| Prince Georg | |||||
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.jpg) Prince Georg in 1975 | |||||
| Born | (1920-04-16)16 April 1920 Bernstorff Palace,Gentofte, Denmark | ||||
| Died | 29 September 1986(1986-09-29) (aged 66) Copenhagen, Denmark | ||||
| Spouse | |||||
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| House | Glücksburg | ||||
| Father | Prince Axel of Denmark | ||||
| Mother | Princess Margaretha of Sweden | ||||
Prince Georg of DenmarkRE (Georg Valdemar Carl Axel; 16 April 1920 – 29 September 1986) was a Danish diplomat and member of theDanish royal family as a great-grandson ofChristian IX. He was a first cousin ofHarald V of Norway,Baudouin of Belgium, andAlbert II of Belgium, as well as a second cousin ofGeorge VI of the United Kingdom.
Georg was born atBernstorff Palace, the summer residence of his paternal grandfather,Prince Valdemar, on 16 April 1920.[1] He was the eldest son ofPrince Axel of Denmark andPrincess Margaretha of Sweden.[2] He received a military education atJægersborg Barracks and served inWorld War II. He became aLieutenant-Colonel and aColonel in theRoyal Danish Army, Defense Attache andMilitary Attaché in the DanishUnited States of AmericaEmbassy inWashington,District of Columbia.[3]
On 16 September 1950, atGlamis Castle, Georg marriedAnne Ferelith Fenella, Viscountess Anson (née Bowes-Lyon), the daughter of the Hon.John Bowes-Lyon, brother ofQueen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom, and ex-wife of Thomas, Viscount Anson.[1] Anne was a first cousin ofElizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Georg himself was a second cousin ofGeorge VI of the United Kingdom andPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
At the time of his marriage, Danish princes normally lost their titles and places in theline of succession if they contracted amorganatic marriage. This was the case when Georg's younger brother,Prince Flemming, married Ruth Nielsen in 1949, thus losing his princely title and being createdCount of Rosenborg. Georg attached greater significance to his title than his brother and imploredFrederik IX, his second cousin, to allow him to retain his princely title and rank. George VI of the United Kingdom intervened on behalf of his niece and allegedly told Frederik IX "if a Bowes-Lyon was good enough for me, a Bowes-Lyon is surely good enough for one of your princes."[4] The king relented and granted his permission for the marriage, thus Georg retained his rank and his wife was recognized as a princess of Denmark.
As Viscountess Anson was divorced, the marriage was opposed by theChurch of England and theScottish Episcopal Church. Queen Elizabeth announced her intention to attend her niece's wedding, butGeoffrey Fisher,Archbishop of Canterbury, intervened, ordered the withdrawal of the Scottish Episcopal clergyman and “advised” the Queen not to attend. The Queen andPrincess Margaret attended only the wedding breakfast and waited in an adjoining drawing room while the ceremony took place.[5] The service was conducted by the Rev. Mogens Buch, pastor of theDanish Seaman's Mission Church inNewcastle-upon-Tyne. The Rev. Canon H. G. G. Rorison, chaplain to the Earl of Strathmore, read the lesson as he was forbidden by the Anglican church hierarchy from conducting the service.[6]
As a result of theAct of Succession of 1953, which restricts the throne to those descended fromChristian X and his wife,Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, through approved marriages, he lost his place in the line of succession like his brotherFlemming had in 1948. At this time, his Danish title changed fromPrins til Danmark (Prince to Denmark) toPrins af Danmark (Prince of Denmark).[4]
He served as defenseattaché toLondon and military, naval and air attaché atParis. In 1975, he was named Honorary Colonel of the 5th Battalion of theQueen's Regiment in theBritish Army. He was an Honorary Knight Commander of theRoyal Victorian Order and a Knight of theOrder of the Elephant.
Anne died in 1980. In 1981, Georg attended thewedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer. He died in Copenhagen on 29 September 1986 at the age of 66. He and his wife are both buried in the grounds ofBernstorff Palace. His will was sealed in London after his death. His estate was valued at £785,000 (or £1.8m in 2022 when adjusted for inflation).[7]
| Ancestors of Prince Georg of Denmark |
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In this image, His Highness is wearing the collar of theOrder of the Elephant, and the Badge & Star of theRoyal Victorian Order.| Military offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Honorary Colonel of the 5th Battalion,Queen's Regiment 1975–1986 | Succeeded by |
The generations are numbered from the implementation of hereditary monarchy byFrederick III in 1660. | ||
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1 Also prince of Norway 2 Also prince of Greece 3 Also prince of Iceland 4 Also prince of the United Kingdom 5 Not Danish prince by birth, but created prince of Denmark Princes that lost their title are shown in italics | ||