Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge

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Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox person Template:Teck-Cambridge Family Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge (Adolphus Charles Alexander Albert Edward George Philip Louis Ladislaus; 13 August 1868 – 24 October 1927), born Prince Adolphus of Teck and later the Duke of Teck, was a relative of the British royal family, a great-grandson of George III and younger brother of Queen Mary, the wife of George V. In 1900, he succeeded his father as Duke of Teck in the Kingdom of Württemberg. He relinquished his German titles in 1917 to become Marquess of Cambridge.

Early life

Adolphus of Teck was born on 13 August 1868 at Kensington Palace, London. His father was Prince Francis, Duke of Teck, the eldest son of Duke Alexander of Württemberg and Countess Claudine Rhédey von Kis-Rhéde (created the Countess von Hohenstein). His mother was the Duchess of Teck (formerly Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge), the youngest daughter of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, and Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel, granddaughter of George III. Adolphus was styled His Serene Highness Prince Adolphus of Teck at birth. With a string of nine Christian names, among his immediate family he was always known as "Dolly", a pet form of 'Adolphus'. He was educated at Wellington College in Berkshire.

Early military career

Adolphus was a cavalry officer, following in the footsteps of his father, both of his grandfathers, and his maternal uncle. He received his education at Wellington College, before entering the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. At the age of 19, in April 1888, he was commissioned into the British Army as a second lieutenant in the 17th Lancers,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> the regiment of his maternal uncle, the Duke of Cambridge, who was the commander-in-chief of the British Army from 1856 to 1895. He was promoted lieutenant in January 1893,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> and transferred to the 1st Life Guards as a captain in June 1895.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>

Marriage

On 12 December 1894, at Eaton Hall, he married Lady Margaret Evelyn Grosvenor (9 April 1873 – 27 March 1929), the daughter of Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster. The couple had four children:

  • Prince George of Teck, later 2nd Marquess of Cambridge (11 October 1895 – 16 April 1981); married 1923 Dorothy Hastings (18 May 1899 – 1 April 1988). They had one daughter.
  • Princess Mary of Teck, later Lady Mary Cambridge (12 June 1897 – 23 June 1987); married 1923 the 10th Duke of Beaufort (4 April 1900 – 4 February 1984). They had no children.
  • Princess Helena of Teck, later Lady Helena Cambridge (23 October 1899 – 22 December 1969); married 1919 Colonel John Evelyn Gibbs (22 December 1879 – 11 October 1932). They had no children.
  • Prince Frederick of Teck, later Lord Frederick Cambridge (23 September 1907 – 15 May 1940). Killed in action in Leuven, Belgium during World War II. Never married or had children.

Duke of Teck and later military career

In January 1900, Adolphus succeeded his father as Duke of Teck. The new duke served with his regiment during the Boer War 1899–1900, for which he was promoted Brevet major in November 1900.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> He was later a transport officer in the Household Cavalry. In February 1904, he was promoted to the temporary rank of lieutenant-colonel and appointed a temporary military attaché at the British embassy in Vienna.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> His appointment as military attaché was confirmed in April 1906,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> and he received a staff posting the same month.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> He was promoted to the substantive rank of major in December 1906,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> and was raised to brevet lieutenant-colonel in November 1910.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>

With an Order in Council dated 9 June 1911,<ref>Royal Styles and Titles – 1911 Order-in-Council</ref> his brother-in-law King George V, as a gift to mark his own Coronation, granted his cousin the style His Highness, which echoed the gift of the King's grandmother, Queen Victoria, to the Duke's father. The same year he was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB). From other nations he received the grand cross of the Order of the Red Eagle of Prussia and the Order of the Star of Romania.<ref name=burke1913>Template:Cite bookSection The Royal Lineage, under descendants of George III. The German and Austrian orders were not listed in his entry after World War I, having apparently renounced them as honours of then enemy countries.</ref>

He was appointed Honorary Colonel of the 8th Battalion, London Regiment, known as the Post Office Rifles in 1912,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> relinquishing the position in 1923.<ref name=Kelly>Template:Cite book</ref>

Teck was president of the RSPCA from 1910 to 1916.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Subscription required</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> From 1914 to his death he was Governor and Constable of Windsor Castle.<ref name=Kelly/>

With the outbreak of the First World War, he returned to active duty, joining his regiment, 1st Life Guards (possibly at Jabeeke Belgium) on 9 October 1914, returning to base (sick) on 19 October 1914.<ref>War Diary 1st Life Guards 1914–1915, Template:London Gazette</ref> He first served as assistant military secretary at the War Office,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> and from December 1915 as military secretary to the commander-in-chief of the British Expeditionary Forces (BEF) in France, Sir Douglas Haig, with the temporary rank of brigadier general.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> He received from allied nations the Belgian Order of Leopold (Grand Cordon) and Croix de guerre, as well as the French Legion of Honour (Grand Officer).<ref name="Shrewsbury Chronicle">Template:Cite news</ref>

Following ill-health he was placed on half-pay in July 1916,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> and retired pay in 1919.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>

Marquess of Cambridge

During the First World War, anti-German sentiment in the United Kingdom led Teck's brother-in-law, King George V, to change the name of the Royal House from the Germanic House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to the more English-sounding House of Windsor. The King also renounced all his Germanic titles for himself and all members of the British Royal Family who were British subjects.

In response to this, Teck renounced, through a Royal Warrant from the King,<ref name=LondonGazette30374>Template:London Gazette</ref> dated 14 July 1917, his title of Duke of Teck in the Kingdom of Württemberg and the style His Highness. Adolphus, along with his brother, Prince Alexander of Teck, adopted the name Cambridge, after their grandfather, Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge.<ref name=LondonGazette30374/>

He was subsequently created Marquess of Cambridge, Earl of Eltham, and Viscount Northallerton all in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. His elder son took the title Earl of Eltham as a courtesy title. His younger children became Lord/Lady (Christian Name) Cambridge.<ref name=LondonGazette30374/>

Vera Bate Lombardi, Coco Chanel's muse and PR representative, was rumoured to be Adolphus' illegitimate daughter.Template:Citation needed Hal Vaughan, in his 2012 biography of Coco Chanel ('Sleeping with the Enemy: Coco Chanel's Secret War', p. 42), describes Vera Bate Lombardi as a 'cousin and childhood friend' of Edward, Prince of Wales.

Lord Cambridge made his home in Shropshire after World War I at Shotton Hall, Harmer Hill, near Shrewsbury. He was active in social life in the county, of which he became a Justice of the Peace and Deputy Lieutenant in 1923,<ref name=Kelly/> and Treasurer of the Royal Salop Infirmary at Shrewsbury in 1925.<ref name="Shrewsbury Chronicle"/> He hosted visits made by his sister to the county, the last in his lifetime being a public visit to Shrewsbury and other parts of Shropshire in August 1927.<ref name="Shrewsbury Chronicle" />

Death

Lord Cambridge died, aged fifty-nine, after an intestinal operation in October 1927 at a Shrewsbury nursing home, while preparations were being made for another public royal visit to the town (which was consequently cancelled) by his nephew, the Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII).<ref name="Shrewsbury Chronicle"/> He was first buried at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle and later transferred to the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His elder son, the Earl of Eltham, succeeded him as Marquess of Cambridge.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

  • 13 August 1868 – 21 January 1900: His Serene Highness Prince Adolphus of Teck<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • 21 January 1900 – 9 June 1911: His Serene Highness The Duke of Teck<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • 9 June 1911 – 14 July 1917: His Highness The Duke of Teck<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • 14 July 1917 – 7 November 1917: Colonel Sir Adolphus Cambridge<ref name="Marquessate Creation">Template:Cite web</ref>
  • 7 November 1917 – 24 October 1927: The Most Honourable The Marquess of Cambridge<ref name="Marquessate Creation"/>

Honours

Arms

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Ancestry

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Family tree

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Footnotes

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