Alfred of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1874-1899)

British-German Royalty. The only son of Prince Alfred of England, Duke of Edinburgh, and Grand Duchess Marie of Russia, he was born in Buckingham Palace during the reign of his grandmother, Queen Victoria. He and his four younger sisters were raised in their parents' London home, Clarence House, but the family moved to Germany in 1893 when his father succeeded to the Grand Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, ancestral seat of Victoria's consort, Prince Albert. Young Alfred thus acquired the title "H.R.H. Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha", but tragically never lived to rule. Sent to a military school in Potsdam in preparation for this role as a German prince, he fared badly away from his family, and fell into an increasingly dissolute lifestyle. In late January 1899, during the official celebration of his parents' silver wedding anniversary, he shot himself after a violent quarrel with his mother over his alleged secret marriage to a commoner. Whether the gunshot wound actually caused his death is uncertain. According to the memoirs of his sister, Queen Marie of Romania, Alfred had been visibly suffering from what appeared to be venereal disease for some time, and his presence in Coburg when many dignitaries were visiting was extremely embarrassing to the Grand Duchess. Although doctors advised against the move, the 24-year-old prince was subsequently taken to a spa in Meran in the Italian Tyrol to convalesce, where he died a week later.

Bio by: Nikita Barlow