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Prince William
Prince William
	The Duke of Gloucester, in an engraving based on a portrait painted by Sir William Beechey, published 1826.
	Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh
Predecessor	Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester
Spouse	Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester
Full name
	William Frederick
House	House of Hanover
Father	Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester
Mother	Maria, Duchess of Gloucester
Born	15 January 1776; Teodoli Palace, Rome
Died	30 November 1834 (aged 58); Bagshot Park, Surrey
Burial	St George's Chapel, Windsor

Prince William, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh (William Frederick or "Silly Billy"; 15 January 1776 – 30 November 1834) was a member of the British Royal Family, a great-grandson of George II and nephew of George III.

[edit] Early life

Prince William of Gloucester was born on 15 January 1776 at the Teodoli Palace in Rome, Italy. His father was Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, the third son of the Prince of Wales. His mother was Maria, Duchess of Gloucester, the illegitimate daughter of Edward Walpole and granddaughter of Robert Walpole. As a great-grandson of George II he held the title of Prince of Great Britain with the style His Highness, not His Royal Highness, at birth. The young prince was christened at Teodoli Palace, on 12 February 1776 by a Rev Salter. His godparents were The Duke and Duchess of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (his first cousin once-removed and his wife) and The Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (his second cousin one-removed).^[1]

He was admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge in 1787, and granted his MA in 1790.^[2] On 25 August 1805, Prince William's father died, and he inherited the titles, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh and Earl of Connaught. From 1811 until his death he was Chancellor of the University of Cambridge.^[2]

[edit] Ancestry

[edit] Marriage

British Royalty
House of Hanover

George II
Frederick, Prince of Wales
Anne, Princess of Orange
Princess Amelia
Princess Caroline
Prince William, Duke of Cumberland
Mary, Landgravine of Hesse-Cassel
Louise, Queen of Denmark
Grandchildren
Augusta, Duchess of Brunswick
George III
Edward, Duke of York
Princess Elizabeth
William Henry, Duke of Gloucester
Henry, Duke of Cumberland
Princess Louisa
Prince Frederick
Caroline Matilda, Queen of Denmark
Great-grandchildren
Princess Sophia of Gloucester
William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester

On 22 July 1816, he married Princess Mary, his cousin, and the fourth daughter of George III. The marriage took place at St. James's Palace, London. On that day, The Prince Regent granted the Duke the style of His Royal Highness by Order-in-Council^[3].

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester lived at Bagshot Park in Surrey. They had no children together; they had married when both were 40. The Duke had been encouraged to stay single, so that there might be a suitable groom for Princess Charlotte, the heiress to the throne, even if no foreign match proved suitable; she had married Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg ten weeks earlier.^[4]

[edit] Later life

He was active in many walks of life, and on 27 April 1822 chaired the first Annual General Meeting of London's new United University Club.^[5] Politics, however, was not among them; he entered the House of Lords rarely, and he voted on few of the great issues of his time. He did advocate the abolition of slavery, and he supported Queen Caroline and the Duke of Sussex against George IV.^[6]

He kept more state than the King; he never permitted a gentleman to be seated in his presence (which King George did as an exceptional favour) and expected to be served coffee by the ladies of any party he attended, and that they would stand while he drank it.^[7] The general estimate of his capacity is given by his nickname, "Silly Billy"; he was also called "Slice of Gloucester" and "Cheese"^[8], a reference to Gloucester cheese.

The Duke died on 30 November 1834, and was buried in St. George's Chapel, Windsor.

[edit] Titles, styles, honours and arms

[edit] Titles and styles

15 January 1776 – 25 August 1805: His Highness Prince William of Gloucester
25 August 1805 – 22 July 1816: His Highness The Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh
22 July 1816 – 30 November 1834: His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh

[edit] Honours

KG: Knight of the Garter, 16 July 1794^[9]
GCB: Knight Grand Cross of the Bath^{[citation needed]}
GCH: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order^{[citation needed]}
PC: Lord of His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council^{[citation needed]}
FRS: Fellow of the Royal Society^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Arms

William was granted use of his father's arms (being the arms of the kingdom, differenced by a label argent of five points, the centre bearing a fleur-de-lys azure, the other points each bearing a cross gules), the whole differenced by a label argent (or azure).^[10]

[edit] See also

List of British princes

[edit] References

^ Yvonne's Royalty Home Page: Royal Christenings
^ ^a ^b Gloucester, H.R.H. Prince William Frederick, Duke of in Venn, J. & J. A., Alumni Cantabrigienses, Cambridge University Press, 10 vols, 1922–1958.
^ Royal Styles and Titles – 1816 Royal Warrant
^ Complete Peerage, "Duke of Gloucester", citing the obituary of Princess Mary in the Annual Register of 1857.
^ Club History Since 1821 at oxfordandcambridgeclub.co.uk (accessed 9 January 2008)
^ A. W. Purdue, ‘William Frederick, Prince, second duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh (1776–1834)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, May 2009, accessed 1 July 2009.
^ Complete Peerage, "Duke of Gloucester"
^ A. W. Purdue, ‘William Frederick, Prince, second duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh (1776–1834)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, May 2009, accessed 1 July 2009.
^ The Peerage — William Frederick Hanover, 2nd Duke of Gloucester
^ Marks of Cadency in the British Royal Family

Henry Churchyard "Royal Genealogies, Part 9"

Military offices
Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh House of Hanover Cadet branch of the House of Welf Born: 15 January 1776 Died: 30 November 1834
New regiment	Colonel of the 115th Regiment of Foot 1794–1795	Regiment disbanded
Preceded by Sir Ralph Abercromby	Colonel of the 6th (1st Warwickshire) Regiment of Foot 1795–1805	Succeeded by George Nugent
Preceded by The Duke of Argyll	Colonel of the 3rd Regiment of Foot Guards 1806–1834	Succeeded by The Duke of Gordon
Preceded by Sir William Keppel	Governor of Portsmouth 1827–1834	Succeeded by Sir Thomas McMahon, Bt
Peerage of Great Britain
Preceded by HRH Prince William Henry	Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh 1805–1834	Extinct
Peerage of Ireland
Preceded by HRH Prince William Henry	Earl of Connaught 1805–1834	Extinct

[0] Yvonne's Royalty Home Page: Royal Christenings

[Venn-1] Gloucester, H.R.H. Prince William Frederick, Duke of in Venn, J. & J. A., Alumni Cantabrigienses, Cambridge University Press, 10 vols, 1922–1958.

[2] Royal Styles and Titles – 1816 Royal Warrant

[3] Complete Peerage, "Duke of Gloucester", citing the obituary of Princess Mary in the Annual Register of 1857.

[4] Club History Since 1821 at oxfordandcambridgeclub.co.uk (accessed 9 January 2008)

[5] A. W. Purdue, ‘William Frederick, Prince, second duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh (1776–1834)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, May 2009, accessed 1 July 2009.

[6] Complete Peerage, "Duke of Gloucester"

[7] A. W. Purdue, ‘William Frederick, Prince, second duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh (1776–1834)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, May 2009, accessed 1 July 2009.

[8] The Peerage — William Frederick Hanover, 2nd Duke of Gloucester

[9] Marks of Cadency in the British Royal Family

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