Prince William of Gloucester

Prince William of Gloucester (William Henry Andrew Frederick; 18 December 1941 – 28 August 1972) was a grandson of King George V and a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. At the time of his birth he was fourth in line to the throne, and ninth in line at the time of his death.

Prince William
Prince William of Gloucester visiting Tywyn 2 (1549704) (cropped).jpg
Prince William of Gloucester visiting a cattle farm in Wales in 1971
Born(1941-12-18)18 December 1941
Hadley Common, Barnet, Hertfordshire
Died28 August 1972(1972-08-28) (aged 30)
Halfpenny Green, Staffordshire
Burial2 September 1972
Full name
William Henry Andrew Frederick
HouseWindsor
FatherPrince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
MotherLady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott
Alma mater

Life

He graduated from Cambridge and Stanford. He then joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, serving in Lagos and Tokyo, before returning to take over royal duties. He led an active life, flying Piper aircraft, trekking through the Sahara, and even ballooning.

He is still the most recent child of George III to be diagnosed with porphyria. Porphyria is widely believed to be the illness that most likely caused George III's mental breakdown.[1]

Prince William died in 1972, aged 30, in an air crash while piloting his plane in a competition.

Prince William Of Gloucester Media

References

  1. Röhl, John C.G.; Warren, Martin; Hunt, David (1998). Purple Secret: Genes, 'Madness', and the Royal Houses of Europe. London: Transworld Publishers Ltd. ISBN 978-0552145503.