ALFRED ERNEST ALBERT, duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and duke
of Edinburgh (1844-1900), second son and fourth child of Queen
Victoria, was born at Windsor Castle on the 6th of August
1844. In 1856 it was decided that the prince, in accordance
with his own wishes, should enter the navy, and a separate
establishment was accordingly assigned to him, with Lieutenant
Sowell, R. E., as governor. He passed a most creditable
examination for midshipman in August 1858, and being appointed
to the "Euryalus," at once began to work hard at the
practical part of his profession. In July 1860, while on this
ship, he paid an official visit to the Cape, and made a very
favourable impression both on the colonials and on the native
chiefs. On the abdication of Otto, king of Greece, in 1862,
Prince Alfred was chosen by the whole people to succeed
him, but political conventions of long standing rendered
it impossible for the British government to accede to their
wishes. The prince therefore remained in the navy, and was
promoted lieutenant on the 24th of February 1863 and captain
on the 23rd of February 1866, being then appointed to the
command of the "Galatea." On attaining his majority in 1865
the prince was created duke of Edinburgh and earl of Ulster,
with an annuity of L. 15,000 granted by parliament. While
still in command of the "Galatea" the duke started from
Plymouth on the 24th of January 1867 for his voyage round the
world. On the 11th of June 1867 he left Gibraltar and reached
the Cape on the 24th of July, and landed at Glenelg, South
Australia, on the 31st of October. Being the first English
prince to visit Australia, the duke was received with the greatest
enthusiasm. During his stay of nearly five months he visited
Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Tasmania; and
it was on his second visit to Sydney that, while attending
a public picnic at Clonfert in aid of the Sailors' Home,
an Irishman named O'Farrell shot him in the back with a
revolver. The wound was fortunately not dangerous, and
within a month the duke was able to resume command of his
ship and return home. He reached Spithead on the 26th of
June 1868, after an absence of seventeen months. The duke's
next voyage was to India, where he arrived in December
1869. Both there and at Hong Kong, which he visited on the
way, he was the first British prince to set foot in the
country. The native rulers of
India vied with one another
in the magnificence of their entertainments during the duke's
stay of three months. On the 23rd of January 1874 the marriage
of the duke to the grand-duchess Marie Alexandrovna, only
daughter of Alexander II., emperor of Russia, was celebrated
at St Petersburg, and the bride and bridegroom made their
public entry into London on the 12th of March. The duke
still devoted himself to his profession, showing complete
mastery of his duties and unusual skill in naval tactics.
He was promoted rear-admiral on the 30th of December 1878;
vice-admiral, 10th of November 1882; admiral, 18th of October
1887; and received his baton as admiral of the Fleet, 3rd of
June 1893. He commanded the Channel fleet, 1883-1884; the
Mediterranean fleet, 1886-1889; and was commander-in-chief at
Davenport, 1890- 1893. He always paid the greatest attention
to his offiicial duties and was most efficient as an admiral.
On the death of his uncle, Ernest II., duke of Saxe-Coburg and
Gotha, on the 22nd of August 1893, the vacant duchy fell to
the duke of Edinburgh, for the prince of Wales had renounced
his right to the succession. At first regarded with some
coldness as a "foreigner," he gradually gained popularity,
and by the time of his death, on the 30th of July 1900, he
had completely won the good opinion of his subjects. The duke
was exceedingly fond of music and an excellent violinist, and
took a prominent part in establishing the Royal College of
music. He was also a keen collector of glass and ceramic
ware, and his collection, valued at half a million of marks,
was presented by his widow to the "Veste Coburg," near
Coburg. When he became duke of Saxe-Coburg he surrendered his
English allowance of L. 15,000 a year, but the L. 10,000 granted
in addition by parliament on his marriage he retained in
order to keep up Clarence House. The duke had one son,
who died unmarried on the 6th of February 1899, and four
daughters. The third daughter, Princess Alexandra Louisa
Olga Victoria, married the hereditary prince Ernest of
Hohenlohe-Langenburg, who became regent of the duchy of
Coburg during the minority of the deceased duke's nephew, the
young duke of Albany, to whom the succession fell. (G. F. B.)
Initial text from 1911 encyclopedia -- Please update as needed