Prince Edward - London, UK
N 51° 31.377 W 000° 08.772
30U E 697972 N 5711842
This statue, of Prince Edward Duke of Kent, is located in Crescent Gardens that nestle between Marylebone Road and Park Crescent in central London. The statue is at the southern side of the garden opposite Portland Place.
Waymark Code: WMHXD7
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 08/23/2013
Views: 2
The slightly larger than life bronze statue is mounted on a Portland stone
plinth.
The statue shows the prince in his royal regalia. His right arm rests on top
of two books on top of a column and in his left had is a scrolled document. His
face has the appearance of Queen Victoria which should not be a surprise as he
was her father.
The inscription on the plinth reads:
Prince Edward
Duke of Kent
IV son of George III
Born Nov 2, 1767 Died Jan 23, 1820
Erected by the supporters
of the numerous charities
which he so zealously
and successfully patronised
The
Regency History website tells us:
Early years
Prince Edward Augustus was born at Buckingham House on 2 November 1767, the
fifth child and fourth son of King George III and Queen Charlotte. He was
named after George III’s brother Edward, Duke of York, who died shortly
before the new Prince’s birth. He was tutored by John Fisher who later
became Bishop of Salisbury.
Army career
In 1785, Edward was sent to Luneburg to begin his career in the army as a
cadet in the Hanoverian foot guards. He completed his military training
under Lieutenant Colonel Baron Von Wangenheim, a strict military tutor whom
Edward described as “a mercenary tyrant”.
He served in Hanover, Geneva, Gibraltar, the West Indies and Canada. He was
gazetted brevet Colonel in the British army and elected a Knight of the
Garter in 1786, subsequently rising to Major General (1793), General (1794)
and Field Marshall (1805).
Harsh disciplinarian or respected leader?
Edward gained the reputation of a stern disciplinarian, making him unpopular
with his men. This was brought to a head in 1802, when he was made Governor
of Gibraltar and asked to bring the garrison back into order. His harsh
actions resulted in a mutiny, but having successfully quelled it, he was
recalled to England.
The Duke of York condemned Edward’s behaviour as “from first to last as
marked by cruelty and oppression”. His brother allowed him no opportunity to
defend himself and they quarrelled violently.
However, it would appear that Edward’s leadership was respected by the
officers at Gibraltar who gave a fete in his honour in May 1791 before he
was transferred to Quebec. He was also commended for helping to repress St
Lucia and Martinique whilst serving under Sir Charles Grey in the West
Indies in 1794.
The least worthy of sons
George III seemed to have little interest in Edward and yet was very quick
to criticise him. Edward received very few letters from home and was spied
on by his valet, Rhymers.
Wangenheim gave Edward a very meagre sum out of the £6000 a year he was paid
for his maintenance, forcing him to borrow in order to equip himself in the
manner befitting a Prince. When his father learned that he was in debt, he
was sent to Geneva in disgrace, but he was still not given an adequate
allowance and his debts continued to amass.
Desperate for contact with home, in 1790 Edward escaped from his mentor and
travelled to England. His father was furious. The King afforded Edward only
a very short interview before effectively banishing him to Gibraltar. He was
not allowed home on leave until he suffered a fall from his horse in October
1798.
Edward was created Duke of Kent and Strathearn on 24 April 1799 and
parliament finally voted him an income of £12000 a year. However, his
monetary problems continued to haunt him throughout the rest of his life.
Character
Despite his reputation for harsh military discipline, Edward was popular
with his servants and Princess Charlotte’s favourite uncle, actively
promoting the match between the Princess and Prince Leopold. He helped
negotiate Mrs Fitzherbert’s return to the Prince of Wales in 1799 but also
remained on friendly terms with Princess Caroline.
His habits were remarkably similar to those of his father – he rose early,
ate and drank sparingly and liked to spend time outside. He was very polite
and attentive to women and placed a high value on his time. His conversation
was intelligent and informed and he had a gift for public speaking. He was
also a prolific correspondent.
He supported charitable works, such as the Literary Fund, and introduced
regimental schools for the children of his men. He was interested in Robert
Owen’s social experiments, supported anti-slavery and was in favour of
Catholic emancipation, which may explain some of his father’s enmity towards
him.
Madame de Saint-Laurent
Whilst serving in Gibraltar, Therese-Bernadine Mongenet became Edward’s
mistress. She was known as Madame de Saint-Laurent and stayed with the
Prince for almost 28 years, until the death of Princess Charlotte in 1817
prompted the royal Dukes to marry in order to secure the succession.
Marriage
On 29 May 1818, Edward married Victoria Mary Louisa of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld,
Prince Leopold’s widowed sister, in Coburg. The ceremony was repeated in the
Queen's drawing room in Kew Palace on 11 July 1818, at the same time as his
brother William, Duke of Clarence, married Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen.
Parliament refused to grant an additional sum for the maintenance of his
enlarged household, and so the couple lived mainly at Amorbach Castle,
Leiningen, Victoria’s dower house, in order to economise.
The birth of Princess Victoria
The couple lived abroad until April 1819, when they travelled to England,
despite the Regent’s refusal to fund the trip, so that the baby could be
born in Kensington Palace. Alexandrina Victoria was born on 24 May 1819 and
christened a month later, on 24 June. “Look at her well,” her proud father
said, “for she will be Queen of England.”
Death
After the Princess’ birth, it was necessary for the Duke and Duchess once
again to retrench. Bishop Fisher advised a sojourn in Devon for the sake of
economy and health and they leased Woobrook Cottage in Sidmouth.
Edward caught a cold, and subsequently became ill with pneumonia. He died in
Sidmouth on 23 January 1820 and was buried on 12 February in St George’s
Chapel, Windsor, in a huge coffin almost 7½ feet long and 3 foot wide.
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