Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn (Edward Augustus; 2 November 1767 – 23 January 1820), was the fourth son and fifth child of King George III and Queen Charlotte. His only child, Victoria, became Queen of the United Kingdom 17 years after his death.

Edward lived in Lower Canada and Nova Scotia from 1791 to 1800, where he served as commander-in-chief of British forces in the Maritime Provinces of North America. He was the first British prince to visit the United States following British recognition of its independence in 1783, travelling on foot to Boston from Lower Canada in 1794.

He was created Duke of Kent and Strathearn and Earl of Dublin in 1799, and shortly thereafter appointed a General. In 1802 he became Governor of Gibraltar, a post he nominally held until his death. He was promoted to Field-Marshal of the Forces in 1805.

Early life

Edward was born on 2 November 1767 to King George III and Queen Charlotte. He was fourth in the line of succession to the British throne. He was named after his uncle Prince Edward, Duke of York and Albany, who had died several weeks earlier and was buried at Westminster Abbey the day before Edward's birth.

Edward was baptised on 30 November; his godparents were the Hereditary Prince of Brunswick-Lüneburg (his paternal uncle by marriage, for whom the Earl of Hertford, Lord Chamberlain, stood proxy), Duke Charles of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (his maternal uncle, for whom the Earl of Huntingdon, Groom of the Stole, stood proxy), the Hereditary Princess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (his paternal aunt, who was represented by a proxy) and the Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel (his paternal grandfather's sister, for whom Elizabeth, Marchioness of Lorne, Lady of the Bedchamber to the Queen, stood proxy). As a child he was tutored by John Fisher.

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File:Prince William and Prince Edward 1778.jpg|Edward aged eleven (right) and his older brother William, portrait by Benjamin West, 1778

File:Gainsborough - Prince Edward, 1782.jpg|Prince Edward in 1782, portrait by Thomas Gainsborough

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Military career

Army

The Prince began his military training in the Electorate of Hanover in 1785. King George III intended to send him to the University of Göttingen, but decided against it upon the advice of the Duke of York. Instead, Edward went to Lüneburg and later Hanover, accompanied by his German tutor, Lieutenant Colonel George von Wangenheim, Baron Wangenheim. On 30 May 1786, he was appointed a brevet colonel in the British Army. From 1788 to 1789, he completed his education in Geneva.

In 1789, he was appointed colonel of the 7th Regiment of Foot (Royal Fusiliers). In 1790, he returned home without leave and, in disgrace, was sent off to Gibraltar as an ordinary officer. He was joined from Marseilles by his mistress Madame de Saint-Laurent. Edward arrived in Canada in time to witness the proclamation of the Constitutional Act of 1791, became the first member of the Royal Family to tour Upper Canada, and became a fixture of British North American society. Edward and his mistress, Julie St. Laurent, became close friends with the French Canadian family of Ignace-Michel-Louis-Antoine d'Irumberry de Salaberry; the Prince mentored all of the family's sons throughout their military careers. Edward guided Charles de Salaberry throughout his career, and made sure that the famous commander was duly honoured after his leadership during the Battle of Chateauguay.

The prince was promoted to the rank of major-general in October 1793. He served successfully in the West Indies campaign the following year, and was commander of the British camp at La Coste during the Battle of Martinique, for which he was mentioned in dispatches by General Charles Grey for his "great Spirit and Activity". He subsequently received the thanks of Parliament.

Nova Scotia

thumb|right|Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, by [[John Hoppner, ]]

After 1794, Edward lived at the headquarters of the Royal Navy's North American Station located in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was instrumental in shaping that settlement's military defences, protecting its important Royal Navy base, as well as influencing the city's and colony's socio-political and economic institutions. Edward was responsible for the construction of Halifax's iconic Garrison Clock, as well as numerous other civic projects such as St. George's Round Church. Lieutenant Governor Sir John Wentworth and Lady Francis Wentworth provided their country residence for the use of Edward and Julie St. Laurent. Extensively renovated, the estate became known as "Prince's Lodge" as the couple hosted numerous dignitaries, including Louis-Phillippe of Orléans (the future King of the French). All that remains of the residence is a small rotunda built by Edward for his regimental band to play music.

After suffering a fall from his horse in late 1798, he was allowed to return to England. Edward was created Duke of Kent and Strathearn and Earl of Dublin, and received the thanks of parliament and an income of £12,000 (£ in ). In May that same year, the Duke was promoted to the rank of general and appointed Commander-in-Chief of British forces in North America. and sailed to Halifax. Just over twelve months later he left Halifax and arrived in England on 31 August 1800 where it was confidently expected his next appointment would be Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.

Gibraltar

thumb|The Duke of Kent and Strathearn by [[George Dawe]]

Appointed Governor of Gibraltar by the War Office, gazetted 23 March 1802, the Duke took up his post on 24 May with express orders from the government to restore discipline among the drunken troops. The Duke's harsh discipline precipitated a mutiny by soldiers in his own and the 25th Regiment on Christmas Eve. His brother Frederick, the Duke of York, then Commander-in-Chief of the Forces, recalled him in May 1803 after receiving reports of the mutiny, but despite this direct order he refused to return to England until his successor arrived. He was refused permission to return to Gibraltar for an inquiry and, although allowed to continue to hold the governorship of Gibraltar until his death, he was forbidden to return. and appointed Ranger of Hampton Court Park on 5 September 1805. This office provided him with a residence now known as The Pavilion. (His sailor brother, William, with children to provide for, had been made Ranger of Bushy Park in 1797.) The Duke continued to serve as honorary colonel of the 1st Regiment of Foot (the Royal Scots) until his death. The king's surviving daughters were all childless and past likely childbearing age. The King's unmarried sons, the Duke of Clarence (later King William IV), Edward, Duke of Kent, and Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, all rushed to contract lawful marriages and provide an heir to the throne.

Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld

thumb|[[Victoria, Duchess of Kent with Princess Victoria by William Beechey, 1821]]

For his part, the Duke of Kent, aged 50, was already considering marriage, and he became engaged to Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld,

In 1790, while still in Geneva, the Duke took up with "Madame de Saint-Laurent" (born Thérèse-Bernardine Montgenet), the wife of a French colonel. She went with him to Canada in 1791, where she was known as "Julie de Saint-Laurent". She accompanied the Duke for the next 28 years, until his marriage in 1818.

Mollie Gillen, who was granted access to the Royal Archive at Windsor Castle, established that no children were born of the 27-year relationship between Edward Augustus and Madame de Saint-Laurent, although many Canadian families and individuals (including the Nova Scotian soldier Sir William Fenwick Williams, 1st Baronet) have claimed descent from them. Such claims can now be discounted in light of this research.</blockquote>

Freemasonry – United Grand Lodge of England

thumb|1824 [[Statue of the Duke of Kent in Park Crescent, London.]]

In January 1813, Edward's brother, Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex (sixth son of King George III), became Grand Master of the Premier Grand Lodge of England (aka "The Moderns") on the resignation of his brother, the Prince Regent; and, in December of that year, Edward became Grand Master of the Antient Grand Lodge of England (aka "The Ancients"). In 1811, both Grand Lodges had appointed Commissioners; and over the ensuing two years, articles of Union were negotiated and agreed upon. On 27 December 1813, the United Grand Lodge of England, formed as a result of these negotiations, was constituted at Freemasons' Hall, London with the younger Duke of Sussex as Grand Master. A Lodge of Reconciliation was formed a few weeks prior to reconcile the rituals worked under the two former Grand Lodges.

Later life

thumb|Castle Hill Lodge 1814

The Duke of Kent purchased a house of his own from Maria Fitzherbert in 1801. Castle Hill Lodge on Castlebar Hill, Ealing (West London), was then placed in the hands of architect James Wyatt and more than £100,000 spent (£ in ). Near neighbours from 1815 to 1817 at Little Boston House were US envoy and future US President John Quincy Adams and his English wife Louisa. "We all went to church and heard a charity sermon preached by a Dr Crane before the Duke of Kent", wrote Adams in a diary entry from August 1815.

Following the birth of Princess Victoria in May 1819, the Duke and Duchess, concerned to manage the Duke's great debts, sought to find a place where they could live inexpensively. After the coast of Devon was recommended to them, they leased from a General Baynes, intending to remain incognito, Woolbrook Cottage on the seaside by Sidmouth.

In the 21st century, he has been styled the "Father of the Canadian Crown" for his contribution to the development of Canada.

Honours and arms

right|thumb|Arms of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn used from 1801 until his death

Honours

  • Knight Founder of St. Patrick, 11 March 1783
  • Royal Knight of the Garter, 2 June 1786
  • Privy Councilor of the United Kingdom, 5 September 1799
  • Knight Grand Cross of the Bath (military), 2 January 1815
  • Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order (military), 12 April 1815

Arms

As a son of the sovereign, the Duke of Kent had use of the arms of the kingdom from 1801 to his death, differenced by a label argent of three points, the centre point bearing a cross gules, the outer points each bearing a fleur-de-lys azure.

Ancestry

Explanatory notes

References

  • Naftel, W.D. (2005). Prince Edward's Legacy: The Duke of Kent in Halifax: Romance and Beautiful Buildings. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Formac Publishing. .
  • Cottage Orné: Woolbrook cottage in May 2009, now the Royal Glen hotel
  • Nathan Tidridge's Prince Edward, Duke of Kent: Father of the Canadian Crown

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