgh’s maternal uncle and aunt (and the Queen’s second cousin once removed and his wife)
  • Lady Pamela Mountbatten, the Duke of Edinburgh’s first cousin (and the Queen’s third cousin)

  • Irene Mountbatten, Marchioness of Carisbrooke, wife of the Queen’s first cousin twice removed

Rulers of British Protectorates

  • Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa I of Bahrain
  • Sheikh Abdullah III Al-Salim Al-Sabah of Kuwait
  • Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III of Brunei
  • Sultan Ibrahim IV of Kelantan
  • Sultan Hisamuddin and Raja Jemaah of Selangor
  • Sultan Ibrahim and Sultanah Helen Ibrahim of Johor
  • Sultan Khalifa bin Harubn and the Sultanah Nunu of Zanzibar
  • Sultan Ali III ibn ‘Abd al-Karim al-‘Abdali of Lahej
  • Sultan Yusuf Izzuddin Shah of Perak
  • Queen Salote of Tonga
  • Sheikh Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani, representing Ali bin Abdullah Al Thani of Qatar

Members of Foreign Royal Families

  • Crown Prince Olav and Crown Princess Märtha of Norway, the Queen’s first cousin once removed and his wife representing his father King Haakon VII of Norway
  • Princess Astrid of Norway, the Queen’s second cousin
  • Prince Axel and Princess Margaretha of Denmark, the Duke of Edinburgh’s first cousin once removed and his second cousin (representing his first cousin once removed, King Frederik IX of Denmark)
  • Prince Bertil of Sweden, Duke of Halland, the Queen’s second cousin once removed (representing his father King Gustav VI of Sweden)
  • Prince Albert, Prince of Liège (representing his brother King Baudouin of the Belgians)
  • Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands (representing his wife Queen Juliana of the Netherlands)
  • Crown Prince Sisavang Vatthana of Laos (representing King Sisavang Phoulivong of Laos)
  • Prince Himalayapratrap Vir Vikram Shah and his wife Princess Princep Shah (representing King Tribhuwan Bir Bikram Shah of Nepal)
  • Hereditary Prince Bao Long (representing Bảo Đại, the Chief of State of Vietnam)
  • Crown Prince Akihito of Japan (representing Emperor Hirohito of Japan)
  • Crown Prince Amha Selassie of Ethiopia (representing Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia)
  • Prince Fahad Ibn Abdul Aziz (representing King Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia)
  • Shah Wali Khan (representing King Mohammed Zahir Shah of Afghanistan)
  • Crown Prince Abdul Ilah (representing King Faisal II of Iraq)
  • Prince Sisowath Monireth (representing King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia)
  • Prince Chula Chakrabongse and Princess Chula (representing King Bhumibol Adulyadej  of Thailand)
  • Prince Saif Al Islam Al Hassan (representing King Ahmad bin Yahya Hamidaddin of Yemen)
  • The Nabil Suleyman Daoud (representing the King Fuad II of Egypt)
  • Hereditary Grand Duke Jean and Hereditary Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg (representing Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg)
  • Prince Karl Alfred and Princess Agnes of Liechtenstein (representing Prince Franz Joseph II of Liechtenstein)
  • Prince Pierre of Monaco (representing Prince Rainier III of Monaco)

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The Coronation Dress; Credit – Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2022

The Coronation Gown: Queen Elizabeth’s coronation gown was designed by her favorite designer, Norman Hartnell, and featured embroidered floral emblems of the Commonwealth countries: English Tudor rose; Scots thistle, Welsh leek,  Irish shamrock,  Australian wattle, Canadian maple leaf, New Zealand silver fern, South African protea, lotus flowers for India and Ceylon, and Pakistan’s wheat, cotton, and jute.

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The Queen traveled from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey in the Gold State Coach which was built in 1762 and has been used for the coronation of every monarch since King George IV.  It is estimated that 3 million people lined the streets of London that day.

Gold State Coach, Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Upon arrival at Westminster Abbey, Queen Elizabeth was attended by six aristocratic young women who served as Maids of Honor.  Sixty years later, all six were still alive.

    • Lady Moyra Hamilton, 22, daughter of the Marquess of Hamilton, later 4th Duke of Abercorn
    • Lady Anne Coke, 20, daughter  of the 5th Earl of Leicester
    • Lady Jane Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 20, daughter of the 8th Marquess of Londonderry
    • Lady Mary Baillie-Hamilton, 19, daughter of the 12th Earl of Haddington
    • Lady Jane Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, 18, daughter of the 3rd Earl of Ancaster
    • Lady Rosemary Spencer-Churchill, 23, daughter of 10th Duke of Marlborough

 The Queen arrives at Westminster Abbey

Charles bored coronation

A rather bored looking Prince Charles at the coronation with his grandmother The Queen Mother and his aunt Princess Margaret, Photo Credit – www.abc.net.au

After the Queen’s procession into Westminster Abbey, the coronation service started.

The Recognition: The Archbishop of Canterbury along with Lord Chancellor, Lord Great Chamberlain, Lord High Constable, and Earl Marshal proceeded to the East, South, West, and North sides of the coronation theater.  Each time the Archbishop said, “Sirs, I here present unto you Queen ELIZABETH, your undoubted Queen: Wherefore all you who are come this day to do your homage and service, Are you willing to do the same?”  The People replied each time, “God Save Queen Elizabeth.”

The Oath: The Queen, seated in the Chair of Estate, took the Coronation Oath administered by the Archbishop of Canterbury.  She then proceeded to the altar and solemnly swore the Oath with her right hand on the Bible.  Afterward, she kissed the Bible and signed the Oath.

The Communion Service: Traditional service of the Anglican Church

The Anointing:  After being disrobed of her crimson robe, the Queen sat in King Edward’s Chair.  Four Knights of the Garter held a canopy over her.  The Dean of Westminster took the Ampulla which held the Holy Oil and poured some into the Spoon.  The Archbishop then anointed the Queen in the form of a cross on the palms of both hands, the breast, and the crown of the head.  The canopy was removed and the Queen was dressed in the Colobium Sindonis, a simple sleeveless white linen shift,  and the Supertunica, a long coat of gold silk that reaches to the ankles and has wide-flowing sleeves.

British Crown Jewels

Regalia used in the coronation; Photo Credit – rachelsprengeler.blogspot.com

The Presenting of the Spurs and Sword, and the Oblation of the Sword of State: The Spurs were brought from the altar by the Dean of Westminster, and given to the Lord Great Chamberlain who presented them to the Queen.  Afterward, the Spurs were returned to the altar.  Next, the Archbishop took the Sword from the altar and assisted by the Archbishop of York and the Bishops of London and Winchester put the Sword the Queen’s hands and said a prayer.  The Queen then went to the altar, returned the sword to its scabbard, and sat down in King Edward’s Chair.

Dressed in the Sindonis and Supertunica, the Queen returns the Sword of State to the altar, Photo Credit – members.boardhost.com

The Investing with the Armills, the Stole Royal and the Robe Royal: and the Delivery of the Orb: The Dean of Westminster delivered the Armills to the Archbishop, who said a prayer while putting them on the Queen’s wrists.  The Queen stood and was clothed with the Robe Royal.  After she sat down, the Sovereign’s Orb was brought from the altar by the Dean of Westminster and delivered into the Queen’s right hand by the Archbishop of Canterbury.  The Queen then gave the orb to the Dean of Westminster who returned it to the altar.

Sovereign's Orb

Sovereign’s Orb; Photo Credit – https://www.royalcollection.org.uk

The Investiture per annulum, et per sceptrum et baculum: The Keeper of the Jewel House gave the Queen’s Ring, which was set with a sapphire and a ruby cross, to the Archbishop of Canterbury who put it on the fourth finger of the Queen’s right hand, and said a prayer.  The Dean of Westminster brought the Sceptre with the Cross and the Rod with the Dove to the Archbishop, who put it in the Queen’s left hand and said a prayer.

The Putting on of the Crown:  The people stood up and the Archbishop of Canterbury took St. Edward’s Crown from the altar, then laid it back on the altar, and said a prayer.  The Archbishop then proceeded to the Queen who was sitting in King Edward’s Chair.  The Dean of Westminster brought him the crown and the Archbishop reverently put the crown on the Queen’s head.  The people repeatedly shouted, “God Save The Queen.”  The Princes and Princesses, the Peers and Peeresses put on their coronets and caps, and the Kings of Arms their crown.  Trumpets sounded, and the great guns at the Tower of London were fired.

Elizabeth_crowning

The Archbishop of Canterbury prepares to crown the Queen; www.dailymail.co.uk

Elizabeth_crowned

The crowned Queen; Photo Credit – www.telegraph.co.uk

The Benediction:  Now that the Queen had been anointed and crowned, and had received all the signs of the sovereign, the Archbishop of Canterbury blessed her and all those assembled at Westminster Abbey replied with a loud Amen.

The Enthroning:  The Queen went to the throne, and was lifted up into it by the Archbishops and Bishops, and other Peers of the Kingdom.  Lords bearing the regalia stood on the steps around the throne.

The Homage: After the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Duke of Edinburgh offered their fealty to the Queen, all princes and peers present did likewise, saying to her, ” I, (name) Duke, or Earl, etc., of (name) do become your liege man of life and limb, and of earthly worship; and faith and truth I will bear unto you, to live and die, against all manner of folks. So help me God.”

 

The Communion: Queen Elizabeth knelt and took communion, in a service that included a general confession and absolution, and, along with the people, recited the Lord’s Prayer.

The Recess: The Queen proceeded to Saint Edward’s Chapel, gave St. Edward’s Crown and the Sceptre and the Rod to the Archbishop of Canterbury who laid them on the altar in the chapel.  The Queen was then disrobed of the Robe Royal and clothed in a Robe of purple velvet and the Imperial State Crown.  The Archbishop of Canterbury put the Sceptre with the Cross into her right hand and the Orb in her left hand.  The Queen left the St. Edward’s Chapel to the singing of the National Anthem and then proceeded up the aisle.

Queen Elizabeth proceeding up the aisle of Westminster Abbey after her coronation, Photo Credit – www.guardian.co.uk

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Jane Seymour, Queen of England

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

 Jane Seymour, Queen of England; Credit – Wikipedia

Jane Seymour was the daughter of Sir John Seymour and Margery Wentworth.  Jane’s birth date is unknown, but she was probably born around 1508, most likely at the family home, Wolf Hall in Wiltshire.  The Seymours were descendants of a supporter of William the Conqueror, who took his name from St. Maur-sur-Loire in Touraine, France, and were also descendants of King Edward III of England through his son Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence.   Jane, Henry VIII’s second wife Anne Boleyn, and Henry VIII’s fifth wife Catherine Howard all shared a great-grandmother and were second cousins.  Anne and Catherine were also first cousins.

Jane Seymour had eight siblings. Two of her brothers, Edward and Thomas, were executed during the reign of her son King Edward VI.

Jane’s education was not academic, but rather practical.  She learned household management and needlework.  Her embroidery was said to have been beautiful and elaborate.  Jane became a maid of honor to Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII’s first wife, and then to Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s second wife.  In September 1535, Henry stayed at Wolf Hall, the Seymour family home, and it may have been then that he first noticed Jane.   However, the first evidence of Henry’s interest in Jane was not until February of 1536 when Henry’s disinterest in Anne was obvious and Jane was thought likely to become Henry’s third wife.  Jane is said to have resisted Henry’s attempts to make her his mistress.

On May 30, 1536, King Henry VIII was married to Jane Seymour, his third wife, by Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury in a private ceremony held in the Queen’s Closet at Whitehall Palace.  Henry and Jane had been betrothed on May 20, 1536, a day after the execution of Henry’s second wife Anne Boleyn.

Although Henry wanted Jane to have a coronation, she was never crowned.  At first, the coronation was postponed because of the plague in London, and then it was postponed further because of her pregnancy.  Jane had known Mary, Henry’s daughter since the days she served as maid of honor to Mary’s mother, Catherine of Aragon, and she was able to reconcile father and daughter.  Through Jane’s influence, Mary was brought back to court.

Early in 1537, Jane became pregnant.  The joyous king fulfilled Jane’s every desire and emsured the best doctors and midwives attended her.  As was tradition, Jane went into confinement a month before the baby’s due date.  At 2 AM, on October 12, 1537, the long-awaited male heir was born at Hampton Court Palace.  Jane’s labor had been long, two days and three nights.  Three days later, the baby was christened Edward after Edward the Confessor whose feast day is October 13.  His half-sisters Mary (daughter of Catherine of Aragon) and Elizabeth (daughter of Anne Boleyn) attended the ceremony along with his mother who was carried on a litter.

Prince Edward (future Edward VI), Henry VIII, Jane Seymour painted in 1545, eight years after Jane’s death; Credit: Wikipedia

On October 17, 1537, Jane’s condition deteriorated and she was given the last rites.   She died at Hampton Court Palace on October 24, 1537, most likely from puerperal fever or childbed fever, a bacterial infection. The majority of child-bed fever cases were caused by the birth attendants. With no knowledge of germs, it was believed that hand washing was unnecessary.

Jane was buried on November 12, 1537, in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.  Mary, Henry VIII’s elder daughter, was the chief mourner.  Henry’s plans to build a magnificent monument over Jane’s tomb never happened.  In 1547 and three wives later, Henry VIII died and was laid to rest with Jane.  In 1649, after his execution by beheading, King Charles I was laid to rest in the same vault as Henry and Jane.  The only memorial to the three is a plaque on the floor put there by King William IV in 1837.  Jane and Henry’s son Edward succeeded his father, but his reign was short.  King Edward VI died at the age of 15 and was succeeded by Henry’s daughter with Catherine of Aragon (Queen Mary I) who was then succeeded by Henry’s daughter with Anne Boleyn (Queen Elizabeth I).

Coffins of King Henry VIII (center, damaged), Queen Jane (right), King Charles I with a child of Queen Anne (left), vault under the choir, St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, marked by a stone slab in the floor; Credit – Wikipedia

Henry VIII_tomb

Slab in the floor indicating tomb of Henry VIII, Jane Seymour, Charles I, and an infant child of Queen Anne; Credit – onthetudortrail.com

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.

England: House of Tudor Resources at Unofficial Royalty

King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, The Duke of Windsor

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, later The Duke of Windsor; Credit – Wikipedia

The future King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom was born on June 23, 1894, at White Lodge, Richmond Park on the outskirts of London, England.  At the time of his birth, his great-grandmother Queen Victoria sat on the throne of the United Kingdom.  His parents, the future King George V and Queen Mary were the Duke and Duchess of York, and his grandparents, the future King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra were the Prince and Princess of Wales.  The infant prince was the eldest son of his parents and was third in the line of succession behind his grandfather and father.

Four Generations: Standing: The future King Edward VII and the future King George V, Sitting: Queen Victoria holding the future King Edward VIII

 

The little prince was christened with a long string of names, Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David, on July 16, 1894, in the Green Drawing Room at White Lodge by Edward White Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury.  The name Edward was in honor of his late uncle and elder brother of his father Prince Albert Victor known as Prince Eddy.  Christian was for his great-grandfather King Christian IX of Denmark and Albert was for his great-grandfather Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.  The last four names, George, Andrew, Patrick, and David, were in honor of the patron saints of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.  In the family, the prince was known as David.

David had twelve grandparents, nine of whom were reigning sovereigns/consorts or future reigning sovereigns/consorts:

David had four brothers and one sister:

 Family of King George V

David’s Family, 1906

David and his siblings were raised at York Cottage, his parents’ home on the grounds of Sandringham, and York House, St James’ Palace. In 1901, Queen Victoria died, and his grandfather became King Edward VII. His parents became The Prince and Princess of Wales, and soon after the family moved to Marlborough House, just across from St James’ Palace.  David and his brother, the future King George VI (called Bertie in the family), were raised by Frederick Finch, the nursery footman, and Henry Hansell, their tutor. Finch remained an important person in David’s life as he later became his valet and his butler. David continued under Hansell’s instruction until 1907 when he enrolled at the Osborne Naval College.  He did not enjoy his time there and after two years, he moved on to continue his studies at Royal Naval College, Dartmouth.

David as a midshipman on board HMS Hindustan, Credit – Wikipedia

In May 1910, David’s grandfather King Edward VII died and David’s father became King George V. David automatically became Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay and was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester a month later on June 23, 1910, his 16th birthday.  Now that he was the heir to the throne, his education intensified. He was withdrawn from his naval course before his formal graduation and served as a midshipman for three months aboard the battleship Hindustan.  Next, he was enrolled at Magdalen College, Oxford, even though he was intellectually underprepared. He left Oxford after eight terms without any academic qualifications.

 Investiture as Prince of Wales

 

On July 13, 1911, at Caernarvon Castle in Wales, David was formally invested as Prince of Wales in a ceremony instigated and devised by Welsh politician David Lloyd George, Constable of the Castle and Chancellor of the Exchequer at the time and a future Prime Minister.  David, at the sensitive age of 17, was made to wear what he considered a ridiculous fancy outfit.

The Prince of Wales at the Front in Merville, France, August 8, 1915; Credit – Wikipedia

When World War I started in 1914, David was eager to participate. He had joined the Grenadier Guards in June 1914 and was willing to serve on the front lines.  However, Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener refused to allow it because of the possible harm that could occur if the enemy captured the heir to the throne.  David countered that he had four younger brothers and the succession to the throne was safe, but it was to no avail. The sense of frustration he felt was to remain for the rest of his life. He did get to witness trench warfare first-hand and visited the front lines as often as he could.

David, as Prince of Wales, made several successful overseas tours in the 1920s and the 1930s. He was a popular prince and was admired for his fashion style and easy manner.  Much to his father’s annoyance, David showed little interest in marrying and settling down. His father was disgusted by his affairs with married women and was reluctant to see him inherit the throne. King George V prophetically said, “After I am dead, the boy will ruin himself in 12 months.”

 Wallis Simpson

In 1930, King George V gave David the lease of Fort Belvedere in Windsor Great Park. There, David continued his relationships with a series of married women, including socialite Freda Dudley Ward and Thelma, Viscountess Furness, the American wife of a British peer, who introduced the prince to her friend and fellow American Wallis Simpson. Wallis was in her second marriage to Ernest Simpson, an American-born naturalized British shipping executive.  Her first marriage had ended in divorce.  The Simpsons became frequent guests at Fort Belvedere and Wallis acted as his hostess despite the presence of her complacent husband.

 Wallis Simpson and King Edward VIII on vacation, summer 1936

On January 20, 1936, King George V died and David became King Edward VIII.  He showed impatience with court protocol and caused concern by his disregard for established constitutional conventions. He was also completely enthralled by Wallis and was naively convinced that once she was free from her marriage, he would be able to marry her and she would be queen.  At that time, it was unthinkable that the Supreme Governor of the Church of England could marry a person who had been divorced not just once, but twice.  David’s insistence on proceeding with these plans despite much advice to the contrary provoked a government crisis.

David informed Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin that he would abdicate if he could not marry Wallis. Baldwin then presented the king with three choices:  (1) give up the idea of marriage  (2) marry against his ministers’ wishes  (3) abdicate. It was evident that David was not prepared to give up Wallis and he knew that if he married against the advice of his ministers, he would cause the government to resign, prompting a constitutional crisis. He chose to abdicate.

The Instrument of Abdication; Credit – Wikipedia

King Edward VIII signed the Instrument of Abdication at Fort Belvedere on December 10, 1936, in the presence of his brothers: Prince Albert, Duke of York, the heir to the throne; Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester; and Prince George, Duke of Kent. The next day, the last act of his reign was the royal assent to His Majesty’s Declaration of Abdication Act 1936, necessary because only Parliament can change the succession to the throne. On the evening of December 11, 1936, once again His Royal Highness Prince Edward, the former king gave his famous radio speech in which he said, “I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as king as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love.”

On December 12, 1936, at the accession meeting of the Privy Council, the new King George VI announced his intention to give his brother the title Duke of Windsor with the style of Royal Highness. Letters Patent dated May 27, 1937 re-conferred the “title, style, or attribute of Royal Highness” upon the Duke of Windsor, but specifically stated that “his wife and descendants, if any, shall not hold said title or attribute”.

 Wedding Day – June 3, 1937

On June 3, 1937, David married Wallis Simpson at the Château de Candé, near Tours, France. The legality of King George VI’s Letters Patent stating that David’s style Royal Highness could not be extended to his wife or children is doubtful.  As the son of a British monarch, David was entitled to that style which should have automatically reverted to him upon his abdication and automatically extended to his legal wife and any legitimate children. David considered denying his wife the style Her Royal Highness unjust, but out of respect for his brother, he never made it a public issue.  In their household, the Duchess of Windsor was always addressed as Royal Highness.

 Villa Windsor, the Paris home of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor

 

During World War II, David was at first stationed with the British Military Mission to France. However, after accusations that he held Nazi sympathies, he was appointed Governor of the Bahamas. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor lived the latter part of their lives in Paris, France in a mansion they called Villa Windsor located at 4 Route du Champ d’Entraînement in the Bois de Boulogne, a large park. The house is owned by the city of Paris and was leased to the Windsors at a nominal rent from 1952 to 1986.  During the 1950s and 1960s, the Duke and Duchess were treated as celebrities and were the toast of parties they hosted and attended as guests.  The couple visited Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon at the White House and were popular guests among society around the world.

President Richard Nixon and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, 1970; Credit – Wikipedia

The Duchess was never fully accepted by the Royal Family. Her mother-in-law Queen Mary refused to formally receive her. Occasionally, the Duke visited his mother and brother King George VI, and he attended his brother’s funeral in 1952 and his mother’s funeral in 1953. He did not attend the coronation of his niece Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. In 1965, the Duke and Duchess visited London and were visited by the Duke’s niece Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke’s sister-in-law Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, and the Duke’s sister Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood. During their visit to London, the Duke’s sister Mary suddenly died and the couple attended her funeral. The funeral of Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent in 1968 was the last royal event the Duke attended. He was invited to the investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales in 1969 but declined the invitation.

The Duke’s health started to decline during the 1960s when he was treated for an aneurysm and detached retina. He was a heavy smoker and in late 1971 was diagnosed with throat cancer. Early in 1972, the Duke underwent surgery for a hernia. On May 18, 1972, Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Prince of Wales visited the Duke of Windsor at his Paris home while on a state visit to France. The Duke was too ill to come downstairs to tea, but the Queen spent 15 minutes talking alone with her Uncle David in his sitting room after the Duchess of Windsor hosted tea in the downstairs drawing room.

Ten days later, a statement from Buckingham Palace said: “It is announced with deep regret that His Royal Highness, the Duke of Windsor, has died at his home in Paris at 2:25 A.M., Sunday, May 28, 1972.” The Duke of Windsor died a month before his 78th birthday. The Duke’s body lay in state at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle and an unexpectedly large number of people filed by the casket.

Queen Elizabeth II, The Duchess of Windsor, and The Queen Mother at the Duke of Windsor’s funeral

At the Duke’s request, a private royal funeral was held at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. The casket, draped in the Duke’s personal standard, was carried into the chapel by eight soldiers of the Welsh Guard followed by The Duke of Edinburgh, King Olav V of Norway, a first cousin of the Duke, and other male members of the Royal Family. Excepting the Duke’s only surviving brother The Duke of Gloucester, who was too ill, all other adult members of the Royal Family attended the funeral. The Dean of Windsor the Rt. Rev. Launcelot Fleming conducted the funeral service along with the Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey and the Archbishop of York Donald Coggan. During the funeral, the Garter King of Arms recited words reserved for a deceased sovereign: “Knight of the Garter, of the Thistle, of St. Patrick, Knight Grand Cross of a multiplicity of Orders, sometime the most high, most mighty and most excellent monarch Edward VIII of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas, Emperor of India.”

The Duke’s casket was made of plain English oak and bore the inscription “HRH The Prince Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David, Duke of Windsor. Born 1894. Died 1972. King Edward VIII 20th January – 11th December 1936.” The Duke of Windsor was buried near his brother the Duke of Kent at the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore behind the Royal Mausoleum of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert at Frogmore near Windsor Castle. The Duchess of Windsor attended her husband’s funeral. She lived as a recluse in her Paris home until she died in 1986 and was buried next to her husband.

Graves of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Photo Credit – findagrave.com

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