| Prince Henry | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn | |||||
 Portrait byThomas Gainsborough, 1777 | |||||
| Born | (1745-10-27)27 October 1745 Leicester House,London | ||||
| Died | 18 September 1790(1790-09-18) (aged 44) Cumberland House,London | ||||
| Burial | 28 September 1790 | ||||
| Spouse | |||||
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| House | Hanover | ||||
| Father | Frederick, Prince of Wales | ||||
| Mother | Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha | ||||
| Signature |  | ||||
| Military career | |||||
| Allegiance |  Great Britain | ||||
| Branch |  Royal Navy | ||||
| Years of service | 1768–1790 | ||||
| Rank | Admiral of the White | ||||
Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn (Henry Frederick;[1] 7 November [O.S. 27 October] 1745 – 18 September 1790) was the sixth child and fourth son ofFrederick, Prince of Wales, andPrincess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, and a younger brother ofGeorge III. His 1771 marriage to a commoner against the King's wishes prompted theRoyal Marriages Act 1772.
Prince Henry was born on 27 October 1745 atLeicester House,London, toFrederick, Prince of Wales, son ofGeorge II andCaroline of Ansbach, and his wifeAugusta, the Princess of Wales.[2]
On 22 October 1766, just prior to his twenty-first birthday, the prince was createdDuke of Cumberland and Strathearn and Earl of Dublin.[3] He was Ranger of Windsor Forest and Great Park, from 1766 to 1790. He became a Privy Councillor in 1766 and was appointedKnight of the Garter the following year (1767).
On 4 March 1767, the Duke of Cumberland allegedly married Olive Wilmot (later Mrs Payne), a commoner, in a secret ceremony. There reportedly was one child,Olivia Wilmot (1772–1834), from this relationship, though the duke's paternity was never proven, and a jury found unanimously that Olivia Wilmot had forged the evidence. A landscape painter and novelist, Olivia Wilmot married John Thomas Serres (1759–1825) and later, controversially, assumed the title of "Princess Olivia of Cumberland".
Cumberland's mistresses includedAnn Elliot who had been an actress before another had taken her off the stage. Cumberland set her up in a house in Greek Street inSoho where she died after an illness in 1769. Cumberland arranged for her burial and memorial and gave a large sum to her estate.[4]
In 1769, the Duke of Cumberland was sued byLord Grosvenor for "criminal conversation" (that is,adultery) after the Duke andLady Grosvenor were discoveredin flagrante delicto.[5] Lord Grosvenor was awardeddamages of £10,000, which together withcosts amounted to an award of £13,000 (equivalent to £2,280,000 in 2023).[6]
In 1768, at the fairly late age of 22, the Duke entered theRoyal Navy as amidshipman and was sent toCorsica inHMSVenus. However, he returned in September when the ship was recalled following the French invasion of theCorsican Republic. He was promoted toRear-Admiral the following year andVice-Admiral in 1770.[7]
On 2 October 1771, the Duke marriedAnne Horton (1743–1808), daughter of Irish peer and British MPSimon Luttrell, 1st Earl of Carhampton (then Lord Irnham) and the widow of Christopher Horton ofCatton Hall. The marriage caused a rift with the King, who considered it a mismatch, and was the catalyst for theRoyal Marriages Act 1772, which forbade any descendant ofGeorge II to marry without the monarch's permission.
The marriage between Anne Horton and the Duke of Cumberland was described as a "conquest at Brighthelmstone" (nowBrighton) by Mrs. Horton, "who",Horace Walpole says, "had for many months been dallying with his passion, till she had fixed him to more serious views than he had intended".[8] Anne was however generally thought one of the great beauties of the age (even Walpole found her green eyes "enchanting"), andThomas Gainsborough painted her several times.
In 1775, the Duke established theCumberland Fleet, which would later become theRoyal Thames Yacht Club. He was promotedvice-admiral of the White in 1776,[9]admiral of the Blue in 1778,[10] andadmiral of the White in 1782,[11] though he was forbidden from assuming any command. The Duke was also instrumental in the development ofBrighton as a popular resort. He had first visited in 1771, and in 1783, thePrince of Wales visited his uncle there.[7]
The Duke of Cumberland died inLondon on 18 September 1790. His widow died in 1808.
The prince's full style, as recited by Garter King of Arms at his funeral, was the "Most High, Most Mighty and Illustrious Prince Henry Frederick, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn, Earl of Dublin, Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter".[12]
Henry was granted use of the arms of the kingdom, differenced by alabel argent of five points, the centre bearing a cross gules, the other points each bearing a fleur-de-lys azure.[13]
| Ancestors of Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn[14] |
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Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn Cadet branch of theHouse of Welf Born: 7 November 1745 Died: 18 September 1790 | ||
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| Preceded by | Grand Master of thePremier Grand Lodge of England 1782–1790 | Succeeded by The Earl of Moira (as Acting Grand Master) |
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