Prince Alfred of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
Encyclopedia
Alfred, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Alfred Alexander William Ernest Albert; 15 October 1874 – 6 February 1899) was born a member of the British Royal Family
.
, London
.
His father was Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh
, second eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. His mother was Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, a daughter of Alexander II of Russia
and Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine. He was baptised in the Lower Bow Room of Buckingham Palace 27 November 1874 by Archibald Tait, Archbishop of Canterbury
and his godparents were Queen Victoria, the Tsar of Russia
(Alfred's maternal grandfather Alexander II, whose son Tsesarevich Alexander
stood proxy for him), the German Emperor
(for whom Alfred's paternal uncle Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
stood proxy), the German Crown Princess
(Alfred's paternal aunt, for whom her sister Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein stood proxy), the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (his paternal grand-uncle, for whom Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein
stood proxy), and the Prince of Wales
(his paternal uncle).
, brother of his paternal grandfather, died without an heir. Being ineligible under Duchy law to occupy the ducal throne due to his status as the heir-apparent to an existing throne, The Prince of Wales
had previously renounced his claim to the ducal throne of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
. Thus, the duchy devolved upon Alfred's father, who was at that time the Duke of Edinburgh
. Alfred thus became styled HRH The Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Prince Alfred had lived in Clarence House
in the early years of his life with his parents and sisters; after his father's accession to the ducal throne of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, he moved to Schloss Rosenau
, near Coburg
.
published the following: “We are informed that a marriage has been arranged between his Royal Highness Prince Alfred of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, only son of their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and grandson of her Majesty, and her Royal Highness the Duchess Elsa Matilda Marie
, elder twin daughter of the late Duke William Eugene of Württemberg
by his marriage with the Grand Duchess Vera of Russia
.” The marriage never occurred.
, and claimed that friction between Alfred and his family over the "secret marriage" was the cause of the suicide. Despite the lack of documentary evidence, and the lack of contemporary reference, other authors have repeated Bush's assertion that Alfred and Mabel married, including John van der Kiste
and Bee Jordaan in Dearest Affie, and the assertion is repeated as fact in the official family history (Das Haus von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha).
By 1898, Alfred had began exhibiting severe symptoms of the syphilis
he had acquired as a Guards officer, and was therefore absent from his parents’ silver wedding celebrations on 22 January 1899; however, the reason for his absence was announced as nervous depression. Untreated syphilis results in a syndrome known at the time as "general paresis of the insane
" in which mental aberrations are a major symptom and was at the time a frequent cause of institutionalization in insane asylums.
After shooting himself with a revolver
while the rest of the family was gathered for the anniversary celebration, he was looked after at Schloss Friedenstein in Gotha
(Thuringia
) for three days before being sent to the Martinnsbrunn Sanatorium in Gratsch near Meran (Merano) in the South Tyrol
(Austria, now Italy). Alfred died there at 4.15 pm on 6 February 1899, aged 24 years old. He was buried in the Ducal Mausoleum of the Glockenburg Cemetery, Coburg
, Bavaria
(southern Germany).
Later in 1899 Alfred's uncle the Duke of Connaught and his son Prince Arthur of Connaught
renounced their succession rights to the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. As a result his cousin Prince Charles Edward, Duke of Albany, became heir presumptive
.
Foreign Honours Order of the Red Eagle
, 1889
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
.
Early life
Prince Alfred of Edinburgh was born on 15 October 1874 at Buckingham PalaceBuckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
His father was Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh
Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was the third Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and reigned from 1893 to 1900. He was also a member of the British Royal Family, the second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha...
, second eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. His mother was Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, a daughter of Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II , also known as Alexander the Liberator was the Emperor of the Russian Empire from 3 March 1855 until his assassination in 1881...
and Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine. He was baptised in the Lower Bow Room of Buckingham Palace 27 November 1874 by Archibald Tait, Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
and his godparents were Queen Victoria, the Tsar of Russia
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II , also known as Alexander the Liberator was the Emperor of the Russian Empire from 3 March 1855 until his assassination in 1881...
(Alfred's maternal grandfather Alexander II, whose son Tsesarevich Alexander
Alexander III of Russia
Alexander Alexandrovich Romanov , historically remembered as Alexander III or Alexander the Peacemaker reigned as Emperor of Russia from until his death on .-Disposition:...
stood proxy for him), the German Emperor
William I, German Emperor
William I, also known as Wilhelm I , of the House of Hohenzollern was the King of Prussia and the first German Emperor .Under the leadership of William and his Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, Prussia achieved the unification of Germany and the...
(for whom Alfred's paternal uncle Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was a member of the shared British and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha royal family who served as the Governor General of Canada, the 10th since Canadian Confederation.Born the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and...
stood proxy), the German Crown Princess
Victoria, Princess Royal
The Princess Victoria, Princess Royal was the eldest child of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert. She was created Princess Royal of the United Kingdom in 1841. She became German Empress and Queen of Prussia by marriage to German Emperor Frederick III...
(Alfred's paternal aunt, for whom her sister Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein stood proxy), the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (his paternal grand-uncle, for whom Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein
Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein
Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein was a minor German prince who became a member of the British Royal Family through his marriage to Princess Helena of the United Kingdom , the fifth child and third daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of...
stood proxy), and the Prince of Wales
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
(his paternal uncle).
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
In 1893, his grand uncle, Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and GothaErnst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was the second sovereign duke of the German duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, reigning from 1844 to his death...
, brother of his paternal grandfather, died without an heir. Being ineligible under Duchy law to occupy the ducal throne due to his status as the heir-apparent to an existing throne, The Prince of Wales
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
had previously renounced his claim to the ducal throne of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha or Saxe-Coburg-Gotha served as the collective name of two duchies, Saxe-Coburg and Saxe-Gotha, in Germany. They were located in what today are the states of Bavaria and Thuringia, respectively, and the two were in personal union between 1826 and 1918...
. Thus, the duchy devolved upon Alfred's father, who was at that time the Duke of Edinburgh
Duke of Edinburgh
The Duke of Edinburgh is a British royal title, named after the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, which has been conferred upon members of the British royal family only four times times since its creation in 1726...
. Alfred thus became styled HRH The Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Prince Alfred had lived in Clarence House
Clarence House
Clarence House is a royal home in London, situated on The Mall, in the City of Westminster. It is attached to St. James's Palace and shares the palace's garden. For nearly 50 years, from 1953 to 2002, it was home to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, but is since then the official residence of The...
in the early years of his life with his parents and sisters; after his father's accession to the ducal throne of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, he moved to Schloss Rosenau
Schloss Rosenau, Coburg
Schloss Rosenau, called in English The Rosenau or Rosenau Palace, is a former castle, converted into a ducal country house, between the towns of Coburg and Rödental, formerly in Saxe-Coburg, now lying in Bavaria, Germany....
, near Coburg
Coburg
Coburg is a town located on the Itz River in Bavaria, Germany. Its 2005 population was 42,015. Long one of the Thuringian states of the Wettin line, it joined with Bavaria by popular vote in 1920...
.
Failed engagement
On January 28, 1895, the Court CircularCourt Circular
The Court Circular is the official record that lists the engagements carried out by the Monarch of the United Kingdom and of the other Commonwealth Realms; the Royal Family; and appointments to their staff and to the court. It is issued by Buckingham Palace and printed a day in arrears at the back...
published the following: “We are informed that a marriage has been arranged between his Royal Highness Prince Alfred of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, only son of their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and grandson of her Majesty, and her Royal Highness the Duchess Elsa Matilda Marie
Duchess Elsa of Württemberg
-Early life and family:Duchess Elsa was born at Stuttgart, Kingdom of Württemberg, the elder twin daughter of Duke Eugen of Württemberg , and his wife, Grand Duchess Vera Constantinovna of Russia , -Early life and family:Duchess Elsa was born at Stuttgart, Kingdom of Württemberg, the elder twin...
, elder twin daughter of the late Duke William Eugene of Württemberg
Duke Eugen of Württemberg (1846–1877)
-Early life and family:Duke Eugen was born at Bückeburg, Schaumburg-Lippe, second child and first son of Duke Eugen of Württemberg , and his wife, Princess Mathilde of Schaumburg-Lippe ,...
by his marriage with the Grand Duchess Vera of Russia
Grand Duchess Vera Constantinovna of Russia
Grand Duchess Vera Constantinovna of Russia was a daughter of Grand Duke Konstantine Nicholaievich of Russia. She was a granddaughter of Tsar Nicholas I and first cousin of Tsar Alexander III of Russia.-Early life:...
.” The marriage never occurred.
Death
The exact circumstances of Alfred's death are not known, and varying accounts have been published. His sister Marie's memoirs simply say his health "broke down", and other writers have said that he had "consumption". The Times published an account stating he had died of a tumor, while the Complete Peerage gives the generally accepted account that he "shot himself". Various authors have speculated on reasons why he may have committed suicide, and one author, Frank Bush, claimed to have been a descendant of a secret marriage between Alfred and Mabel Fitzgerald, granddaughter of the 4th Duke of LeinsterCharles FitzGerald, 4th Duke of Leinster
Charles William FitzGerald, 4th Duke of Leinster PC , styled Marquess of Kildare until 1874, was an Irish peer and politician.-Background:...
, and claimed that friction between Alfred and his family over the "secret marriage" was the cause of the suicide. Despite the lack of documentary evidence, and the lack of contemporary reference, other authors have repeated Bush's assertion that Alfred and Mabel married, including John van der Kiste
John Van der Kiste
John Van der Kiste, author, was born in Wendover, Buckinghamshire, on September 15, 1954, son of Wing Commander Guy Van der Kiste . He was educated at Blundell's School, Tiverton, where he briefly formed a rock band Cobweb with fellow pupil Miles Tredinnick, later vocalist with new wave band...
and Bee Jordaan in Dearest Affie, and the assertion is repeated as fact in the official family history (Das Haus von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha).
By 1898, Alfred had began exhibiting severe symptoms of the syphilis
Syphilis
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...
he had acquired as a Guards officer, and was therefore absent from his parents’ silver wedding celebrations on 22 January 1899; however, the reason for his absence was announced as nervous depression. Untreated syphilis results in a syndrome known at the time as "general paresis of the insane
General paresis of the insane
General paresis, also known as general paralysis of the insane or paralytic dementia, is a neuropsychiatric disorder affecting the brain and central nervous system, caused by syphilis infection...
" in which mental aberrations are a major symptom and was at the time a frequent cause of institutionalization in insane asylums.
After shooting himself with a revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
while the rest of the family was gathered for the anniversary celebration, he was looked after at Schloss Friedenstein in Gotha
Gotha (town)
Gotha is a town in Thuringia, within the central core of Germany. It is the capital of the district of Gotha.- History :The town has existed at least since the 8th century, when it was mentioned in a document signed by Charlemagne as Villa Gotaha . Its importance derives from having been chosen in...
(Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
) for three days before being sent to the Martinnsbrunn Sanatorium in Gratsch near Meran (Merano) in the South Tyrol
South Tyrol
South Tyrol , also known by its Italian name Alto Adige, is an autonomous province in northern Italy. It is one of the two autonomous provinces that make up the autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. The province has an area of and a total population of more than 500,000 inhabitants...
(Austria, now Italy). Alfred died there at 4.15 pm on 6 February 1899, aged 24 years old. He was buried in the Ducal Mausoleum of the Glockenburg Cemetery, Coburg
Coburg
Coburg is a town located on the Itz River in Bavaria, Germany. Its 2005 population was 42,015. Long one of the Thuringian states of the Wettin line, it joined with Bavaria by popular vote in 1920...
, Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
(southern Germany).
Prince Arthur of Connaught
Prince Arthur of Connaught and Strathearn was a member of the British Royal Family, a grandson of Queen Victoria. Prince Arthur held the title of a British prince with the style His Royal Highness...
renounced their succession rights to the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. As a result his cousin Prince Charles Edward, Duke of Albany, became heir presumptive
Heir Presumptive
An heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...
.
Ancestors
Titles
- 15 October 1874 – 23 August 1893: His Royal Highness Prince Alfred of Edinburgh
- 23 August 1893 – 6 February 1899: His Royal Highness The Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
British arms
As a male-line grandson of the British Sovereign, young Alfred bore the royal arms, with an inescutcheon of the shield of Saxony, all differenced by a label argent of five points, the odd bearing crosses gules and even anchors azure.Honours
British Honours- KG: Knight of the GarterOrder of the GarterThe Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
, 1894
Foreign Honours Order of the Red Eagle
Order of the Red Eagle
The Order of the Red Eagle was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful service to the kingdom, or other achievements...
, 1889