| Prince Augustus Frederick |
| Duke of Sussex |
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| Portrait by Louis Gauffier, 1793 |
| Spouse |
Cecilia Underwood, Duchess of Inverness (1831 – 1843)
Lady Augusta Murray (1793 – 1794) |
| Issue |
Augustus d'Este
Augusta d'Este |
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Titles and styles |
HRH The Duke of Sussex
HRH The Prince Augustus Frederick |
| Royal house |
House of Hanover |
| Father |
George III |
| Mother |
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz |
| Born |
27 January 1773
Buckingham Palace, London, England, UK |
| Died |
21 April 1843 (aged 70)
Kensington Palace, London, England, UK |
| Burial |
Kensal Green Cemetery, London, England, UK |
Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex (27 January 1773 – 21 April 1843), was the sixth son of George III of the United Kingdom and his consort, Queen Charlotte. He was the only surviving son of George III who did not pursue an army or naval career.
Biography
Early life
His Royal Highness The Prince Augustus Frederick was born at Buckingham Palace. He was tutored at home before being sent to the University of Göttingen in Germany in summer 1786, along with his brothers Prince Ernest and Prince Adolphus. Prince Augustus, who suffered from asthma, did not join his brothers in receiving military training in Hanover. He briefly considered becoming a cleric in the Church of England.
First marriage
While travelling in Italy, he met Lady Augusta Murray (1768-1830), the second daughter of 4th Earl of Dunmore. The couple married in Rome on 4 April 1793, and again at St. George's, Hanover Square, London on 5 December 1793, without the knowledge or the consent of the King. The later minister of Hanover affairs Ernst zu Münster was sent to Italy, to escort him back to London.
In August 1794, the Prerogative Court annulled the marriage on the grounds that it contravened the Royal Marriages Act of 1772 because it had not been approved by the King. Prince Augustus continued to live with Lady Augusta until 1801, when he received a parliamentary grant of £12,000. Lady Augusta retained custody of the children and received a maintenance of £4,000 a year.
Peerage
The King created him Duke of Sussex, Earl of Inverness, and Baron Arklow in the peerage of the United Kingdom and a Knight of the Garter on 27 November 1801. Since he died without legitimate issue, the title became extinct.
Second marriage
The Duke of Sussex married a second time on 2 May 1831 (again in contravention of the Royal Marriages Act) to Lady Cecilia Letitia Buggin (1793-1873), the eldest daughter of Arthur Gore, 2nd Earl of Arran and Elizabeth Underwood; and the widow of Sir George Buggin. It should be noted that even allowing for the irregularity of these marriages, this second marriage would not have been bigamous since Lady Augusta Murray had died the year before. On the same day, Lady Cecilia assumed by Royal Licence the surname Underwood. She was never titled or recognized as the Duchess of Sussex. However, she was created Duchess of Inverness in her own right in 1840.
Later life
William IV appointed his younger brother Chief Ranger and Keeper of St. James's and Hyde Parks on 29 January 1831. The Duke of Sussex was elected president of the Society of Arts in 1816 and held that post for the rest of his life. He also held the honorary posts of Captain-General and Colonel of the Hon. Artillery Company from 1817 onward. He was president of the Royal Society between 1830 and 1838.
The Duke of Sussex was the favourite uncle of Queen Victoria. He gave her away at her wedding to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. The Duke of Sussex died at Kensington Palace was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery. The Duchess of Inverness continued to reside at Kensington Palace until her death in 1873. She was buried next to her second husband.
Titles, styles, honours and arms
Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex wearing the robes of a Knight Companion of the Order of the Thistle
| British Royalty |
| House of Hanover |
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| George III |
| George IV |
| Frederick, Duke of York |
| William IV |
| Charlotte, Queen of Württemberg |
| Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent |
| Princess Augusta Sophia |
| Elizabeth, Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg |
| Ernest Augustus I of Hanover |
| Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex |
| Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge |
| Mary, Duchess of Gloucester |
| Princess Sophia |
| Prince Octavius |
| Prince Alfred |
| Princess Amelia |
| Grandchildren |
| Charlotte, Princess Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld |
| Princess Charlotte of Clarence |
| Princess Elizabeth of Clarence |
| Victoria |
| George V, King of Hanover |
| George, Duke of Cambridge |
| Augusta, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz |
| Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck |
Titles and styles
Honours
Arms
As a son of the sovereign, the Duke of Sussex had use of the arms of the kingdom, differenced by a label argent of three points, the centre point bearing a two hearts gules, the outer points each bearing a cross gules.[1]
Issue
Notes
- ^ Marks of Cadency in the British Royal Family
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Ancestry of Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex |
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16. George I of Great Britain |
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8. George II of Great Britain |
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17. Sophia Dorothea of Celle |
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4. Frederick, Prince of Wales |
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18. John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach |
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9. Caroline of Ansbach |
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19. Eleanor Erdmuthe Louise of Saxe-Eisenach |
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2. George III of the United Kingdom |
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20. Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg |
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10. Frederick II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg |
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21. Magdalena Sibylle of Saxe-Weissenfels |
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5. Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha |
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22. Charles, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst |
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11. Magdalena Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst |
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23. Sophia of Saxe-Weissenfels |
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1. Prince Augustus Frederick,
Duke of Sussex |
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24. Adolf Frederick I, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz |
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12. Adolf Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz |
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25. Maria Katharina of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel |
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6. Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Prince of Mirow |
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26. Christian William I of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen |
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13. Christiane Emilie of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen |
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27. Antoine Sybille of Barby-Muhlingen |
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3. Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz |
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28. Ernest III, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen |
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14. Ernest Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen |
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29. Sofie of Waldeck |
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7. Princess Elizabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen |
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30. George Louis I of Erbach-Erbach |
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15. Sophia Albertine of Erbach-Erbach |
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31. Amelie Katherine of Waldeck-Eisenberg |
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British princes |
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| 1st Generation |
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| 2nd Generation |
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| 3rd Generation |
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| 4th Generation |
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| 5th Generation |
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| 6th Generation |
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| 7th Generation |
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| 8th Generation |
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| 9th Generation |
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| 10th Generation |
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| 11th Generation |
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| *not a British prince by birth, but a royal prince consort |
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