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Prince Alfred
Painting by Thomas Gainsborough.
House	House of Hanover
Father	George III
Mother	Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Born	22 September 1780(1780-09-22) Windsor Castle, Berkshire
Died	20 August 1782 (aged &&&&&&&&&&&&06971 yr 10 mos) Windsor Castle, Berkshire

The Prince Alfred (22 September 1780 – 20 August 1782) was a member of the British Royal Family, the fourteenth child and ninth son of George III.

[edit] Life

Prince Alfred was born, on 22 September 1780, at Windsor Castle, Berkshire. His father was George III, his mother Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The prince was baptised by Frederick Cornwallis, The Archbishop of Canterbury, in the Great Council Chamber at St James's Palace on 21 October 1780. His godparents were The Prince of Wales (his eldest brother), The Prince Frederick (his second brother) and The Princess Royal (his eldest sister).^[1] As his parents' fourteenth child and ninth son, his birth was no surprise, but it did bring them joy, especially to his older sister Sophia, who, his sister Elizabeth reported, called the new baby her "grandson". In 1782, Prince Alfred was inoculated against smallpox. The sickness proved too much for the baby and in June he was taken to Deal with his nurse Lady Charlotte Finch to recover. It was hoped that the sea air, bathing in the water, and horseback riding would improve his condition. While he was there, Alfred endeared himself to many, including an old woman when he waved to her. In spite of his charming disposition he continued to break out in spots and his chest was troubling him. When he returned to Windsor in August 1782, the doctors inspected him and realized that the boy had only weeks to live. After suffering bouts of fever and continuing problems with his chest, Prince Alfred died on 20 August 1782, at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, not even two years old. Although the household did not go into mourning (it was not prescribed for children younger than seven), his parents took the loss harshly. According to Lady Charlotte Finch, the Queen "cried vastly" and was "very much hurt by her loss and the King also." Alfred was buried at Westminster Abbey His father continued to dwell on his death, and the sight of Alfred's posthumous portrait nearly a year after his death sent his three eldest sisters into tears. His youngest sister Amelia was conceived in the months after Alfred's death, born almost exactly a year after he died. The first of George III and Queen Charlotte's children to die, Alfred died nearly seventy five years before his older sister Mary, who was the last survivor of George III and Queen Charlotte's fifteen children.^[2] Alfred is also unique among their first fourteen children for never being an older sibling while he was alive, as the only child younger than him was born after his death.

[edit] Titles, styles, honours and arms

[edit] Titles and styles

• 22 September 1780–20 August 1783: His Royal Highness The Prince Alfred

[edit] Ancestry

[edit] References

1. ^ Yvonne's Royalty Home Page: Royal Christenings
2. ^ Princesses, the Six Daughters of George III. Flora Fraser.

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