Under the Act of Settlement passed by Parliament in 1701, Frederick became fourth in the line of succession to the British throne at birth as his great-grandmother, Sophia, was expected to succeed. However, Sophia died shortly before her cousin Queen Anne and so Frederick's Grandfather succeeded as HM King George I, the first Monarch of the Hanoverian Dynasty. Frederick was left behind by his Grandfather and Father and was never known by a British title (even though he had been created Duke of Gloucester in 1717 and Duke of Edinburgh, Marquess of Ely, Earl of Eltham, Viscount Lauriston and Baron Snowdon in 1726) until he moved to Great Britain following the accession of his Father and was created Prince of Wales in 1729. He predeceased his father, however, and upon the latter's death on 25th October 1760, the throne passed to Prince Frederick's eldest son, George III.
The animosity between the Prince and his Parents was the talk of the nation. No one has ever been able to establish why exactly, but Frederick’s father refused as much as possible to speak to him and tried to disown him, even as far as trying, in vain, to find ways of making sure Frederick’s younger brother William, the ‘Butcher’ Duke of Cumberland, inherited the Throne of Hanover. Frederick’s mother, generally held to have been one of the wisest British queens consort, didn’t have a good word to say for him and courtiers took every opportunity to fan the flames between both parties. The consequence was that Frederick ran his own rival court and went over his Father’s head to Parliament for a larger allowance to run it. He was unsuccessful.
After she had been making out that her son was impotent, Frederick insulted his Mother by making sure that she was not present at the birth of his first child in 1737 as she had wanted to witness the new arrival and make sure it was her daughter-in-law Princess Augusta’s child.
Frederick was a much better father to his children than his own father had been to him. Interested in the arts, he collected pictures, wrote songs, poetry and even a political play which unfortunately wasn't allowed to last one performance. He was famous for playing the cello well and loved music. He was also famous for his love of cricket and captained the Surrey team for several seasons.
Frederick died at Leicester House at the age of 44 in 1751. He was struck hard by a ball when playing cricket and the blow apparently caused an abscess. He subsequently caught a chill in his garden at Kew on a cold March day which then turned to pleurisy. He may have died of pneumonia or a ruptured aneurysm.
His famous epigram (quoted by William Makepeace Thackeray, "Four Georges") goes as follows:
"Here lies poor Fred who was alive and is dead,
Had it been his father I had much rather,
Had it been his sister nobody would have missed her,
Had it been his brother, still better than another,
Had it been the whole generation, so much better for the nation,
But since it is Fred who was alive and is dead,
There is no more to be said!"
Whether he would have made a good king, we will never know.
Heraldically, Frederick bore the Coat of Arms with a Label of 3 Points with a central St George's Cross as the then senior Grandson of the monarch between his creation as Duke of Edinburgh in 1726 and his creation as Prince of Wales on 8th January 1729. This, though a general tradition, was quite different for the Hanoverian Dynasty which seems to have preferred assigning this Label to the second son. As Prince of Wales he bore the traditional plain white Label.
Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (30th November 1719 – 8th February 1772) was the penultimate child and youngest daughter of Friedrich II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and Magdalene Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst. These were all minor German Duchies at the time, little more than a collection of towns. However, Friedrich had inherited the major part of his father's inheritance. In 1736, at the age of 16, and still very young for her age, Augusta arrived in England for her arranged marriage to Frederick. She was clutching a doll and knew no English. On 8th May, after having dinner with Frederick and his siblings, they married in the Chapel Royal at St. James’ Palace, led up the aisle by her future brother-in-law, the Duke of Cumberland. Frederick was 29-year-old. |
After the debacle surrounding the birth of Frederick and Augusta's first child, Queen Caroline paid them a visit before they left St. James’ Palace and expressed the wish never to see them again. The Queen then died only months afterwards, never to see them or reconcile herself with them.
After Frederick's death, Augusta spent her widowhood raising her nine children and improving the gardens at Kew Palace, which today are a world-class botanical garden. She became unpopular with what many saw as unwelcome influence on her son when he became King, even though she had been a more welcomed prospect as official regent instead of the Duke of Cumberland.
Augusta died of throat cancer. Her funeral was a sorry affair, attracting troublemakers who followed her cortege shouting insults.
Augusta naturally marshalled her father's Arms with her husband's. Uniquely in the modern era she retained her Arms after Frederick's death as Dowager Princess of Wales, even down to the Coronet and Labels. Nowadays, royal widows would probably represent their Arms on an elaborate lozenge-shaped Shield.
Frederick and Augusta had nine adult children. Apart from the eldest who became HM King George III, they all remained the grandchildren of a sovereign. Unfortunately, only the Princes and the eldest Princess were assigned Labels and as such retained 5-pointed Labels. However, the regulations drawn up under HM King Charles II after the Restoration would imply that Coronets do change and the one used for children of a sovereign are also available for a sovereign's siblings...
HRH Princess Augusta
(HRH The Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel)
Augusta Frederica of Great Britain (31st July 1737 – 23rd March 1813) was Frederick and Augusta's eldest child. The portrait (left) shows her at the age of 17 with prominent Hanoverian features - predominant, pale blue eyes, a strong nose and full lips. For a year she was second in line to the British Throne until her brother George (later HM King George III) was born and took precedence ahead of her. In 1764 she was married off to her second cousin, Charles William Ferdinand, who was then the Hereditary Prince of Brunswick, but who later became Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, making Augusta the Duchess. By all accounts, Augusta, surprisingly for a Hanoverian, did not settle down in Brunswick and was known for her British patriotism and her disregard for all things German. At first, Augusta was in love with her husband and together they had seven children. Unfortunately, their first three sons were considered simple, their eldest also being blind, and the Dukedom was eventually settled on the fourth son Frederick William. He was nicknamed the "Black Duke" from the uniform he wore. |
Due to the wars with Napoleon, the Brunswick family fled the country. Augusta travelled via her relatives in Denmark to live in London with her daughter Caroline, then Princess of Wales. But it didn't take long for Mother and Daughter to argue, resulting in Augusta moving next door to Brunswick House where she died in 1813.
Augusta was assigned a five-pointed Label as the grandchild of a sovereign with a central red Rose between four outer St George's Crosses.
She was the only daughter of Frederick and Augusta senior to be assigned a Label at all, and even this was granted posthumously. Augusta died on 23rd March 1813 and the Royal Warrant is dated 27th March. The Royal Heraldry, though, sites the following: The state archives at Wolfenbüttel have two seals for Augusta. In both she departs from usual practice by placing her father's arms on the dexter side and her husband's on the sinister. In the first the pre-1801 Hanoverian Royal arms are used with a three point label. [Frederick's Coat of Arms.] In the second the post-1801 Royal arms have a label of five points. This suggests that she used the appropriate label before it was officially assigned to her... This second seal is shown here on the right. |
HRH Prince Edward, Duke of York and Albany
Edward Augustus (25th March 1739 – 17th September 1767) was the next elder brother of the future George III and his only constant companion. Edward was, however, their mother's favourite. As he grew up, quite unlike his simple and solitary brother, Prince Edward became a very popular figure in London society. Prince Edward showed an interest in naval affairs and participated in the failed Raid on St Malo, which ended in the Battle of St. Cast in 1758. One of King George II's last acts was to create Edward Duke of York and Albany. When George III came to the Throne he named Edward a privy counsellor and until the birth of the king's first child, the future George IV, on 12th August 1762, the Duke was Heir Presumptive to the British throne. In the late summer of 1767, on his way to Genoa, the Duke fell ill and had to be landed in the harbour of Monaco. He died in the bedchamber now known as the York Room in the Palace of Honoré III, Prince of Monaco. After his death, his body was returned to London aboard HMS Montreal and was interred in Westminster Abbey. He never married. |
HRH Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh
William Henry (25th November 1743 – 25th August 1805) was created Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh by his brother on 19th November 1764. Although his health and intelligence were both thought insufficient for a military career, William was appointed colonel of the 13th Regiment of Foot in 1766 and was promoted to major-general and made colonel of the 3rd Regiment of Foot Guards. He was refused further command by both his brother and King Frederick II of Prussia, but later transferred to the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards where he became a field marshal. He went on to be General Officer Commanding Northern District in 1796, a command that he held until 1802. He married Maria Walpole, widow of the Earl of Waldegrave and an illegitimate granddaughter of Sir Robert Walpole, in secret in 1766. The marriage only became known after the the passing of the Royal Marriages Act 1772. Maria was acknowledged as Duchess and their children (Sophia Matilda, Caroline Augusta Maria, who died before her first birthday, and William Frederick) were legitimate. They were styled Highness (William Frederick on his wedding day, 22nd July 1816, and Sophia Matilda the following day) and used the territorial designation of Gloucester in conjunction with their princely styles, as great-grandchildren in the male line of George II. When the old Duke died, he was succeeded by his son William Frederick, who, as we saw in a previous Blog, went on to marry his cousin Princess Mary in 1816, meaning that he and Sophia then received the style of Royal Highness. William Henry was assigned a 5-pointed Label with a central blue Fleur-de-Lys between 4 St George's Crosses. This is the first known assignment of the blue Fleur-de-Lys as a Charge on a Royal Label and there is no information as to why. | Portrait of HRH Prince William Henry, 1st Duke of Gloucester by Thomas Gainsborough (1727–1788), circa 1775. Remained in artist's studio until his death; purchased by Prince Regent (later George IV) for the subject's daughter Sophia; purchased by the National Army Museum from the Earl of Inchape with aid from the Art Fund, 1984. NAM. 1984-04-167 |
The Royal Heraldry of England by J. H. & R. V. Pinches, 1974 confirms that Sophia Matilda was granted by Royal Warrant of 1806 her Father's Arms (minus the electoral Inescutcheon) on a Lozenge with 'a royal coronet' and her Father's Supporters. Presumably, the Coronet, which remains delightfully undefined, was the same as her Father's too as there has never been a designated Coronet for the Grandchild of a Prince of Wales.
HRH Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn
Henry Frederick (7th November 1745 – 18th September 1790) allegedly married Olive Wilmot (later Mrs Payne), a commoner, in a secret ceremony. Reportedly, there was one child, who was accused of forging evidence of her paternity and later, controversially, assumed the title of "Princess Olivia of Cumberland". Having been created Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn in 1766, Henry was sued in 1769 by Lord Grosvenor for "criminal conversation" (adultery) after the Duke and Lady Grosvenor were discovered in flagrante delicto. Lord Grosvenor was awarded damages of £10,000, which together with costs amounted to an award of £13,000 (in other words more than £1,000,000 in today's money). Henry joined the navy at a relatively late age, but was recalled less than a year later following the French invasion of Corsica. This did not stop him being promoted to Rear-Admiral the following year and Vice-Admiral in 1770! On 2 October 1771 the Duke married Anne Horton. She was the daughter of Irish peer and British MP Simon Luttrell and the widow of Christopher Horton of Catton Hall. The marriage caused a rift with the King, who did not approve, and was the cause for the introduction of the Royal Marriages Act of 1772. This forbade any descendant of George II from marrying without the monarch's permission. There were no children from this marriage. |
The marriage between Anne Horton and the Duke of Cumberland was described as a "conquest" for Mrs Horton, who was generally thought one of the great beauties of the age. Thomas Gainsborough painted her several times.
Henry was assigned a Label of 5 Points with the opposite configuration of his next elder brother, namely a central St George's Cross between four individual blue Fleurs-de-Lys.
HRH Prince Frederick of Wales/Great Britain
Frederick William (13th May 1750 – 29th December 1765) was 15 years of age when he died. As such, very little is known about him. He may have been a sickly child. Unusually, he was also assigned a Label posthumously. It was again of 5 Points and this time carried a central blue Fleur-de-Lys flanked by four individual red Roses. The accompanying portrait to the right, pastel on vellum and very popular in the eighteenth century, was commissioned by Frederick's Mother, Augusta, Princess of Wales as part of a series of herself, her husband and their nine children. It was on exhibition in the National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh from 4th July 2015 to 13th September 2015 |