Prince Edward
Duke of York and Albany
Full name
Edward Augustus
House	House of Hanover
Father	Frederick, Prince of Wales
Mother	Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha
Born	25 March 1739(1739-03-25) Norfolk House, St James's Square, Westminster
Died	17 September 1767 (aged 28) Prince's Palace, Monaco-Ville
Burial	Westminster Abbey, London

Prince Edward, Duke of York (Edward Augustus^[1]; 25 March 1739 – 17 September 1767), was the younger brother of George III of the United Kingdom, the second son of Frederick, Prince of Wales and Augusta of Saxe-Gotha.

[edit] Early life

The Duke of York (right), together with his brother, the future George III of the United Kingdom and their tutor, Francis Ayscough, Dean of Bristol, ca. 1749.

The young prince was baptised Edward Augustus, at Norfolk House, by The Bishop of Oxford, Thomas Secker, and his godparents were his great-uncle The King in Prussia (for whom The Duke of Queensberry stood proxy), The Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (who was represented by Lord Carnarvon), and his maternal aunt The Duchess of Saxe-Weissenfels (for whom Lady Charlotte Edwin, a daughter of the late 4th Duke of Hamilton, stood proxy).^[2]

[edit] Seven Years War

Edward showed an interest in naval affairs and sought permission to serve with the Royal Navy. He participated in the naval descents against the French coast taking part in the failed Raid on St Malo, which ended in the Battle of St. Cast in 1758.

[edit] Later life

The Duke of York, ca. 1766, as painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds.

He was created Duke of York and Albany and Earl of Ulster by his paternal grandfather, George II, on 1 April 1760^[3].

Between the death of his paternal grandfather on 25 October 1760 and the birth of George, Prince of Wales on 12 August 1762, he was heir presumptive to the British throne. Perhaps in light of this situation, his brother made him a privy counsellor in 1760.

In the late summer of 1767, on his way to Genoa, Edward fell ill and had to be landed in the harbour of Monaco. Despite the care and attention he was given, he died in the Palace of Honoré III, Prince of Monaco, on 17 September. The state bedchamber where the ill duke died has since been known as the York Room. After his death, his body was returned to London and is interred in Westminster Abbey.

[edit] Legacy

Places named after Prince Edward include:

Prince Edward County, Virginia.

The Cape York Peninsula, located in Far North Queensland, Australia, and Cape York, at the tip of the peninsula, which is the northernmost point on the Australian continent.

The Duke of York Islands, (formerly German: Neu Lauenburg), are a group of islands located in East New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea. They are found in St George's Channel between New Britain and New Ireland islands and form part of the Bismarck Archipelago.

Duke of York Island,the largest island of Duke of York Islands, Papua New Guinea, at 4°10′00″S 152°28′00″E / 4.1666667°S 152.4666667°E / -4.1666667; 152.4666667Coordinates: 4°10′00″S 152°28′00″E / 4.1666667°S 152.4666667°E / -4.1666667; 152.4666667.

[edit] Titles, styles, honour and arms

[edit] Titles and styles

• 25 March 1739–1 April 1760: His Royal Highness Prince Edward^[1]
• 1 April 1760–17 September 1767: His Royal Highness The Duke of York and Albany

[edit] Arms

Edward was granted use of the arms of the kingdom, differenced by a label argent of five points, the centre bearing a cross gules, the other points each bearing a canton gules.^[4]

[edit] Ancestors

[edit] References