Prince George | |||||
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Duke of Cambridge | |||||
Born | 26 March 1819 Cambridge House, Hanover |
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Died | 17 March 1904 Gloucester House, Piccadilly |
(aged 84)||||
Burial | 22 March 1904 Kensal Green Cemetery, London |
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Spouse | Sarah Fairbrother (m. 1847; d. 1890) |
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Issue |
George FitzGeorge Adolphus FitzGeorge Augustus FitzGeorge |
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House | Hanover | ||||
Father | Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge | ||||
Mother | Princess Augusta, Duchess of Cambridge | ||||
Occupation | Military | ||||
Military career | |||||
Allegiance | United Kingdom | ||||
Service/branch | British Army | ||||
Rank | Field marshal | ||||
Commands held | Commander-in-Chief of the Forces |
Full name | |
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George William Frederick Charles |
Prince George, 2nd Duke of Cambridge (George William Frederick Charles; 26 March 1819 – 17 March 1904) was a member of the British Royal Family, a male-line grandson of King George III, cousin of Queen Victoria, and maternal uncle of Queen Mary, consort of King George V. The Duke was an army officer by profession and served as Commander-in-Chief of the Forces (military head of the British Army) from 1856 to 1895. He became Duke of Cambridge in 1850 and field marshal in 1862. Deeply devoted to the old Army, he worked with the Queen to defeat or minimize every reform proposal, such as setting up a general staff. His Army became a moribund and stagnant institution, lagging far behind France and Germany. Its weaknesses were dramatically revealed by the poor organization at the start of the Second Boer War.
Prince George was born at Cambridge House in Hanover, Germany. His father was Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, the 10th child and seventh son of King George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. His mother was the Duchess of Cambridge (née Princess Augusta of Hesse-Cassel).
He was baptised at Cambridge House on 11 May 1819, by the Reverend John Sanford, his father's Domestic Chaplain. His godparents were the Prince Regent (represented by the Duke of Clarence and St Andrews), the Duke of Clarence and St Andrews (represented by the 4th Earl of Mayo) and the Dowager Queen of Württemberg (represented by the Countess of Mayo).