Case 8
- Edward, Duke of Kent, Princess Elizabeth & Alfred
Partial letter signed. Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn (1767–1820), Kensington Palace, 20 May 1807.
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, was the fourth son of George III and the father of Queen Victoria. He entered military service as a Cadet in the Hanoverian Guards in 1785 and was appointed the rank of Field Marshall in 1805. Edward’s military career saw him serve in Gibraltar in 1790 (where his harsh methods reportedly caused a mutiny) and in Canada four years later. He was made Governor-General of Gibraltar in 1802, where, again, his repression and enforcement of subordination caused some of the garrison to mutiny, which ended in bloodshed. Edward was recalled to England the following year, but retained the governorship for the rest of his life.
This letter, which bears the signature of Edward, appears to be in support of an unidentified individual. The text reads:
[I] hope that my wishes in his behalf may have some little weight with the Gentlemen in whom the choice will depend, I beg to express to them that I am very warmly interested in his success.
Partial letter signed. Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn (1767–1820), Kensington Palace, 20 May 1807.
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Letter signed. Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh (1844–1900), to ‘Sir Henry’, National Training School for Music, Kensington Gore, London, 16 May 1879.
Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, was the second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. On the death of his uncle Ernest II in 1893, Alfred inherited the title of Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Resident in Coburg, Bavaria, he maintained Clarence House in London, now the official residence of Charles, Prince of Wales, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Prince Harry.
Alfred was very fond of music and a keen patron of musical education. The National Training School of Music, from where Albert wrote this letter, was the forerunner to the Royal College of Music, which Albert played a prominent part in establishing in 1882. The recipient of the letter, ‘Sir Henry’, is presumably Sir Henry Frederick Ponsonby (1825–1895), Queen Victoria’s Private Secretary, whom Albert invited to Clarence House to discuss some ‘draft charters’ he had received.
Letter signed. Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh (1844–1900), to ‘Sir Henry’, National Training School for Music, Kensington Gore, London, 16 May 1879.
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Carte de viste of Prince Alfred, undated.
Carte de viste of Prince Alfred, undated.
Letter signed. Empress Victoria, Consort of Frederick III (1840–1901), to Lucy Anderson (1797–1878), Berlin, 23 December 1876.
Victoria, Princess Royal was the eldest of the nine children of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. On 25 January 1858, Victoria married Prince Frederick William of Prussia, who succeeded his father as Emperor Frederick III. Victoria adopted the title and style of Her Imperial and Royal Majesty, the German Empress, Queen of Prussia.
The recipient of the 1876 letter, Lucy Anderson (nèe Philpot) was pianist to Queen Victoria, subsequently taught music to all of Victoria’s children, and was the first woman pianist to perform at a Philharmonic Society concert, in 1822. The letter expresses condolences to Mrs. Anderson on the death of her husband, the violinist George Frederick Anderson. ‘I have only just heard of your bereavement and hasten to express to you how deeply I feel for you in your great sorrow! Never shall I forget your kind good Husband – who is associated with my earliest & happiest recollections’. The letter is signed affectionately ‘Vicky & Fritz’.
Letter signed. Empress Victoria, Consort of Frederick III (1840–1901), to Lucy Anderson (1797–1878), Berlin, 23 December 1876.
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