Biography of Leopold Saxe Coburg Gotha 1st Duke Albany 1853-1884

Paternal Family Tree: Wettin

Maternal Family Tree: Marie Elisabeth of Saxony Duchess Holstein Gottorp 1610-1684

1837 Death of King William IV Succession of Queen Victoria

1840 Wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

1861 Death of Prince Albert

1863 Marriage of the future King Edward VII and Alexandra

Death of King William IV Succession of Queen Victoria

On 20 Jun 1837 King William IV of the United Kingdom (age 71) died at Windsor Castle [Map]. His niece [his mother] Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (age 18) succeeded I Queen Great Britain and Ireland. His brother Ernest Augustus King Hanover (age 66) succeeded King Hanover. Frederica Mecklenburg Strelitz Queen Consort Hanover (age 59) by marriage Queen Consort Hanover.

At 5am Francis Nathaniel Conyngham 2nd Marquess Conyngham (age 40) and Archbishop William Howley (age 71) went to Kensington Palace to inform the Princess she was now Queen. Francis Nathaniel Conyngham 2nd Marquess Conyngham (age 40) was the first to address her as 'Your Majesty'.

Wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

On 10 Feb 1840 [his father] Prince Albert Saxe Coburg Gotha (age 20) and [his mother] Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (age 20) were married by Archibishop Charles Longley (age 45) at Chapel Royal, St James's Palace. She the daughter of Edward Augustus Hanover 1st Duke Kent and Strathearn and Marie Luise Victoria Saxe Coburg Gotha Duchess Kent and Strathearn (age 53). He the son of Ernest Saxe Coburg Gotha I Duke Saxe Coburg Gotha (age 56) and Duchess Louise Dorothea of Saxe Coburg Altenburg. They were first cousins. She a granddaughter of King George III of Great Britain and Ireland.

On 07 Apr 1853 Leopold Saxe Coburg Gotha 1st Duke Albany was born to Prince Albert Saxe Coburg Gotha (age 33) and Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (age 33) at Buckingham Palace [Map]. Coefficient of inbreeding 7.16%.

Death of Prince Albert

On 14 Dec 1861 [his father] Prince Albert Saxe Coburg Gotha (age 42) died at Windsor Castle [Map]. His wife, [his mother] Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (age 42) never recovered from his death spending, more or less, the remainder of her life in mourning.

The Times. 24 Dec 1861. Yesterday, with little of the pomp and pageantry of a State ceremonial, but with every outward mark of respect, and with all the solemnity which befitted his high station and his public virties, the [his father] mortal remains of the husband (deceased) of our [his mother] Queen (age 42) were interred in the last resting-place of England's Sovereigns-the Chapel Royal of St. George's, Windsor [Map]. By the express desire of his Royal Highness the funeral was of the plainest and most private character; but in the Chapel, to do honour to his obsequies, were assembled all the chiefest men of the State, and throughout England, by every sign of sorrow and imourning, the nation manifested its sense of the loss wlhich it has sustaiined. Windsor itself wore an aspect of the most profound gloom. Every shop was closed and every blind drawn down. The streets were silent and almost deserted, and all wvho appeared abroad were dressed in the deepest mourning. The great bell of Windsor Castle [Map] clanged out: its doleful sound at intervals from an early hour, and minute bells were tolled also at St. John's Church. At the parish church of Cleover and at St. John's there were services in the morning and: aternoon, and the day was observed throughout the Royal borough in the strictest manner. The weather was in character with the occasion, a chill, damp air, with a dull leaden sky above, increased the gloom which hung over all. There were but few visitors in the town, for the procession did not pass beyond the immediate precincts of the Chapel and Castle, and none were admitted except those connected with the Castle andi their friends. At 11 o'clock a strong force of the A division took possession of the avenues leading to the Chapel Royal, and from that time only the guests specially invited and those who were to take part in the ceremonial were allowed to pass. Shortly afterwards a of honour of the Grenadier Guards, of which regiment his Royal Highness was Colonel, with the colonrs of the regiment shrouded in crape, marched in and took up its position before the principal entrance to the Chapel Royal. Another guard of honour from the same regiment was also on duty in the Quadrangle at the entrance to the State apartments. They were speedily followed by a squadron of the 2nd Life Guards dismounted, and by two companies of the Fusileer Guards, who were drawn uip in single file along each side of the road by which the procession was to pass, from the Norman gateway to the Chapel door. The officers wore the deepest military mourning-scarves, sword-knots, and rosettes of crape. In the Rome Park was stationed a troop of Horse Artillery, which commenced firing minute guns at the end of the Long Walk, advancing slowly until it reached the Castle gates just at the close of the ceremony. The Ministers, the officers of the Queen's Household, and other distinguished personages who had been honoured with an invitation to attend the ceremonial, reached Windsor a special train from Paddington. They were met by carriages provided for them at the station, and began to arrive at the Chapel Royal soon after 11 o'clock. The Earl of Derby (age 62), the Archbishop of Canterbury (age 81), Earl Russell (age 69), and the Duke of Buccleuch were among the first to make their appearance, and as they alighted at the door of the Chapel they were received by the proper officials and conducted to the seats appointed for them in the Choir. In the Great Quadrangle were drawn up the hearse and the mourning coaches, and, all the preparations having been completed within the Castle, the procession began to be formed shortly before 12 o'clock. It had been originally intended that it should leave the Castle by the St. George's gate, and, proceeding down Castle-hill, approach the Chapel through Henry VII.'s gateway, but at a late hour this arrangement was changed, and the shorter route by the Norman gatewvay was chosen.

The crowd which had gradually collected at the foot of Castle-hill, owing to this change, saw nothing of the procession but the empty carriages as they returned to the Castle after setting down at the Chapel. The few spectators who were fortunate enough to gain admission to the Lower Ward stood in a narrow fringe along the edge of the flags in front of the houses of the Poor Knights, and their presence was the only exception to the strict privacy of the ceremonial. The [his brother] Prince of Wales (age 20) and the other Royal mourners assembled in the Oak Room, but did not form part of the procession. They were conveyed to the Chapel in private carriages before the coffin was placed in the hearse, passing through St. George's gatewayinto the Lower Ward. In the first carriage were the Prince of Wales (age 20), [his brother] Prince Arthur (age 11), and the Duke of Saxe Coburg (age 8). The Crown Prince of Prussia (age 30), the Duke of Brabant (age 26), and the Count of Flanders (age 24) followed in the next; and in the others were the Duke de Nemours (age 47), Prince Louis of Hesse (age 24), Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar (age 38), and the Maharajah Dhuleep Singh, with the gentlemen of their respective suites. Scarcely had they alighted at the door of Wolsey's Chapel, from which they were conducted through the Chapter Room to the door of the Chapel Royal to be in readiness to meet the coffin, when the first minute gun fired in tlhe distance, and the rattle of the troops reversing arms announced that the procession had started, and exactly at 12 o'clock the first mourning coach moved from under the Norman gateway. First came nine mourning coaches, each drawn by four horses, conveying the Physicians, Equerries, and other members of the household of the late Prince. In the last were the Lord Steward (age 63) (Earl St. Germans), the Lord Chamberlain (age 56) (Viscount Sidney), and the Master of the Horse (age 57) (the Marquis of Ailesbury). The carriages and trappings were of the plainest description; the horses had black velvet housings and feathers, but on the carriages there, were no feathers or ornaments of any kind. The mourning coaches were followed by one of the Queen's carriages, drawn by six horses, and attended by servants in State liveries, in which was the Groom of the Stole (age 26), Earl Spencer, carrying the crown, and a Lord of the Bedchamber, Lord George Lennox, carrying the baton, sword, and hat of his late Royal Highness. Next escorted by a troop of the 2nd Life Guards, came the hearse, drawn by six black horses, which, like the carriages, was quite plain and unornamented. On the housings of the horses and on the sides of the hearse were emblazoned the scutcheons of Her Majesty and of the Prince, each surmounted by a, crown, the Prince's arms being in black and Her Majesty's in white. The procession was closed by four State carriages.

Marriage of the future King Edward VII and Alexandra

10 Mar 1863. William Powell Frith (age 44). Marriage of the future King Edward VII and Alexandra. The artist has depicted the moment when the [his brother] Prince (age 21) is about to place the ring on the Princess' (age 18) finger. The two little boys dressed in tartan are Prince Leopold (age 9) and [his brother] Prince Arthur (age 12), Queen Victoria's youngest sons. At the top right of the painting the [his mother] Queen (age 43) herself looks down on the ceremony.

In 1869 Leopold Saxe Coburg Gotha 1st Duke Albany (age 15) was appointed 758th Knight of the Garter by [his mother] Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (age 49).

On 24 May 1881 Leopold Saxe Coburg Gotha 1st Duke Albany (age 28) was created 1st Duke Albany.

On 27 Apr 1882 Leopold Saxe Coburg Gotha 1st Duke Albany (age 29) and Helena Waldeck Duchess Albany were married at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle [Map]. She by marriage Duchess Albany. He the son of Prince Albert Saxe Coburg Gotha and Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (age 62).

On 25 Feb 1883 [his daughter] Princess Alice Countess Athlone was born to Leopold Saxe Coburg Gotha 1st Duke Albany (age 29) and [his wife] Helena Waldeck Duchess Albany. She a granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.

On 28 Mar 1884 Leopold Saxe Coburg Gotha 1st Duke Albany (age 30) died at Cannes.

On 05 Apr 1884 Leopold Saxe Coburg Gotha 1st Duke Albany (deceased) was buried at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle [Map].

On 19 Jul 1884 [his son] Charles Edward Saxe Coburg Gotha was born to Leopold Saxe Coburg Gotha 1st Duke Albany and [his wife] Helena Waldeck Duchess Albany at Claremont House Esher, Surrey. He a grandson of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.

Lifes Ebb And Flow Chapter IV. And so the tale unfolds. Our marriage took place in the Henry VII Chapel in Westminster Abbey, and the newspapers of the day made much of the "most brilliant wedding of a dozen seasons." I remember my surprise as I drove from our house in Carlton Gardens to the Abbey to find the way lined with interested crowds.

Among the guests were the [his brother] Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince and Princess Christian, the [his brother] Duke and Duchess of Connaught, [his sister] Princess Louise (Marchioness of Lorne), Princess Mary Adelaide (Duchess of Teck) and the Duke of Teck (parents of Queen Mary), with Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, as my husband’s best man. The crush filled the Abbey from the choir to the door.

My twelve bridesmaids were all girl friends and relatives. They were: Blanche Maynard, my sister (now Lady Algernon Gordon-Lennox), Lady Eva Greville, my husband’s only sister, my stepsisters, Millicent, Sybil, and Angela St. Clair Erskine (later Duchess of Sutherland, Countess of Westmorland, and Lady A. Forbes), Countess Feodore Gleichen (later a renowned sculptor), Lady Florence Bridgman (the present Countess of Harewood and mother of Viscount Lascelles), Miss Wombwell (Countess of Dartrey), Miss Mills, the first Lord Hillingdon’s daughter, Miss Violet Lindsay (now Violet, Duchess of Rutland), and Miss Ethel Milner (later Countess of Durham).

Royal Ancestors of Leopold Saxe Coburg Gotha 1st Duke Albany 1853-1884

Kings Wessex: Great x 23 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England

Kings Gwynedd: Great x 21 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd

Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 27 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth

Kings Powys: Great x 22 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys

Kings England: Son of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom

Kings Scotland: Great x 17 Grand Son of Robert "The Bruce" I King Scotland

Kings Franks: Great x 19 Grand Son of Louis VII King Franks

Kings France: Great x 14 Grand Son of Charles "Beloved Mad" VI King France

Royal Descendants of Leopold Saxe Coburg Gotha 1st Duke Albany 1853-1884

Carl XVI King Sweden x 1

Ancestors of Leopold Saxe Coburg Gotha 1st Duke Albany 1853-1884

Great x 4 Grandfather: John Ernest Saxe Coburg Saalfeld IV Duke Saxe Coburg Saalfeld 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Francis Josias Saxe Coburg Saalfeld Duke Saxe Coburg Saalfeld 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Charlotte Johanna Waldeck Wildungen Duchess Saxe Coburg Saalfeld

Great x 2 Grandfather: Ernest Frederick Saxe Coburg Saalfeld Duke Saxe Coburg Saalfeld 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Prince Louis Frederick I of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

Great x 3 Grandmother: Duchess Anna Sophie Of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Anna Sophie Saxe Coburg Altenburg 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 1 Grandfather: Francis Saxe Coburg Gotha I Duke Saxe Coburg Gotha 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Ferdinand Albert I Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern 13 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Ferdinand Albert II Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 14 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 2 Grandmother: Sophia Antonia Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel Duchess Saxe Coburg Saalfeld 15 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Louis Rudolph 14 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 3 Grandmother: Princess Antoinette of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 15 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

GrandFather: Ernest Saxe Coburg Gotha I Duke Saxe Coburg Gotha 14 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 2 Grandfather: Heinrich XXIV Count Reuss of Ebersdorf

Great x 1 Grandmother: Augusta Reuss Duchess Saxe Coburg Gotha 17 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: George August Count of Erbach Schonberg

Great x 2 Grandmother: Karoline Ernestine of Erbach Schonberg 16 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Louis Christian Count of Stolberg Gedern

Great x 3 Grandmother: Ferdinande Henriette Countess of Stolberg Gedern 15 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Christine of Mecklenburg Güstrow 14 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Father: Prince Albert Saxe Coburg Gotha 15 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Frederick Saxe Coburg Altenburg II Duke Saxe Gotha Altenburg 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Duke Frederick III of Saxe Coburg Altenburg III 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Magdalena Augusta Anhalt Zerbst Anhaltzerbst Duchess Saxe Gotha Altenburg

Great x 2 Grandfather: Duke Ernest of Saxe Coburg Altenburg 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Ernst Ludwig I Duke of Saxe Meiningen

Great x 3 Grandmother: Luise Dorothea Saxe Meiningen Duchess Saxe Gotha Altenburg

Great x 1 Grandfather: Duke Augustus of Saxe Coburg Altenburg 14 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Bernhard I Duke of Saxe Meiningen

Great x 3 Grandfather: Anton Ulrich Duke of Saxe Meiningen

Great x 2 Grandmother: Charlotte Saxe Meiningen Duchess Saxe Gotha Altenburg

GrandMother: Duchess Louise Dorothea of Saxe Coburg Altenburg 15 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Christian Ludwig II Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 14 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Duke Louis of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 15 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 2 Grandfather: Grand Duke Frederick Francis I of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Francis Josias Saxe Coburg Saalfeld Duke Saxe Coburg Saalfeld 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandmother: Charlotte Sophie Saxe Coburg Saalfeld 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Duchess Anna Sophie Of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 1 Grandmother: Louise Charlotte Mecklenburg-Schwerin 14 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Frederick Saxe Coburg Altenburg II Duke Saxe Gotha Altenburg 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Johann August Saxe Coburg Altenburg 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Magdalena Augusta Anhalt Zerbst Anhaltzerbst Duchess Saxe Gotha Altenburg

Great x 2 Grandmother: Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg 13 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Leopold Saxe Coburg Gotha 1st Duke Albany Son of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom

Great x 4 Grandfather: King George I of Great Britain and Ireland Great Grand Son of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland

Great x 3 Grandfather: King George II of Great Britain and Ireland Son of King George I of Great Britain and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandmother: Sophia Dorothea Hanover Queen Consort England 14 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 2 Grandfather: Frederick Louis Hanover Prince of Wales Son of King George II of Great Britain and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandfather: John Frederick Hohenzollern 14 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 3 Grandmother: Caroline Hohenzollern Queen Consort England 15 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 1 Grandfather: King George III of Great Britain and Ireland Grand Son of King George II of Great Britain and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandfather: Frederick Saxe Coburg Altenburg I Duke Saxe Gotha Altenburg 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Frederick Saxe Coburg Altenburg II Duke Saxe Gotha Altenburg 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Duchess Magdalena Sibylle of Saxe Gotha Altenburg 14 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 2 Grandmother: Augusta Saxe Coburg Altenburg 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandmother: Magdalena Augusta Anhalt Zerbst Anhaltzerbst Duchess Saxe Gotha Altenburg

GrandFather: Edward Augustus Hanover 1st Duke Kent and Strathearn Son of King George III of Great Britain and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandfather: Duke Adolphus Frederick I of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 12 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Duke Adolphus Frederick II of Mecklenburg-Strelitz 13 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Maria Katharina 13 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 2 Grandfather: Charles Louis Frederick Duke of Mecklenburg 14 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 1 Grandmother: Charlotte Mecklenburg Strelitz Queen Consort England 15 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Mother: Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom Grand Daughter of King George III of Great Britain and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandfather: John Ernest Saxe Coburg Saalfeld IV Duke Saxe Coburg Saalfeld 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Francis Josias Saxe Coburg Saalfeld Duke Saxe Coburg Saalfeld 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Charlotte Johanna Waldeck Wildungen Duchess Saxe Coburg Saalfeld

Great x 2 Grandfather: Ernest Frederick Saxe Coburg Saalfeld Duke Saxe Coburg Saalfeld 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Prince Louis Frederick I of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

Great x 3 Grandmother: Duchess Anna Sophie Of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Anna Sophie Saxe Coburg Altenburg 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 1 Grandfather: Francis Saxe Coburg Gotha I Duke Saxe Coburg Gotha 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Ferdinand Albert I Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern 13 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Ferdinand Albert II Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 14 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 2 Grandmother: Sophia Antonia Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel Duchess Saxe Coburg Saalfeld 15 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Louis Rudolph 14 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 3 Grandmother: Princess Antoinette of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 15 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

GrandMother: Marie Luise Victoria Saxe Coburg Gotha Duchess Kent and Strathearn 14 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 2 Grandfather: Heinrich XXIV Count Reuss of Ebersdorf

Great x 1 Grandmother: Augusta Reuss Duchess Saxe Coburg Gotha 17 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: George August Count of Erbach Schonberg

Great x 2 Grandmother: Karoline Ernestine of Erbach Schonberg 16 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Louis Christian Count of Stolberg Gedern

Great x 3 Grandmother: Ferdinande Henriette Countess of Stolberg Gedern 15 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Christine of Mecklenburg Güstrow 14 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England