Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge

Prince Adolphus Duke of CambridgeSuccessor Prince George, Duke of CambridgeSpouse Princess Augusta of Hesse-CasselIssue Prince George, Duke of Cambridge
Princess Augusta of Cambridge
Princess Mary Adelaide of CambridgeFull name Adolphus Frederick DetailTitles and styles HRH The Duke of Cambridge
HRH The Prince Adolphus Royal house House of HanoverFather George IIIMother Charlotte of Mecklenburg-StrelitzBorn 24 February 1774(1774-02-24)
Buckingham Palace, LondonDied 8 July 1850(aged 76)
Cambridge House, PiccadillyBurial Kew, LondonOccupation Military

Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge (Adolphus Frederick; 24 February 1774 – 8 July 1850), was the tenth child and seventh son of George III and Queen Charlotte. He held the title of Duke of Cambridge from 1801 until his death. He also served as Viceroy of Hanover on behalf of his brothers George IV and William IV. His granddaughter, Mary of Teck was the Queen consort of George V.

1 Early life
2 Military career
3 Marriage
4 Viceroy
5 Later life
6 Titles, styles, honours and arms
7 Issue
8 Ancestors
9 See also

Early life

Prince Adolphus was born at Buckingham Palace. He was tutored at home before being sent to the University of Göttingen in Germany in summer 1786, along with his brothers Prince Ernest (created Duke of Cumberland in 1799) and Prince Augustus (created Duke of Sussex in 1801).

Military career

In 1791, he and Prince Ernest went to Hanover to receive military training under the supervision of the Hannoverian commander Field Marshal von Freytag. He rose to the ranks of colonel in 1794, to lieutenant general in 1798. In 1803 he was appointed as commander-in-chief of the new founded King's German Legion and in 1813 he became field marshal . George III appointed Prince Adolphus a Knight of the Garter on 6 June 1786 and created him Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Tipperary, and Baron Culloden on 17 November 1801.

The Duke served as colonel-in-chief of the Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards (Coldstream Guards after 1855) from September 1805 and as colonel-in-chief of the 60th (The Duke of York's Own Rifle Corps) Regiment of Foot from January 1824.

Marriage

After the death of Princess Charlotte in 1817, the Duke was set the task of finding a bride for his eldest unmarried brother, the Duke of Clarence (later William IV) in the hope of securing heirs to the throne -- Charlotte had been the only legitimate grandchild of George III, despite the fact that the King had twelve surviving children. After several false starts, the Duke of Cambridge settled on Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen. The Duke of Clarence agreed with alacrity, and the way was cleared for the Duke of Cambridge to find a bride for himself.

The Duke of Cambridge was married first at Cassel, Hesse on 7 May and then at Buckingham Palace on 1 June 1818 to his second cousin Augusta (25 July 1797-6 April 1889), the third daughter of Friedrich III, Landgrave of Hesse-Cassel.

He was, as is shown in the list of issue below, the maternal grandfather of Mary of Teck, consort of George V. This makes Adolphus the great-great-grandfather of the present British monarch, Elizabeth II

Viceroy

From 1816 to 1837, the Duke of Cambridge served as viceroy of Hanover on behalf of his elder brothers, George IV and later William IV. When his niece, Queen Victoria succeeded to the British throne on 20 June 1837, the 123-year union of the crowns of Great Britain (the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 1801) and Hanover ended. The Duke of Cumberland became King Ernest Augustus I of Hanover and the Duke of Cambridge returned to Britain.

Later life

The Duke of Cambridge died on 8 July 1850 at Cambridge House, Piccadilly, London, and was buried at Kew. His remains were later removed to St. George's Chapel, Windsor. His only son, Prince George, succeeded to his peerages.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

24 February 1774–17 November 1801: His Royal Highness The Prince Adolphus
17 November 1801–8 July 1850: His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge

His full style at death was Field Marshal His Royal Highness The Prince Adolphus Frederick, Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Tipperary, Baron Culloden, Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Member of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order

Honours

British Honours

PC: Privy Council, 1802
KG: Knight of the Garter, 6 June 1786
KB: Knight Companion of the Bath
- GCB: Knight Grand Cross of the Bath, 2 January 1815
GCMG: Knight Grand Cross of St Michael and St George
GCH: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order

Arms

The Duke's arms were the Royal Arms of the House of Hanover, with a three point label of difference. The first and third labels containing two hearts, and the centre label bearing a red cross. His arms were adopted by his youngest daughter, Princess Mary Adelaide and her heirs included them in their arms impaled with the arms of the Duke of Teck.

Issue

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had three children:

Name Birth Death Notes Prince George, Duke of Cambridge 26 March 1819 17 March 1904married 1847, Sarah Louisa Fairbrother; had issue Princess Augusta of Cambridge 19 July 1822 4 December 1916married 1843, Friedrich Wilhelm, Grand Duke of Mecklenberg-Strelitz; had issue Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge 27 November 1833 27 October 1897married 1866, Francis, Duke of Teck; had issue, including Mary of Teck, later queen consort

Ancestors

v • d • eAncestors of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge 16. George I of Great Britain 8. George II of Great Britain 17. Sophia Dorothea of Celle 4. Frederick, Prince of Wales 18. John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach 9. Caroline of Ansbach 19. Eleanor Erdmuthe Louise of Saxe-Eisenach 2. George III of the United Kingdom 20. Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg 10. Frederick II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg 21. Magdalena Sibylle of Saxe-Weissenfels 5. Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha 22. Charles, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst 11. Magdalena Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst 23. Sophia of Saxe-Weissenfels 1. Prince Adolphus,
Duke of Cambridge 24. Adolf Frederick I, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 12. Adolf Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz 25. Maria Katharina of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 6. Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Prince of Mirow 26. Christian William I of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen 13. Christiane Emilie of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen 27. Antoine Sybille of Barby-Muhlingen 3. Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz 28. Ernest III, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen 14. Ernest Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen 29. Sofie of Waldeck 7. Princess Elizabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen 30. George Louis I of Erbach-Erbach 15. Sophia Albertine of Erbach-Erbach 31. Amelie Katherine of Waldeck-Eisenberg