Prince William of Gloucester
Encyclopedia
Prince William of Gloucester (William Henry Andrew Frederick; 18 December 1941–28 August 1972) was a member of the British Royal Family
, a grandson of George V
.
. His father was Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
(1900–1974), the third eldest son of King George V
and Queen Mary
. His mother was Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester
(1901–2004), the third daughter of the 7th Duke of Buccleuch. As a grandson of the British Monarch in the male line, he was styled Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
with the style His Royal Highness
.
He was baptised in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle
on 22 February 1942 by Cosmo Gordon Lang
, Archbishop of Canterbury
. His godparents were: King George VI
(his paternal uncle); Queen Mary
(his paternal grandmother); Princess Helena Victoria
(his cousin); the Lady Margaret Hawkins (his maternal aunt); Major the Lord William Montagu Douglas Scott (his maternal uncle); and the Viscount Gort
(who was unable to attend). Because of the war, newspapers did not identify the actual location of the christening, and said instead that it took place at "a private chapel in the country".
In 1947, Prince William was a page boy
for his cousin
The Princess Elizabeth
at her wedding to Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
. The other page boy was Prince Michael of Kent
.
Prince William spent his early childhood at Barnwell Manor in Northamptonshire
and later in Australia
, where his father served as Governor-General
from 1945 to 1947. He received his education at Wellesley House Preparatory School, Broadstairs, Kent, and at Eton College
. After leaving Eton in 1960, he went to Magdalene College, Cambridge
, to read history, earning himself a BA
degree. Subsequently, he was awarded an MA (Cantab.) degree in 1968.
In 1953, Prince William attended the coronation
of his cousin, Elizabeth II
.
studying political science, American history, and business. Upon returning to Britain, he took a position with Lazard
s, a merchant bank.
Prince William was the second member of the British Royal Family
to work in the civil service
or the diplomatic service (the first was his late uncle, Prince George, Duke of Kent
, in the 1920s). He joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
in 1965 and was posted to Lagos
as the third secretary to the British High Commission. In 1968, he transferred to Tokyo
to accept the post of second secretary (commercial) in the British Embassy. In 1970, the Duke of Gloucester's health began to fail and Prince William was diagnosed as suffering from porphyria
. Prince William resigned from the diplomatic service and returned to Britain. For the next two years, he managed Barnwell Manor
and began to carry out public duties as a member of the royal family.
Prince William served on some occasions as Counsellor of State
in the absence of his cousin, the Queen.
. William told the doctor that he'd suffered from an illness of unknown aetiology, with fever and cutaneous hepatic symptoms, beginning in December 1965 and lasting several months. He'd subsequently noticed his skin was prone to a blistering rash, particularly on exposure to sunshine. Dr. Bellringer tentatively diagnosed porphyria
and prescribed him sunblock cream and gave him a medical warning card regarding the need to avoid certain medications. Although he was aware of the theory of the royal family's history of porphyria then being proposed by Professor Ida Macalpine and Dr Richard Hunter he stated he "tried not to let it influence him...with all the symptoms, I was left with little option but to diagnose the Prince's condition as porphyria." William was later examined by haematologists at Addenbrookes hospital in Cambridge
and also by a Professor Ishihara in Tokyo, both of whom also concluded he was suffering from variegate porphyria, by then in remission.
A member of the British Royal Family being reliably diagnosed with porphyria subsequently added credence to the theory–first proposed by Professor Macalpine in the late 1960s–that porphyria was the source of the ill-health of both Mary, Queen of Scots (an ancestor of both of William's parents) and of George III and that the disorder had been inherited by some members of the Royal Families of Great Britain, Prussia
and several minor German dukedoms and principalities.
, near Wolverhampton
. He is buried in the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore. The comprehensive school in Oundle
, which he opened in 1971, was renamed Prince William School in his memory.
Prince William was the heir-apparent of his father's peerages, Duke of Gloucester
, Earl of Ulster
, and Baron Culloden
. Upon his death, his younger brother Prince Richard of Gloucester
became heir-apparent and succeeded to these peerages in 1974. Prince William was the first grandchild of George V and Queen Mary to die.
He shared a close relationship with the Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, his 7-years younger first cousin once removed. The Prince of Wales named his 1982-born first son, Prince William, future Duke of Cambridge, after him.
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
, a grandson of George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
.
Early life
Prince William was born at Hadley Common, HertfordshireHertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
. His father was Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
The Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester was a soldier and member of the British Royal Family, the third son of George V of the United Kingdom and Queen Mary....
(1900–1974), the third eldest son of King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
and Queen Mary
Mary of Teck
Mary of Teck was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, as the wife of King-Emperor George V....
. His mother was Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester
Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester
Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester was a member of the British Royal Family, the wife and then widow of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, the third son of George V and Queen Mary.The daughter of the 7th Duke of Buccleuch & Queensberry, Scotland’s largest landowner, her brothers Walter and...
(1901–2004), the third daughter of the 7th Duke of Buccleuch. As a grandson of the British Monarch in the male line, he was styled Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
British prince
This is a list of British princes from the accession of George I in 1714. The title of prince is at the will of the sovereign, who can both grant and revoke the title. Individuals holding the title of prince will usually also be styled His Royal Highness or formerly His Highness...
with the style His Royal Highness
Royal Highness
Royal Highness is a style ; plural Royal Highnesses...
.
He was baptised in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
on 22 February 1942 by Cosmo Gordon Lang
Cosmo Lang
William Cosmo Gordon Lang, 1st Baron Lang of Lambeth GCVO PC was an Anglican prelate who served as Archbishop of York and Archbishop of Canterbury . His rapid elevation to Archbishop of York, within 18 years of his ordination, is unprecedented in modern Church of England history...
, Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
. His godparents were: King George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
(his paternal uncle); Queen Mary
Mary of Teck
Mary of Teck was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, as the wife of King-Emperor George V....
(his paternal grandmother); Princess Helena Victoria
Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein
-Titles:*1870–1917: Her Highness Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein*1917–1948: Her Highness Princess Helena Victoria-Honours:British honours*VA: Lady of the Order of Victoria and Albert...
(his cousin); the Lady Margaret Hawkins (his maternal aunt); Major the Lord William Montagu Douglas Scott (his maternal uncle); and the Viscount Gort
John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort
Field Marshal John Standish Surtees Prendergast Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort, VC, GCB, CBE, DSO & Two Bars, MVO, MC , was a British and Anglo-Irish soldier. As a young officer in World War I he won the Victoria Cross at the Battle of the Canal du Nord. During the 1930s he served as Chief of the...
(who was unable to attend). Because of the war, newspapers did not identify the actual location of the christening, and said instead that it took place at "a private chapel in the country".
In 1947, Prince William was a page boy
Page boy
A page boy is a young male attendant at a wedding or cotillion. This type of wedding attendant is less common than it used to be, but is still a way of including young relatives or the children of relatives and friends in a wedding. A page is often seen at British royal weddings...
for his cousin
Cousin
In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
The Princess Elizabeth
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
at her wedding to Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
. The other page boy was Prince Michael of Kent
Prince Michael of Kent
Prince Michael of Kent is a grandson of King George V and Queen Mary, making him a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. He is also the first cousin once removed of Prince Phillip. Prince Michael occasionally carries out royal duties representing the Queen at some functions in Commonwealth realms outside...
.
Prince William spent his early childhood at Barnwell Manor in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
and later in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, where his father served as Governor-General
Governor-General of Australia
The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
from 1945 to 1947. He received his education at Wellesley House Preparatory School, Broadstairs, Kent, and at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
. After leaving Eton in 1960, he went to Magdalene College, Cambridge
Magdalene College, Cambridge
Magdalene College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary Magdalene...
, to read history, earning himself a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree. Subsequently, he was awarded an MA (Cantab.) degree in 1968.
In 1953, Prince William attended the coronation
Coronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...
of his cousin, Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
.
Career
After graduating from Cambridge in 1963, he spent a post-baccalaureate year at Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
studying political science, American history, and business. Upon returning to Britain, he took a position with Lazard
Lazard
Lazard Ltd is the parent company of Lazard Group LLC, a global, independent investment bank with approximately 2,300 employees in 42 cities across 27 countries throughout Europe, North America, Asia, Australia, Central and South America...
s, a merchant bank.
Prince William was the second member of the British Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
to work in the civil service
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
or the diplomatic service (the first was his late uncle, Prince George, Duke of Kent
Prince George, Duke of Kent
Prince George, Duke of Kent was a member of the British Royal Family, the fourth son of George V and Mary of Teck, and younger brother of Edward VIII and George VI...
, in the 1920s). He joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
in 1965 and was posted to Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
as the third secretary to the British High Commission. In 1968, he transferred to Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
to accept the post of second secretary (commercial) in the British Embassy. In 1970, the Duke of Gloucester's health began to fail and Prince William was diagnosed as suffering from porphyria
Porphyria
Porphyrias are a group of inherited or acquired disorders of certain enzymes in the heme bio-synthetic pathway . They are broadly classified as acute porphyrias and cutaneous porphyrias, based on the site of the overproduction and accumulation of the porphyrins...
. Prince William resigned from the diplomatic service and returned to Britain. For the next two years, he managed Barnwell Manor
Barnwell Manor
Barnwell Manor is the historic former home of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. It is located by the village of Barnwell, near Oundle, Northamptonshire in England.-The house and estate:...
and began to carry out public duties as a member of the royal family.
Prince William served on some occasions as Counsellor of State
Counsellor of State
In the United Kingdom, Counsellors of State are senior members of the British royal family to whom the Monarch, currently Elizabeth II, delegates certain state functions and powers when she is in another Commonwealth realm, abroad or unavailable for other reasons...
in the absence of his cousin, the Queen.
Personal life
Shortly before transferring to Tokyo in August 1968, William was examined by an RAF physician, Dr. Henry Bellringer, at the request of the Prince's mother, Princess Alice, Duchess of GloucesterPrincess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester
Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester was a member of the British Royal Family, the wife and then widow of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, the third son of George V and Queen Mary.The daughter of the 7th Duke of Buccleuch & Queensberry, Scotland’s largest landowner, her brothers Walter and...
. William told the doctor that he'd suffered from an illness of unknown aetiology, with fever and cutaneous hepatic symptoms, beginning in December 1965 and lasting several months. He'd subsequently noticed his skin was prone to a blistering rash, particularly on exposure to sunshine. Dr. Bellringer tentatively diagnosed porphyria
Variegate porphyria
Variegate porphyria is an autosomal dominant porphyria that can have acute symptoms along with symptoms that affect the skin...
and prescribed him sunblock cream and gave him a medical warning card regarding the need to avoid certain medications. Although he was aware of the theory of the royal family's history of porphyria then being proposed by Professor Ida Macalpine and Dr Richard Hunter he stated he "tried not to let it influence him...with all the symptoms, I was left with little option but to diagnose the Prince's condition as porphyria." William was later examined by haematologists at Addenbrookes hospital in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
and also by a Professor Ishihara in Tokyo, both of whom also concluded he was suffering from variegate porphyria, by then in remission.
A member of the British Royal Family being reliably diagnosed with porphyria subsequently added credence to the theory–first proposed by Professor Macalpine in the late 1960s–that porphyria was the source of the ill-health of both Mary, Queen of Scots (an ancestor of both of William's parents) and of George III and that the disorder had been inherited by some members of the Royal Families of Great Britain, Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
and several minor German dukedoms and principalities.
Later life
A licensed pilot, he owned several aircraft and competed in several air shows. He died in 1972 when the plane he was piloting crashed at Halfpenny GreenWolverhampton Airport
Wolverhampton Halfpenny Green Airport , formerly Halfpenny Green Airport and Wolverhampton Business Airport, locally Bobbington Airport, is a small, airport situated near the village of Bobbington, South Staffordshire...
, near Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
. He is buried in the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore. The comprehensive school in Oundle
Oundle
Oundle is an ancient market town on the River Nene in Northamptonshire, England, with a population of 5,345 or 5,674 . It lies some north of London and south-west of Peterborough...
, which he opened in 1971, was renamed Prince William School in his memory.
Prince William was the heir-apparent of his father's peerages, Duke of Gloucester
Duke of Gloucester
Duke of Gloucester is a British royal title , often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England, the next in the Peerage of Great Britain, and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; this current creation carries with it the...
, Earl of Ulster
Earl of Ulster
The title of Earl of Ulster has been created several times in the Peerage of Ireland and Peerage of the United Kingdom. Currently, the title is a subsidiary title of the Duke of Gloucester, and is used as a courtesy title by the Duke's son, Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster...
, and Baron Culloden
Baron Culloden
The title of Baron Culloden has been created twice, both times for members of the British Royal Family. Its use continued the tradition of awarding members of the Royal Family titles from each of the three Kingdoms that made up the United Kingdom: England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.The first...
. Upon his death, his younger brother Prince Richard of Gloucester
Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester
Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester is a member of the British Royal Family. Prince Richard is the youngest grandchild of King George V and Queen Mary. He has been Duke of Gloucester since his father's death in 1974. He is currently 20th in the line of succession...
became heir-apparent and succeeded to these peerages in 1974. Prince William was the first grandchild of George V and Queen Mary to die.
He shared a close relationship with the Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, his 7-years younger first cousin once removed. The Prince of Wales named his 1982-born first son, Prince William, future Duke of Cambridge, after him.
Titles, styles, honours and arms
Titles and styles
- 18 December 1941 – 28 August 1972: His Royal Highness Prince William of Gloucester