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Prince William, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh (William Henry; 25 November 1743 – 25 August 1805), was a grandson of King George II and a younger brother of King George III of the United Kingdom. ==Early life== Prince William Henry was born at Leicester House, London. His parents were Frederick, Prince of Wales, eldest son of George II and Caroline of Ansbach, and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, then Princess of Wales. He was christened at Leicester House eleven days later. His godparents were his paternal uncle by marriage, The Prince of Orange (for whom someone stood proxy); his paternal uncle, The Duke of Cumberland; and his paternal aunt, The Princess Amelia.〔(Yvonne's Royalty Home Page: Royal Christenings )〕 As a grandchild of the sovereign, he was styled ''His Royal Highness'' Prince William at birth. He was fourth in the line of succession at birth. Prince William later joined the British Army. His father died in 1751, leaving the Prince's elder brother, Prince George, heir-apparent to the throne. He succeeded as George III on 25 October 1760, and created William Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh and Earl of Connaught on 19 November 1764.〔(Yvonne's Royalty: Peerage )〕 He had been made a Knight of the Garter on 27 May 1762, and invested on 22 September of that year. ==Marriage== The Duke was Warden of Windsor Forest and resided at Cranbourne Lodge. He was most known for his secret marriage in 1766 to Maria Walpole, the Dowager Countess of Waldegrave, an illegitimate granddaughter of Sir Robert Walpole, from nearby Frogmore House. This marriage only became known to the King after the passing of the Royal Marriages Act 1772. They lived at St Leonard's Hill in Clewer, near Windsor, and had three children: *Princess Sophia of Gloucester (''Sophia Matilda''; 29 May 1773 – 29 November 1844) *Princess Caroline of Gloucester (''Caroline Augusta Maria''; 24 June 1774 – 14 March 1775) *Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh (15 January 1776 – 30 November 1834) Princess Caroline died aged nine months following a smallpox inoculation, intended to protect her from the disease.〔(Berkshire History: Biographies: Maria Walpole, Duchess of Gloucester (1737-1807) )〕 She had been christened privately on 22 July 1774 - her godparents were The Duchess of Gloucester (her mother), The Hereditary Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg (her paternal aunt) and The Hereditary Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (her uncle by marriage).〔 As great-grandchildren in the male line of George II, Prince William's children were styled ''Highness'' from birth and used the territorial designation of Gloucester in conjunction with their princely styles. After the younger William married his cousin Princess Mary, he and his surviving sister Sophia received the style of Royal Highness. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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