Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester: "The Unknown Soldier"

 Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester was born on March 31, 1900, at York Cottage on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk.  He was the third son and fourth child of Prince George, Duke of York (the future King George V) and Princess Mary of Teck (the future Queen Mary). 

 A postcard print of Mary, then Princess of Wales, with her four
youngest children: Princess Mary, Prince Henry (seated on the
ground), Prince George and Prince John, c1905. Image from
National Portrait Gallery via Wikimedia Commons.

Prince Henry at Eton, c1914. Image from Library of
Congress via Wikimeda Commons

Prince Henry was the first son of a sovereign to attend school and, as a student, he excelled at sports. After matriculating at Eton College, he was commissioned in the 10th Royal Hussars, a regiment he hoped to command.  The prince embarked on a career in the armed forces, but he was frequently recalled to perform royal duties. Because of his low-key profile, he was nicknamed "the unknown soldier".  On March 31, 1928, King George V created him Duke of Gloucester, Earl of Ulster, and Baron Culloden.

A huge crowd awaits for the Duke of Gloucester to pass the City
of Footscray's stand, St. Kilda Road, in Melbourne, c1934.
Image from Museums Victoria via Wikimedia Commons.

While hunting in Africa in October 1928, Prince Henry Duke of Gloucester met Beryl Markham, the wife of British film producer and director Mansfield Markham. The prince eventually developed an affair with Beryl, which was met with an enormous outcry. It was by this time that he began to drink excessively that King George V thought it would be wise to keep him busy by sending him on various overseas trips.  In 1929, he went to Japan to confer the Garter on Emperor Hirohito. The year after, he went to Ethiopia to attend the coronation of Haile Selassie in Addis Ababa.  In 1934, he toured Australia and New Zealand. The overwhelming enthusiasm of thrown to him by the locals was described by a journalist as one which "(amounted) to something very near adoration".

Upon his return to London, Prince Henry faced his parent's increasing pressure to get married. He eventually proposed to Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott, whose brother, Lord William Montagu Douglas Scott, was a close friend of Henry’s.  Lady Alice later recalled that the proposal was not all romantic as "it was not his way", instead he just "mumbled it as we were on a walk one day".  Owing to the death of Alice’s father, the seventh Duke of Buccleuch, in October 1935, the couple decided to forego a lavish ceremony at Westminster Abbey. They instead married quietly on November 6, 1935 at Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace. After suffering two miscarriages, the Duchess of Gloucester gave birth to two sons: Prince William of Gloucester (born December 28, 1941); and Prince Richard, later Duke of Gloucester (born August 26, 1944).  The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester first settled at Royal Pavilion, near the barracks of the duke's regiment in Aldershot. In 1938, using the bulk of his inheritance from King George V, the duke bought acquired Barnwell Manor, a 2,500-acre estate in Northamptonshire. They couple also settled at York House in St. James's Palace as their London residence.

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester with Commissioner Sir
Philip Game at Euston Station on the eve of the royal couple's
departure for Australia, 1945. Image from Commonwealth
Department of Information via Wikimedia Commons. 

Following the abdication of King Edward VIII, Henry eventually became closer to his brother, King George VI. The new king had since deputised Prince Henry to attend important matters, which he dutifully undertook.  

After the outbreak of the Second World War, the Duke of Gloucester, who was then acting as Chief Liaison Officer to Lord Gort, spent almost the entire first year of the war in France. Besides boosting the troops' morale, he also observed the situations wherever he went. He reported his observations to government officials and also wrote to the king detailed and objective accounts of what was happening.  One of the milestones of his life was serving as governor-general of Australia from 1945 until 1947. Although he appeared stiff and formal, he and the Duchess travelled widely in Australia. 

The Duke of Gloucester examines a steel bridge in Queensland,
c1945. Image from Wikimedia Commons

After his stint in Australia, the duke resumed his royal obligations and supporter his niece Queen Elizabeth II who succeeded the throne after the death of King George VI. In the later part of his life, he suffered ill-health and personal tragedies. In 1965, a series of strokes left him crippled, and in 1972, he lost his oldest brother and eldest child in quick succession: the Duke of Windsor died in May, while Prince William perished in August following a flying accident. 

He lingered on in a weakened state and died on June 10, 1974, the last surviving child of King George V and Queen Mary. His widow, Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, survived him by 30 more years, dying at the age of 102 in 2004 with the distinction as the longest-lived member in the history of the British royal family.