Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge

Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge (Adolphus Frederick; 24 February 1774 – 8 July 1850) was the tenth child and seventh son of King George III of the United Kingdom and Queen Charlotte. He held the title of Duke of Cambridge from 1801 until his death. From 1816 to 1837, he served as Viceroy of the Kingdom of Hanover on behalf of his elder brothers King George IV and King William IV.

Adolphus married Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel in 1818, with whom he had three children: Prince George, Duke of Cambridge, Princess Augusta of Cambridge and Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge. He was the maternal grandfather of Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, later Queen Mary, who became consort to King George V.

Early life Adolphus was born in February 1774 at Buckingham House, then known as the "Queen's House", in the City and Liberty of Westminster, now within Greater London. He was the youngest son of King George III and Queen Charlotte to survive childhood.left Portrait of Prince Adolphus, by Thomas Gainsborough, Adolphus was baptised on 24 March 1774 in the Great Council Chamber at St James's Palace by Frederick Cornwallis, Archbishop of Canterbury. His godparents were Prince John Adolphus of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (his great-uncle, for whom the Earl of Hertford, Lord Chamberlain, stood proxy), Landgrave Charles of Hesse-Kassel (his first cousin once removed, for whom the Earl of Jersey, Extra Lord of the Bedchamber, stood proxy) and Princess Wilhelmina of Orange (the wife of his first cousin once removed, for whom Elizabeth Howard, Dowager Countess of Effingham, former Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Charlotte, stood proxy). Adolphus was tutored at home until summer 1786, when he was sent to the University of Göttingen in Germany, along with his brothers Prince Ernest (created Duke of Cumberland in 1799) and Prince Augustus (created Duke of Sussex in 1801).

During the War of the Second Coalition against France (1799–1802), Adolphus traveled to Berlin in 1801, in order to prevent the impending Prussian occupation of the Electorate. ), and withdrew to England. A plan to recruit additional soldiers in Hanover to be commanded by the Prince had also failed.

In 1803, Adolphus was appointed as commander-in-chief of the newly founded King's German Legion, and in 1813, he became field marshal. As Hanover adhered to Salic Law, which barred female succession, the personal union between the British and Hanoverian crowns dissolved, and the throne of Hanover passed to the next eldest of Cambridge's brothers, Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland. With the end of the union, the Duke of Cambridge relinquished his post and returned to Britain.

Residences Cambridge House, Piccadilly - Prince Adolphus' London Residence from c. 1829 to 1850 During the 1820s Adolphus maintained a London Residence known as Cambridge House at 8 South Audley Street, Mayfair; the House had briefly served as the home of his deceased sister-in-law Caroline of Brunswick during the final year of her life. During Adolphus's tenure as Viceroy of Hanover the House was sometimes used as the London residence of his brother Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, who was recorded as living at Cambridge House, South Audley Street in 1826.

The lease of No. 8 South Audley Street was surrendered in 1830, and a lease of a larger house at 94 Piccadilly (then known as Cholmondeley House) was acquired between 1829 and 1830 by the Duke of Cambridge, after which the House took on the name Cambridge House. No. 94 Piccadilly property remained as Prince Adolphus's London home until his death in 1850, and has since retained the name Cambridge House.

Death The Duke of Cambridge died on 8 July 1850 at Cambridge House, Piccadilly, London, aged 76, and was buried in a specially-constructed extension to St Anne's Church, Kew. The Duchess was buried alongside him in 1889. Their remains were removed to St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle in 1930. The Prince's only son, Prince George, succeeded to his peerages.

Honours KG: Knight of the Garter, 2 June 1786 GCB: Knight Grand Cross of the Bath (military), 2 January 1815 GCMG: Grand Master of St Michael and St George, 20 June 1825; Principal Knight Grand Cross, 16 August 1832 PC: Privy Counsellor, 1802 GCH: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order, 12 August 1815

Foreign Knight of the Black Eagle, 21 September 1823 (Prussia) Knight of St. Andrew, 1844 (Russia) Knight Grand Cross of the Golden Lion, 6 May 1818 (Hesse-Kassel)

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 points containing two hearts, and the centre point bearing a red cross. His arms were adopted by his younger daughter, Princess Mary Adelaide, and her heirs included them in their arms quartered with the arms of the Duke of Teck. Coat of arms of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, used from 1801 until his death.

Issue The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had three children:

Ancestors

Family tree