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| full name =Charles Edward George Albert Leopold<br />''German: Carl Eduard Georg Albert Luitpold'' |
| full name =Charles Edward George Albert Leopold<br />''German: Carl Eduard Georg Albert Luitpold'' |
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| titles =''HH'' The Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha<br />''HRH'' The Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha<br />''HRH'' The Duke of Albany |
| titles =''HH'' The Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha<br />''HRH'' The Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha<br />''HRH'' The Duke of Albany |
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| royal house =[[House of |
| royal house =[[House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha]] |
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| father =[[Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany]] |
| father =[[Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany]] |
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| mother =[[Princess Helena, Duchess of Albany]] |
| mother =[[Princess Helena, Duchess of Albany]] |
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'''Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha''' (Charles Edward George Albert Leopold; in German '''Carl Eduard, Herzog von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha''' [[19 July]] [[1884]] - [[6 March]] [[1954]]) was the fourth and last reigning [[Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]], a duchy in Germany (from [[30 July]] [[1900]] to [[14 November]] [[1918]]). A male-line grandson of [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Queen Victoria]] and [[Albert, Prince Consort|Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]], he was also a [[British prince|Prince of the United Kingdom]] and held the title of [[Duke of Albany]]. |
'''Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha''' (Charles Edward George Albert Leopold; in German '''Carl Eduard, Herzog von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha''' [[19 July]] [[1884]] - [[6 March]] [[1954]]) was the fourth and last reigning [[Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]], a duchy in Germany (from [[30 July]] [[1900]] to [[14 November]] [[1918]]). A male-line grandson of [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Queen Victoria]] and [[Albert, Prince Consort|Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]], he was also a [[British prince|Prince of the United Kingdom]] and held the title of [[Duke of Albany]]. |
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The Duke was a controversial figure in the United Kingdom due to his enemy status as Sovereign Duke of Saxe-Coburg |
The Duke was a controversial figure in the United Kingdom due to his enemy status as Sovereign Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, part of the German Empire, during world war one. He was deprived of his [[British peerage]]s and honours in [[1917]]. In [[1918]], he was forced to abdicate his ducal throne. He also later joined the German [[Nazi Party]]. This caused considerable embarrassment to his only sister, Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, cousin of King George V and sister-in-law of Queen Mary. |
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==Early life== |
==Early life== |
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Charles Edward was born at [[Claremont (country house)|Claremont House]] near [[Esher]], Surrey. His father was [[Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany]], the fourth son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. His mother was |
Charles Edward was born at [[Claremont (country house)|Claremont House]] near [[Esher]], Surrey. His father was [[Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany]], the fourth son of Queen Victoria and [[Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha]]. His mother was [[Princess Helena of Waldeck-Pyrmont|The Duchess of Albany (née Princess Helena of Waldeck-Pyrmont)]]. |
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As Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany died before his birth, Charles Edward succeeded to his father's titles on his birth and was styled ''His Royal Highness The Duke of Albany''. |
As Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany died before his birth, Charles Edward succeeded to his father's titles on his birth and was styled ''His Royal Highness The Duke of Albany''. |
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After becoming sick, he was privately baptised at Claremont on [[4 August]] [[1884]], two weeks after his birth and later baptised publicly in Esher Parish Church on [[4 December]] [[1884]] four months later. His godparents were Queen Victoria, the [[Edward VII of the United Kingdom|Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII)]], [[Princess Helena of the United Kingdom|Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein]], the [[Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll|Marchioness of Lorne]], [[Princess Frederica of Hanover]] and [[George Victor, Prince of Waldeck |
After becoming sick, he was privately baptised at Claremont on [[4 August]] [[1884]], two weeks after his birth and later baptised publicly in Esher Parish Church on [[4 December]] [[1884]] four months later. His godparents were Queen Victoria, the [[Edward VII of the United Kingdom|Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII)]], [[Princess Helena of the United Kingdom|Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein]], the [[Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll|Marchioness of Lorne]], [[Princess Frederica of Hanover]] and [[George Victor, Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont]]. His uncle, [[Edward VII of the United Kingdom|Edward VII]] made him a [[Order of the Garter|Knight of the Garter]] on [[15 July]] [[1902]]. |
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==Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha== |
==Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha== |
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In [[1900]], the fourteen year-old Duke of Albany inherited the ducal throne of Saxe-Coburg |
In [[1900]], the fourteen year-old Duke of Albany inherited the ducal throne of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha from his uncle [[Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha]], Queen Victoria's second son. The Duke of Edinburgh's only son, [[Prince Alfred of Edinburgh|Prince Alfred]] ("Young Affie"), died in 1899, and the [[Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught|Duke of Connaught]], the Queen's third son, renounced his claims to the duchy. Arthur's son, [[Prince Arthur of Connaught]], was attending school at Eton with Prince Charles, and threatened to beat his cousin up if Charles did not accept the dukedom. For the next five years, he reigned under the regency of the Hereditary Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. Upon coming of age on [[19 July]] [[1905]], the Duke of Albany assumed full constitutional powers as Duke Carl Eduard of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. As a grandson of Queen Victoria, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was a first cousin of the [[William II of Germany|German Emperor Wilhelm II]], [[Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine|Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine]], the [[George V of the United Kingdom|Prince of Wales (the future King George V)]], the [[Alexandra of Hesse|Empress Alexandra of Russia]], Queen [[Marie of Edinburgh|Marie of Romania]], Queen [[Maud, Queen of Norway|Maud of Norway]], and Queen [[Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg|Victoria Eugenia of Spain]]. The Duke was also a first cousin of Queen [[Wilhelmina of the Netherlands]]. |
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{{infobox hrhstyles| |
{{infobox hrhstyles| |
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royal name=Carl Eduard, Duke of Saxe-Coburg |
royal name=Carl Eduard, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha| |
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image=[[Image:S-c-g-arms.JPG|60px]]| |
image=[[Image:S-c-g-arms.JPG|60px]]| |
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dipstyle=[[Royal Highness|His Royal Highness]]| |
dipstyle=[[Royal Highness|His Royal Highness]]| |
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==Marriage== |
==Marriage== |
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On [[11 October]] [[1905]], at Glücksburg Castle, Holstein, the Duke married [[Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein]] ([[31 December]] [[1885]] – [[3 October]] [[1970]]), the daughter of the Duke Friedrich Ferdinand of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. The Duke and Duchess of Saxe-Coburg |
On [[11 October]] [[1905]], at Glücksburg Castle, Holstein, the Duke married [[Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein]] ([[31 December]] [[1885]] – [[3 October]] [[1970]]), the daughter of the Duke Friedrich Ferdinand of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. The Duke and Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha had five children. |
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Through his daughter Sibylla, Charles Edward was the maternal grandfather of [[Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden]]. |
Through his daughter Sibylla, Charles Edward was the maternal grandfather of [[Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden]]. |
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==World War I== |
==World War I== |
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During World War I, Duke Charles Edward supported Germany and held a commission as a general in the German Army (although he never held a major command). Consequently, George V ordered his name removed from the register of the Knights of the Garter in [[1915]]. In July [[1917]], in an effort to distance his dynasty from its Germanic origins, George V changed the name of British Royal House from the [[ |
During World War I, Duke Charles Edward supported Germany and held a commission as a general in the German Army (although he never held a major command). Consequently, George V ordered his name removed from the register of the Knights of the Garter in [[1915]]. In July [[1917]], in an effort to distance his dynasty from its Germanic origins, George V changed the name of British Royal House from the [[House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha]] to the [[House of Windsor]]. That year, the British Parliament passed the [[Titles Deprivation Act]] which empowered the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Council]] to investigate "any persons enjoying any dignity or title as a peer or British prince who have, during the present war, borne arms against His Majesty or His Allies, or who have adhered to His Majesty's enemies." Under the terms of that act, an Order in Council on [[28 March]] [[1919]] formally removed the Duke's British peerages, the Dukedom of Albany, Earldom of Clarence, and the Barony of Arklow. The Duke and his children also lost their entitlement to the titles of [[British prince|Prince]] and [[British princess|Princess of the United Kingdom]] and the styles ''[[His Royal Highness|Royal Highness]]'' and ''[[His Highness|Highness]]''<ref>As a male-line grandson of the British Sovereign, Prince Carl Eduard was a Prince of the United Kingdom with the qualification of Royal Highness, in accordance with Queen Victoria's Letters Patent of [[30 January]] [[1864]] and of [[27 May]] [[1898]]. The suspension of his peerages under the Title Deprivation Act, did not affect the Duke's place in the [[line of succession to the British throne]]. Under settled practice dating to 1714, Duke Carl Eduard's children, as legitimate male-line great grandchildren of the British Sovereign, were Princes and Princesses of the United Kingdom with the qualification of Highness. However, their right to use these British titles and styles ceased with George V's Letters Patent of [[30 November]] [[1917]].</ref> |
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{{House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha|albertg}} |
{{House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha|albertg}} |
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==Private Citizen== |
==Private Citizen== |
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On [[18 November]] [[1918]], the [[Workers' and Soldiers' Council of Gotha]] deposed the Duke of Saxe-Coburg |
On [[18 November]] [[1918]], the [[Workers' and Soldiers' Council of Gotha]] deposed the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Five days later, the Duke signed a declaration relinquishing his rights to the throne. Now a private citizen, the deposed Duke became associated with various right-wing paramilitary and political organizations.<ref>The hereditary and legal privileges of the various German royal, princely, ducal, and noble families ended in August 1919 when the constitution of the [[Weimar Republic]] went into effect. However, the Weimar Republic did not ban the use of titles and the designations of nobility, as did Austria. Instead, the [[Reichstag (institution)|Reichstag]] passed legislation that made the former royal and noble titles part of these families' surname. Legally, the former reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha became ''Carl Eduard Herzog von Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha''.</ref> In 1932, he took part in the creation of the so-called [[Harzburg Front]], through which the Deutschnationale Partei (lit: "German-national party") Conservative Party became associated with the [[Nazi Party]]. He joined the Nazi Party and became a member of the [[Sturmabteilung| SA (or Brownshirts)]], rising to the rank of [[Obergruppenführer]]. He also served a member of the [[Reichstag (institution)|Reichstag]] from 1937 to 1945 and as president of the [[German Red Cross]] from 1933 to 1945. He formally joined the Nazi Party in 1935. |
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In [[1936]], [[Adolf Hitler]] sent the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to Britain as president of the [[Deutsch-Englische Gesellschaft|Anglo-German Friendship Society]]. His mission was to improve [[Anglo-German relations]] and to explore the possibility of a pact between the two countries. The Duke, who attended the funeral of George V in his SA uniform, approached the new king, [[Edward VIII of the United Kingdom|Edward VIII]], about the possibility of a pact. Nothing came of these talks. Nonetheless, he continued to send Hitler encouraging reports about the strength of pro-German sentiment among the British aristocracy. After the [[Abdication Crisis of Edward VIII|abdication crisis]], he played host to the former British king and his wife, by then the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, during their official tour of Germany in 1938. |
In [[1936]], [[Adolf Hitler]] sent the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to Britain as president of the [[Deutsch-Englische Gesellschaft|Anglo-German Friendship Society]]. His mission was to improve [[Anglo-German relations]] and to explore the possibility of a pact between the two countries. The Duke, who attended the funeral of George V in his SA uniform, approached the new king, [[Edward VIII of the United Kingdom|Edward VIII]], about the possibility of a pact. Nothing came of these talks. Nonetheless, he continued to send Hitler encouraging reports about the strength of pro-German sentiment among the British aristocracy. After the [[Abdication Crisis of Edward VIII|abdication crisis]], he played host to the former British king and his wife, by then the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, during their official tour of Germany in 1938. |
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When World War II ended, the [[American Military Government in Bavaria]], under the command of General [[George S. Patton]], placed the Duke of Saxe-Coburg |
When World War II ended, the [[American Military Government in Bavaria]], under the command of General [[George S. Patton]], placed the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha under house arrest because of his Nazi sympathies. In 1946, he was sentenced by a [[Denazification trial|denazification court]] and heavily fined. Many of his properties in Saxony and Coburg were seized by the Soviet army. |
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The former Duke of Saxe-Coburg |
The former Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha spent the last years of his life in seclusion. He died in 1954 as the older one of only two surviving male grandchildren of Queen Victoria. |
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==Titles, styles, honours and arms== |
==Titles, styles, honours and arms== |
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!Name!!Birth!!Death!!Notes |
!Name!!Birth!!Death!!Notes |
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|- |
|- |
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|[[Johann Leopold, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg |
|[[Johann Leopold, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha]]||[[2 August]] [[1906]]||[[4 May]] [[1972]]||married (1) unequally, renouncing his rights to the headship of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha), [[9 March]] [[1932]], Feodora, Baroness von der Horst; divorced [[1962]]; had issue<br />(2), [[5 May]] [[1963]], Maria Theresia Reindl; no issue |
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|- |
|- |
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|[[Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg |
|[[Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha]]||[[18 January]] [[1908]]||[[28 November]] [[1972]]||married, [[20 October]] [[1932]], [[Prince Gustav Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten]]; had issue, inc. [[Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden]] |
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|- |
|- |
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|[[Prince Hubertus of Saxe-Coburg |
|[[Prince Hubertus of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha]]||[[24 August]] [[1909]]||[[26 November]] [[1943]]|| |
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|- |
|- |
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|[[Princess Caroline Mathilde of Saxe-Coburg |
|[[Princess Caroline Mathilde of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha]]||[[22 June]] [[1912]]||[[5 September]] [[1983]]||married (1), [[14 December]] [[1931]], Friedrich Wolfgang Otto, Count of Castell-Rüdenhausen; divorced [[2 May]] [[1938]]; had issue<br />(2), [[22 June]] [[1938]], Captain Max Schnirring; he died [[1944]]; had issue<br />(3), [[23 December]] [[1946]], Karl Andree; divorced [[27 December]] [[1947]]; no issue |
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|- |
|- |
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|[[Friedrich Josias |
|[[Prince Friedrich Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha]]||[[29 November]] [[1918]]||[[23 January]] [[1998]]||married (1), [[25 January]] [[1942]], Victoria Louisa, Countess of Solms-Baruth; divorced [[19 September]] [[1947]]; had issue<br />(2), [[14 February]] [[1948]], Denyse Henrietta de Muralt; divorced [[17 September]] [[1964]]; had issue<br />(3), [[30 October]] [[1964]], Katrin Bremme; no issue |
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{{start}} |
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{{s-hou|[[Saxe-Coburg |
{{s-hou|[[Saxe-Coburg-Gotha|House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha]]|19 July|1884|28 March|1954|[[House of Wettin]]}} |
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{{s-reg|}} |
{{s-reg|}} |
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{{s-bef|before=[[Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg |
{{s-bef|before=[[Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha|Alfred]]}} |
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{{s-ttl|title=Duke of Saxe-Coburg |
{{s-ttl|title=[[Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha]]|years=[[30 July]] [[1900]]–[[14 November]] [[1918]]}} |
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{{s-aft|after=Abolished}} |
{{s-aft|after=Abolished}} |
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{{s-pre}} |
{{s-pre}} |
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{{s-bef|before=None}} |
{{s-bef|before=None}} |
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{{s-ptd|title=Duke of Saxe-Coburg |
{{s-ptd|title=[[Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha]]|years=[[14 November]] [[1918]]–[[28 March]] [[1954]]}} |
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{{s-aft|after=[[Friedrich Josias, Prince of Saxe-Coburg |
{{s-aft|after=[[Friedrich Josias, Prince of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha|Prince Friedrich Josias]]}} |
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{{s-reg|uk}} |
{{s-reg|uk}} |
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{{s-bef|before=[[Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany|Prince Leopold]]}} |
{{s-bef|before=[[Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany|Prince Leopold]]}} |
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{{end}} |
{{end}} |
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{{Dukes of Albany}} |
{{Dukes of Albany}} |
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[[Category:Dukes of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha|Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Carl Eduard, Duke of]] |
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[[Category:English and British princes| |
[[Category:English and British princes|Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Carl Eduard, Duke of]] |
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[[Category:Dukes of Albany|702]] |
[[Category:Dukes of Albany|702]] |
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[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order| |
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order|Carl Eduard of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Duke]] |
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[[Category:Knights of the Garter| |
[[Category:Knights of the Garter|Carl Eduard of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha]] |
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[[Category:People from Surrey|Saxe-Coburg |
[[Category:People from Surrey|Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Carl Eduard, Duke of]] |
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[[Category:1884 births|Saxe-Coburg |
[[Category:1884 births|Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Carl Eduard, Duke of]] |
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[[Category:1954 deaths|Saxe-Coburg |
[[Category:1954 deaths|Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Carl Eduard, Duke of]] |
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[[ca:Carles Eduard del Regne Unit]] |
[[ca:Carles Eduard del Regne Unit]] |
Revision as of 03:27, 20 May 2007
Prince Charles Edward | |||||
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Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha; Duke of Albany | |||||
Predecessor | Albany: Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany Saxe-Coburg-Gotha: Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | ||||
Successor | Saxe-Coburg-Gotha: Friedrich Josias, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (in pretence) | ||||
Spouse | Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein | ||||
Issue | Johann Leopold, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Princess Sibylla, Duchess of Västerbotten Prince Hubertus of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Princess Caroline Mathilde of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Friedrich Josias, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | ||||
| |||||
House | House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha | ||||
Father | Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany | ||||
Mother | Princess Helena, Duchess of Albany |
Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Charles Edward George Albert Leopold; in German Carl Eduard, Herzog von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha 19 July 1884 - 6 March 1954) was the fourth and last reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a duchy in Germany (from 30 July 1900 to 14 November 1918). A male-line grandson of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, he was also a Prince of the United Kingdom and held the title of Duke of Albany.
The Duke was a controversial figure in the United Kingdom due to his enemy status as Sovereign Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, part of the German Empire, during world war one. He was deprived of his British peerages and honours in 1917. In 1918, he was forced to abdicate his ducal throne. He also later joined the German Nazi Party. This caused considerable embarrassment to his only sister, Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, cousin of King George V and sister-in-law of Queen Mary.
Early life
Charles Edward was born at Claremont House near Esher, Surrey. His father was Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, the fourth son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. His mother was The Duchess of Albany (née Princess Helena of Waldeck-Pyrmont).
As Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany died before his birth, Charles Edward succeeded to his father's titles on his birth and was styled His Royal Highness The Duke of Albany.
After becoming sick, he was privately baptised at Claremont on 4 August 1884, two weeks after his birth and later baptised publicly in Esher Parish Church on 4 December 1884 four months later. His godparents were Queen Victoria, the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, the Marchioness of Lorne, Princess Frederica of Hanover and George Victor, Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont. His uncle, Edward VII made him a Knight of the Garter on 15 July 1902.
Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
In 1900, the fourteen year-old Duke of Albany inherited the ducal throne of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha from his uncle Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Queen Victoria's second son. The Duke of Edinburgh's only son, Prince Alfred ("Young Affie"), died in 1899, and the Duke of Connaught, the Queen's third son, renounced his claims to the duchy. Arthur's son, Prince Arthur of Connaught, was attending school at Eton with Prince Charles, and threatened to beat his cousin up if Charles did not accept the dukedom. For the next five years, he reigned under the regency of the Hereditary Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. Upon coming of age on 19 July 1905, the Duke of Albany assumed full constitutional powers as Duke Carl Eduard of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. As a grandson of Queen Victoria, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was a first cousin of the German Emperor Wilhelm II, Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine, the Prince of Wales (the future King George V), the Empress Alexandra of Russia, Queen Marie of Romania, Queen Maud of Norway, and Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain. The Duke was also a first cousin of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands.
Styles of Carl Eduard, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha | |
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File:S-c-g-arms.JPG | |
Reference style | His Royal Highness |
Spoken style | Your Royal Highness |
Marriage
On 11 October 1905, at Glücksburg Castle, Holstein, the Duke married Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein (31 December 1885 – 3 October 1970), the daughter of the Duke Friedrich Ferdinand of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. The Duke and Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha had five children.
Through his daughter Sibylla, Charles Edward was the maternal grandfather of Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden.
World War I
During World War I, Duke Charles Edward supported Germany and held a commission as a general in the German Army (although he never held a major command). Consequently, George V ordered his name removed from the register of the Knights of the Garter in 1915. In July 1917, in an effort to distance his dynasty from its Germanic origins, George V changed the name of British Royal House from the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to the House of Windsor. That year, the British Parliament passed the Titles Deprivation Act which empowered the Privy Council to investigate "any persons enjoying any dignity or title as a peer or British prince who have, during the present war, borne arms against His Majesty or His Allies, or who have adhered to His Majesty's enemies." Under the terms of that act, an Order in Council on 28 March 1919 formally removed the Duke's British peerages, the Dukedom of Albany, Earldom of Clarence, and the Barony of Arklow. The Duke and his children also lost their entitlement to the titles of Prince and Princess of the United Kingdom and the styles Royal Highness and Highness[1]
Private Citizen
On 18 November 1918, the Workers' and Soldiers' Council of Gotha deposed the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Five days later, the Duke signed a declaration relinquishing his rights to the throne. Now a private citizen, the deposed Duke became associated with various right-wing paramilitary and political organizations.[2] In 1932, he took part in the creation of the so-called Harzburg Front, through which the Deutschnationale Partei (lit: "German-national party") Conservative Party became associated with the Nazi Party. He joined the Nazi Party and became a member of the SA (or Brownshirts), rising to the rank of Obergruppenführer. He also served a member of the Reichstag from 1937 to 1945 and as president of the German Red Cross from 1933 to 1945. He formally joined the Nazi Party in 1935.
In 1936, Adolf Hitler sent the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to Britain as president of the Anglo-German Friendship Society. His mission was to improve Anglo-German relations and to explore the possibility of a pact between the two countries. The Duke, who attended the funeral of George V in his SA uniform, approached the new king, Edward VIII, about the possibility of a pact. Nothing came of these talks. Nonetheless, he continued to send Hitler encouraging reports about the strength of pro-German sentiment among the British aristocracy. After the abdication crisis, he played host to the former British king and his wife, by then the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, during their official tour of Germany in 1938.
When World War II ended, the American Military Government in Bavaria, under the command of General George S. Patton, placed the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha under house arrest because of his Nazi sympathies. In 1946, he was sentenced by a denazification court and heavily fined. Many of his properties in Saxony and Coburg were seized by the Soviet army.
The former Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha spent the last years of his life in seclusion. He died in 1954 as the older one of only two surviving male grandchildren of Queen Victoria.
Titles, styles, honours and arms
Titles
- 19 July 1884-30 July 1900: His Royal Highness The Duke of Albany
- 30 July 1900-28 March 1919: His Royal Highness The Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha,
- 30 July 1900-6 March 1954: His Highness The Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Honours
- KG: Knight of the Garter, 15 July 1902–1915
- GCVO: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, 27 January 1901
Issue
Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
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Johann Leopold, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha | 2 August 1906 | 4 May 1972 | married (1) unequally, renouncing his rights to the headship of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha), 9 March 1932, Feodora, Baroness von der Horst; divorced 1962; had issue (2), 5 May 1963, Maria Theresia Reindl; no issue |
Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha | 18 January 1908 | 28 November 1972 | married, 20 October 1932, Prince Gustav Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten; had issue, inc. Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden |
Prince Hubertus of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha | 24 August 1909 | 26 November 1943 | |
Princess Caroline Mathilde of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha | 22 June 1912 | 5 September 1983 | married (1), 14 December 1931, Friedrich Wolfgang Otto, Count of Castell-Rüdenhausen; divorced 2 May 1938; had issue (2), 22 June 1938, Captain Max Schnirring; he died 1944; had issue (3), 23 December 1946, Karl Andree; divorced 27 December 1947; no issue |
Prince Friedrich Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha | 29 November 1918 | 23 January 1998 | married (1), 25 January 1942, Victoria Louisa, Countess of Solms-Baruth; divorced 19 September 1947; had issue (2), 14 February 1948, Denyse Henrietta de Muralt; divorced 17 September 1964; had issue (3), 30 October 1964, Katrin Bremme; no issue |
References
- ^ As a male-line grandson of the British Sovereign, Prince Carl Eduard was a Prince of the United Kingdom with the qualification of Royal Highness, in accordance with Queen Victoria's Letters Patent of 30 January 1864 and of 27 May 1898. The suspension of his peerages under the Title Deprivation Act, did not affect the Duke's place in the line of succession to the British throne. Under settled practice dating to 1714, Duke Carl Eduard's children, as legitimate male-line great grandchildren of the British Sovereign, were Princes and Princesses of the United Kingdom with the qualification of Highness. However, their right to use these British titles and styles ceased with George V's Letters Patent of 30 November 1917.
- ^ The hereditary and legal privileges of the various German royal, princely, ducal, and noble families ended in August 1919 when the constitution of the Weimar Republic went into effect. However, the Weimar Republic did not ban the use of titles and the designations of nobility, as did Austria. Instead, the Reichstag passed legislation that made the former royal and noble titles part of these families' surname. Legally, the former reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha became Carl Eduard Herzog von Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha.