 |
| Prince Alfred by T Gainsborough (1782)1 |
Profile
Prince Alfred (22 September 1780 - 20 August 1782) was the 14th child of George III and Queen Charlotte who died in infancy.
The youngest son
Prince Alfred was born at Windsor Castle on 22 September 1780, the 9th and youngest son of George III and Queen Charlotte. He was christened on 21 October in the great council chamber at St James’ Palace by the Archbishop of Canterbury.2
A sickly child
Alfred had a wet nurse, Mrs Williams, who was the wife of an East India captain. Sadly, he was not a healthy baby. On 13 May 1782, Alfred’s health was so poor that he was sent to Deal Castle with Lady Charlotte Finch to make use of the salt waters, attended by Dr Hunter.
The youngest son
Prince Alfred was born at Windsor Castle on 22 September 1780, the 9th and youngest son of George III and Queen Charlotte. He was christened on 21 October in the great council chamber at St James’ Palace by the Archbishop of Canterbury.2
A sickly child
Alfred had a wet nurse, Mrs Williams, who was the wife of an East India captain. Sadly, he was not a healthy baby. On 13 May 1782, Alfred’s health was so poor that he was sent to Deal Castle with Lady Charlotte Finch to make use of the salt waters, attended by Dr Hunter.
Death at Windsor Castle
 |
| Windsor Castle From Memoirs of Her Late MajestyQueen Charlotte by WC Oulton (1819) |
In August, Alfred returned to Windsor Castle, but he was no better, and he died on 20 August 1782. He was buried privately at Westminster Abbey on the 27 August, with a funeral service taken by the Dean of Westminster. The coffin was later transferred to the Royal Vault at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, on 11 February 1820.
Death by smallpox?
I have been unable to verify the cause of Alfred’s death to my satisfaction. Some sources suggest that he died from smallpox after inoculation, but if that is so, I question why he was inoculated as an already sickly child of 18 months whilst his brother Octavius was not inoculated until he was four.
Death by smallpox?
I have been unable to verify the cause of Alfred’s death to my satisfaction. Some sources suggest that he died from smallpox after inoculation, but if that is so, I question why he was inoculated as an already sickly child of 18 months whilst his brother Octavius was not inoculated until he was four.
A family in mourning
There was no official mourning because Alfred was an infant, but it was said of the Queen that “her Majesty was exceedingly affected.”
Rachel Knowles writes clean/Christian Regency era romance and historical non-fiction. She has been sharing her research on this blog since 2011. Rachel lives in the beautiful Georgian seaside town of Weymouth, Dorset, on the south coast of England, with her husband, Andrew.
Find out more about Rachel's books and sign up for her newsletter here.If you have enjoyed this blog and want to encourage me and help me to keep making my research freely available, please buy me a virtual cup of coffee by clicking the button below.
Notes
- Prince Alfred by Thomas Gainsborough, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.
- Oulton’s memoirs give the date of christening as the 31st.
Bissett, Robert, The History of the Reign of George III (Edward Parker, 1822, Philadelphia)
Chedzoy, Alan, Seaside Sovereign - King George III at Weymouth (Dovecote Press, 2003, Dorset)
Hibbert, Christopher, George IV (Longmans,1972, Allen Lane, 1973, London)
Oulton, Walley Chamberlain, Authentic and Impartial Memoirs of Her Late Majesty Charlotte, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland (1819, London)
No comments:
New comments are not allowed.