William Henry, Duke of Gloucester

(b. Nov. 25, 1743, Essex House, The Strand, London – d. Aug. 25, 1805, Gloucester House, Westminster, London )

Gender: M

Prince William Henry (1743-1805) was the younger brother of King George III. His parents were Frederick, Prince of Wales, eldest son of King George II, and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha. On 19 November 1764, he was created Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh, and Earl of Connaught. On 6 September 1766 he secretly married Maria Walpole, Dowager Countess of Waldegrave, an illegitimate granddaughter of Sir Robert Walpole. The ceremony was performed by Dr Thomas Greene, Dean of Salisbury, at her home in Pall Mall. The marriage was kept secret from the King, but had to be disclosed in 1772 after passage of the Royal Marriages Act, which required all descendants of George II to seek the King’s approval before marrying, in an attempt to prevent them from marrying commoners. They had three children.

Also known as:

Duke of Gloucester
William Henry

Mentioned in 1 letters

Title	EMCO ID
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Mary Robinson	2125

Please note that all dates and location information are provisional, initially taken from the library and archive catalogues. As our section editors continue to work through the material we will update our database and the changes will be reflected across the edition.

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