Prince Arthur of Connaught
Prince Arthur of Connaught, (Arthur Frederick Patrick Albert) (13 January 1883 - 12 September 1938) was a member of the British Royal Family, a grandson of Queen Victoria. Prince Arthur held the title of a British prince with the style His Royal Highness. He also served as Governor-General of the Union of South Africa from 20 November 1920 to 3 December 1923.
Early Life
Prince Arthur was born on January 13, 1883 at Windsor Castle. His father was Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, the third eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. His mother was Princess Luise Margarete of Prussia. The Prince was baptised in the Private Chapel of Windsor Castle on 16 February 1883 and his godparents were: Queen Victoria, the German Empress, Princess Henry of the Netherlands, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Friedrich Leopold of Prussia.
Prince Arthur was the first royal prince to be educated at Eton College.
Army
After attending finishing school, Prince Arthur was educated at the Royal Military College Sandhurst and commissioned into the 7th (Queen's Own) Hussars. During the Second Boer War, he saw active duty with the 7th Hussars and spent several months stationed at Krugersdorp. In 1907, he was promoted to the rank of captain in the 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys). He became the honorary Colonel-in-Chief of this regiment in 1920.
During World War I, Prince Arthur served as aide-de-camp to Generals Sir John French and Sir Douglas Haig, the successive commanders of the British Expeditionary Force in France and Belgium. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1919 and became a colonel in the reserves in 1922. In October 1922, Prince Arthur was promoted to the honorary rank of major general and became an aide-de-camp to his first cousin, King George V.
Since George V's children were too young to undertake public duties until after World War I, Prince Arthur attended a variety of ceremonial duties at home and abroad.
Marriage
On 12 October 1913, Prince Arthur married Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife (7 May 1891 - 26 February 1959) at the Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace, London. Princess Alexandra was the eldest daughter of Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife and Princess Louise, the Princess Royal, the eldest daughter of King Edward VII. As such, the couple were first cousins once removed. Princess Alexandra held the title of Duchess of Fife in her own right.
After their marriage, Arthur and Alexandra were styled, Their Royal Highnesses Prince and Princess Arthur of Connaught.
Together they had one child:
- Prince Alastair of Connaught, later styled Earl McDuff and 2nd Duke of Connaught, (9 August 1914 - 26 April 1942).
Later life
In 1920, Prince Arthur succeeded Viscount Buxton as governor-general and commander-in-chief in South Africa. The Earl of Athlone succeeded him in these posts in 1923. Upon returning to Britain, Prince Arthur became involved in a number of charitable organizations, including serving as chairman of the board of directors of Middlesex Hospital. Like his father, the Duke of Connaught, he was active in the Freemasons, becoming Provincial Grand Master for Berkshire in 1924.
Prince Arthur of Connaught died of stomach cancer at age 55. One of his last public appearances was at the coronation of King George VI in May 1937. His father, the Duke of Connaught, survived him by four years. Prince Arthur's only son, who used the courtesy title Earl of MacDuff after 1917, succeeded his paternal grandfather as 2nd Duke of Connaught and Strathearn and Earl of Sussex in 1942.
Titles and Honours
Shorthand titles
- His Royal Highness Prince Arthur of Connaught (13 January 1883–24 May 1899)
- His Royal Highness Prince Arthur of Connaught, GCVO (24 May 1899–8 May 1901)
- 2nd Lieutenant His Royal Highness Prince Arthur of Connaught, GCVO (8 May 1901–15 July 1902)
- 2nd Lieutenant His Royal Highness Prince Arthur of Connaught, KG, GCVO (15 July 1902–14 January 1903)
- Lieutenant His Royal Highness Prince Arthur of Conaught, KG, GCVO (14 January 1903–27 April 1907)
- Captain His Royal Highness Prince Arthur of Connaught, KG, GCVO (27 April 1907–14 October 1913)
- Captain His Royal Highness Prince Arthur of Connaught, KG, KT, GCVO (14 October 1913–18 February 1915)
- Captain His Royal Highness Prince Arthur of Connaught, KG, KT, GCVO, CB (18 February–19 August 1915)
- Major His Royal Highness Prince Arthur of Connaught, KG, KT, GCVO, CB (19 August 1915–3 September 1918)
- Major His Royal Highness Prince Arthur of Connaught, KG, KT, GCMG, GCVO, CB (3 September 1918–12 September 1938)
Honours
- Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
- Royal Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter
- Royal Victorian Chain
- Privy Counsellor
- Extra Knight of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle
- Companion in the Most Honourable Order of the Bath
- Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George
- Bailiff Grand Cross of the Most Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem
Military record
Service
- 2nd Lieutenant, 7th (Queen's Own) Hussars, 8 May 1901
- Lieutenant, 7th (Queen's Own) Hussars, 14 January 1903
- Captain, 2nd Dragoons (The Royal Scots Greys), 27 April 1907
- brevet Major, 2nd Dragoons (The Royal Scots Greys), 14 October 1913
- Major, 2nd Dragoons (The Royal Scots Greys), 19 August 1915
- brevet Lieutenant-Colonel, 2nd Dragoons (The Royal Scots Greys), 3 June 1919
- Retired from active service, 1 March 1922
Honourary military appointments
- Colonel-in-chief, The Royal Scots Greys (2nd Dragoons)
- Colonel-in-chief, Royal Army Pay Corps
| Preceded by: The Viscount Buxton |
Governor-General of South Africa 1920–1923 |
Succeeded by: The Earl of Athlone |
 |
Governors-General of the Union of South Africa |  |
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|---|---|---|---|
| The Viscount Gladstone | The Viscount Buxton | HRH Prince Arthur of Connaught | The Earl of Athlone | The Earl of Clarendon | Sir Patrick Duncan | Nicolaas Jacobus de Wet | Gideon Brand van Zyl | Ernest George Jansen | Lucas Cornelius Steyn | Charles Robberts Swart | |||
