Prince George of Denmark

Prince George of Denmark
Duke of Cumberland
Portrait by Michael Dahl, c. 1705
Consort of the British monarch
Tenure8 March 1702 – 28 October 1708
Born(1653-04-02)2 April 1653[a]
Copenhagen Castle, Copenhagen, Denmark
Died28 October 1708(1708-10-28) (aged 55)
Kensington Palace, London, England
Burial13 November 1708
Spouse
(m. 1683)
Issue
more...
Prince William, Duke of Gloucester
HouseOldenburg
FatherFrederick III of Denmark
MotherSophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg
ReligionLutheran
SignaturePrince George of Denmark's signature

Prince George of Denmark and Norway (Danish: Jørgen; 2 April 1653 – 28 October 1708) was the husband of Anne, Queen of Great Britain. He was the consort of the British monarch from Anne's accession on 8 March 1702 until his death in 1708.

The marriage of George and Anne was arranged in the early 1680s with a view to developing an Anglo-Danish alliance to contain Dutch maritime power. As a result, George was disliked by his Dutch brother-in-law, William III, Prince of Orange, who was married to Anne's elder sister, Mary. Anne and Mary's father, the British ruler James II and VII, was deposed in the Glorious Revolution in 1688, and William and Mary succeeded him as joint monarchs with Anne as heir presumptive. The new monarchs granted George the title of Duke of Cumberland.

William excluded George from active military service, and neither George nor Anne wielded any great influence until after the deaths of Mary and then William, at which point Anne became queen. During his wife's reign, George occasionally used his influence in support of his wife, even when privately disagreeing with her views. He had an easy-going manner and little interest in politics; his appointment as Lord High Admiral of England in 1702 was largely honorary.

Anne's seventeen pregnancies by George resulted in twelve miscarriages or stillbirths, four infant deaths, and a chronically ill son, Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, who died at the age of eleven. Despite the deaths of their children, George and Anne's marriage was a strong one. George died aged 55 from a recurring and chronic lung disease, much to the devastation of his wife, and he was buried in Westminster Abbey.

  1. ^ Weir, p. 267


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