13 Facts You May Not Know About Queen Victoria's Dad!
Queen Victoria was one of the most famous rulers to ever live...but what about her "Dear Papa"? (Ps.... number 10 will shock you!)
Hi everyone! I know it has been a while…I have been working on a few new things, and I am so excited to get back to it! Each week, I will be sharing a post as usual, and then on the weekends I will share a “roundup” where I will feature any new historical information, discoveries, books, shows/movies, etc. With this platform, my focus is to bring to life people who we may see on the fringes of history but don’t know much about, as well as give a fresh perspective and ask new questions about people/events that we are more familiar with. I want to give a LOT more depth to history as we know it! I also would love to hear what you all would like to see and learn about, so please do share with me!
For today, I am so excited to share about a man who many people know of, but not much about. Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent and Strathern is best known for being the father of Queen Victoria, but, he wasn’t her father until the end of his very full life. For most of his life, Prince Edward was a military man, a man who knew a great love, lived around the globe, and someone who made a HUGE impact on one of the largest countries in the world! So… here we go.. 13 Facts You May Not Know About Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent and Strathern.
He Actually Held Two Dukedoms and an Earldom: Prince Edward was not just the Duke of Kent, but was actually created the Duke of Kent and Strathern as well as the Earl of Dublin, by his father George III in 1799.
He was the First Member of the Royal Family to Live in North America: After being stationed in Gibraltar, Prince Edward came to loathe the Mediterranean heat and requested to be sent to Canada where he lived from 1791-1800. He, and his mistress Madame de Saint-Laurent were both very active members of Canadian society.
He had a Great Impact on Canada and its Development: So much so that he was called “The Father of the Canadian Crown.”
He is credited with being the first to coin the term “Canadian.”
There is an Island Named After Him: Prince Edward Island in Canada is named after none other than this Prince Edward!
He was Commander and Chief of British Forces in North America: He was created Commander and Chief just a few shorts weeks after he became the Duke of Kent and Strathern and Earl of Dublin.
He was the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland: This essentially means he was the Governor of Ireland which happened after his time in North America.
He was Governor of Gibraltar: He was made Governor of Gibraltar in 1802 and he retained that title until his death. While he was able to hold the title, he went into Gibraltar with some pretty harsh and militaristic ideas and there was a mutiny among the rather wild and drunk men, and so he was called back by his brother, the Duke of York.
He had Multiple Mistresses: Edward, like most all of his brothers was a womanizer and had several mistresses. Adelaide Dubus and Anne Moré were his mistresses for a somewhat shorter time, but he then met Julie de Saint- Laurent and she was his mistress for 28 years, until he married.
He Had More Children than Just Queen Victoria: While it is very commonly said that Queen Victoria was his only child, what that really means is that she was his only legitimate child… Prince Edward was the father of Adelaide Dubus from his mistress, who bore the same name, and father of Edward Schenker-Scheener from his mistress Anne Moré. Many people have claimed to also be a descendant of his through his mistress Julie St. Laurent, but after in depth study of letters and records, it has been confirmed that they did not have a child together.
He Was Already Ready to Settle Down: Evidently, Prince Edward was already considering marriage before the “race for an heir.” Even though his parents had 15 children, they only had ONE legitimate granddaughter, Princess Charlotte of Wales who was second in line to the throne. She sadly died in childbirth, and so the story goes that the unmarried royal princes rushed down the aisle to produce heirs for the crown. And while this is fairly accurate, Prince Edward was already considering marriage before the death of Princess Charlotte. He married Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and as we know, they produced a Princess named Alexandrina, who would go on to become one of the greatest monarchs in the world.
He Had Debt: For as accomplished a man as he was, Prince Edward had a lot of debts..So much so that even thought he was long dead, his daughter Queen Victoria had to pay them back over several years from her income.
He Was Well Liked: Even though he could be rather militaristic, there are many accounts of the Duke being a very well liked man, and he was even very popular among his servants. He was thought to be a great speaker by the Duke of Wellington and Lord Melbourne was also fond of him.
Because his daughter went on to become such a great monarch, and because his father had so many major events during his reign (The loss of the American Colonies for one!), history often overlooks Prince Edward. And frankly, this happens all too much. When we only see the highlights of what we deem today to have been the major characters back when, we miss out on all of the depth and the past becomes flat. Imagine in one hundred years if nobody talks about Prince Harry when they look back on the British monarchy. Would that really provide an accurate picture of things as they are today since Prince Harry has been a major focus and player in the ups and downs of the Royal family for the last 40 years? It is much the same with someone like Prince Edward…Long before he was the father of Queen Victoria, he was a major member of the royal family and of history who left a lasting impact, in his own right, not just on people, but on entire countries!
I hope you will join me while I continue my quest to both review the major parts of history, and also the parts that are often overlooked so that we can do our best to create as accurate a narrative as possible about what people were up to in days gone by!
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Thanks for reading!
Until Next Time,
McKenzie
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