George, 1st Duke of Kent
Prince George Edward Alexander Edmund, 1st Duke of Kent (born December 20, 1902 in York Cottage , Sandringham Estate , † August 25, 1942 near Dunbeath , Caithness in a plane crash) was a member of the British royal family and the fourth son of King George V .
The place Prince George in British Columbia , Canada is named after him.
Life
Origin and education
Prince George was born in late 1902 at York Cottage , his father's residence on the grounds of the Sandringham Estate , near King's Lynn, Norfolk . He was the fourth son of the British heir to the throne George, Prince of Wales (later George V) and his wife Princess Maria von Teck . Behind his father and three older brothers, the newborn was only in fifth place in the line of succession and therefore only played a subordinate role from a dynastic point of view.
As a child, the prince was raised by governesses and tutors . George then followed his older brother, Prince Henry , to St. Peter's Court Preparatory School in Broadstairs , Kent . In 1916 he was inducted into the Royal Navy and trained at Osborne and later at Dartmouth .
In military and civil service
Until 1929 he served on the HMS Iron Duke and the HMS Nelson . Then he left the Navy to be the first member of the royal family to enter civil service. After working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs , he moved to the Ministry of the Interior ( Home Office ).
On October 12, 1934, his father named him Duke of Kent , a title that had not been awarded since 1799.
In 1938 Prince George was proposed for the post of Governor General of Australia , but the outbreak of World War II in September 1939 prevented this appointment. With the beginning of the war Georg returned to the Navy and served with the rank of rear admiral in the secret service department of the Admiralty. In April 1940 he switched to the Royal Air Force at his own request to serve as an Air Commodore in the RAF training unit.
Marriage and offspring
On November 29, 1934, the newly appointed Duke of Kent married Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark , a granddaughter of the Greek King George I. The marriage concluded at Westminster Abbey is the last to this day that a son of a British monarch with a member of a foreign one Royal family has received. The connection resulted in three children:
- Prince Edward, 2nd Duke of Kent (* 1935)
- Princess Alexandra of Kent (* 1936)
- Prince Michael of Kent (* 1942)
In addition, Prince George is said to have had an illegitimate son who was adopted by a well-known US publisher.
The Duke of Kent is said to have had a number of affairs with men and women before and during their marriage. Well-known partners include singer Florence Mills , bank heiress Poppy Baring , Ethel Margaret Whigham (later Duchess of Argyll), pianist and dancer Edythe Baker , musical star Jessie Matthews and actor Noël Coward .
death
Prince George died on August 25, 1942 in a plane crash near the village of Dunbeath in Caithness, Northern Scotland . He was a passenger on board an RAF Short Sunderland flying boat when it collided with a hill due to a navigation error . He was buried in St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle . George's remains were later transferred to the royal burial ground in Frogmore , Windsor.
The title Duke of Kent passed on to his eldest son Eduard after his death.
Title and coat of arms
- December 20, 1902 - May 6, 1910: His Royal Highness Prince George of Wales
- May 6, 1910 - October 12, 1934: His Royal Highness The Prince George
- October 12, 1934 - August 25, 1942: His Royal Highness The Prince George, 1st Duke of Kent, Earl of Saint Andrews and Baron Downpatrick
Awards
- Knight of the Garter 1923
- Knight of the Thistle 1935
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George 1934
- Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order 1924
- Royal Victorian Chain
- Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England
Web links
- Newspaper article about George, 1st Duke of Kent in the press kit 20th century of the ZBW - Leibniz Information Center for Economics .
literature
- Roy Nesbit: What did happen to the Duke of Kent - Part 1 , Airplane Monthly, January 1990, pp. 10-14
- Roy Nesbit: What did happen to the Duke of Kent - Part 2 , Airplane Monthly, February 1990, pp. 90-94
Individual evidence
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| New title created |
Duke of Kent 1934-1942 |
Edward |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | George, 1st Duke of Kent |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Windsor, Georg Eduard Alexander Edmund Prince of Great Britain and Ireland |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | fourth son of King George V and Queen Maria von Teck |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 20, 1902 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | York Cottage , Norfolk |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 25, 1942 |
| Place of death | Dunbeath , Caithness , Scotland |