View source for Frederick, Prince of Wales

{{Short description|Heir apparent to George II of Great Britain (1707–1751)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2018}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Frederick
| title        = [[Prince of Wales]]
| titletext    = ([[#External links|more...]])
| image        = Hudson - Frederick, Prince of Wales.jpg
| caption      = Portrait by [[Thomas Hudson (painter)|Thomas Hudson]], 1750
| alt          = 
| spouse       = {{marriage|[[Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha]]|1736}}
| issue        = {{plainlist|
* [[Princess Augusta of Great Britain|Augusta, Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel]]
* [[George III]]
* [[Prince Edward, Duke of York and Albany]]
* [[Princess Elizabeth of Great Britain|Princess Elizabeth]]
* [[Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh]]
* [[Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn]]
* [[Princess Louisa of Great Britain|Princess Louisa]]
* [[Prince Frederick of Great Britain|Prince Frederick]]
* [[Caroline Matilda of Great Britain|Caroline Matilda, Queen of Denmark and Norway]]
}}
| house        = [[House of Hanover|Hanover]]
| full name    = {{Ubl
  |Frederick Louis
  |{{Langx|de|Friedrich Ludwig|links=no}}
}}
| father       = [[George II of Great Britain]]
| mother       = [[Caroline of Ansbach]]
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|df=y|1707|1|31}} ([[Old Style and New Style dates|New Style]])
| birth_place  = [[Electorate of Hanover]], [[Holy Roman Empire]] (now [[Germany]])
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|df=y|1751|3|31|1707|1|31}}
| death_place  = [[Leicester House, Westminster|Leicester House]], London, England
| burial_date  = 13 April 1751
| burial_place = [[Westminster Abbey]], London
| signature    = Signature of Frederick, Prince Of Wales.svg
}}

'''Frederick, Prince of Wales''' (Frederick Louis, German: ''Friedrich Ludwig''; 31 January 1707 – 31 March 1751), was the eldest son and [[heir apparent]] of King [[George II of Great Britain]]. He grew estranged from his parents, King George and [[Caroline of Ansbach|Queen Caroline]]. Frederick was the father of King [[George III]].

Under the [[Act of Settlement 1701|Act of Settlement]] passed by the [[English Parliament]] in 1701, Frederick was fourth in the line of [[succession to the British throne]] at birth, after his great-grandmother Electress [[Sophia of Hanover]]; his grandfather [[George I of Great Britain|George]], [[Prince-Elector of Hanover]]; and his father, [[George II of Great Britain|George]]. The Elector ascended the British throne in 1714. After his paternal grandfather died and his father became king in 1727, Frederick moved to Great Britain and was created [[Prince of Wales]] in 1729. He predeceased his father and upon the latter's death in 1760, the throne passed to Frederick's eldest son, George III.

==Early life==
[[File:Frederick, Prince of Wales (anonymous).jpg|thumb|left|Prince Frederick, {{Circa|1720}}]]
Frederick was born on {{OldStyleDate|31 January|1707|20 January}} in [[Hanover]], [[Holy Roman Empire]] (Germany), as Duke Friedrich Ludwig of Brunswick-Lüneburg, to [[Caroline of Ansbach]] and [[George II of Great Britain|Prince George]], son of [[George I of Great Britain|George, Elector of Hanover]] (who was also one of Frederick's two godfathers). The Elector was the son of [[Sophia of Hanover]], who was heir presumptive to [[Queen Anne of Great Britain]]. However, in June 1714, Sophia died at the age of 83 before Anne, which elevated the Elector to heir presumptive. Queen Anne died on 1 August the same year, so the Elector became [[George I of Great Britain|King George I]]. This made Frederick's father first-in-line to the British throne and Frederick himself second-in-line. Frederick's other godfather was his granduncle [[Frederick I of Prussia|Frederick I]], King in Prussia and Elector of [[Brandenburg-Prussia]].{{CN|date=May 2024}} Within the family, Frederick was nicknamed "Griff".<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 20. Van der Kiste observes that "griff" was a Caribbean term for a half-caste, and that it was applied to Frederick because he was "heavy-nosed, thick-lipped and yellow-skinned."</ref>

In the year of Anne's death and the coronation of George I, Frederick's parents, George, Prince of Wales (later [[George II of Great Britain|George II]]), and [[Caroline of Ansbach]], were called upon to leave Hanover for Great Britain when Frederick was only 7 years old. He was left in the care of his granduncle [[Ernest, Duke of York and Albany|Ernest Augustus]], [[Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück]], and did not see his parents again for 14 years.

In 1722, Frederick was inoculated against [[smallpox]] by [[Charles Maitland (physician)|Charles Maitland]] on the instructions of his mother, Caroline.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 83</ref> His grandfather George I created him [[Duke of Edinburgh]], Marquess of the [[Isle of Ely]],<ref name="gazwales">[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/6741/page/2 ''London Gazette'' — creation as Prince of Wales]</ref> Earl of Eltham in the county of Kent, Viscount of Launceston in the county of Cornwall, and Baron of Snaudon in the county of Carnarvon, on 26 July 1726.<ref name="gazedin">[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/6494/page/1 ''London Gazette'' — creation as Duke of Edinburgh]</ref> The latter two titles have been interpreted differently since: the ''of''s are omitted and ''Snaudon'' rendered as ''Snowdon''.

Frederick arrived in Great Britain in 1728, the year after his father had become [[George II of Great Britain|King George II]]. By then, George and Caroline had several younger children, and Frederick was a high-spirited young man fond of drinking, gambling and women.<ref>Van der Kiste, pp. 39, 85</ref> The long separation had damaged the relationship with his parents, and they would never be close to him.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 112</ref> That year also saw the foundation of [[Fredericksburg, Virginia]], which was named after him.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ | title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | publisher=Govt. Print. Off. | author=Gannett, Henry | year=1905 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n120 131]}}</ref>

==Prince of Wales==
[[File:Frederick, Prince of Wales, and his sisters by Philip Mercier.jpg|thumb|The Prince of Wales {{c.}} 1733, with his sisters [[Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange|Anne]], [[Princess Caroline of Great Britain|Caroline]] and [[Princess Amelia of Great Britain|Amelia]]]]
[[File:Frederick Lewis, Prince of Wales by Philip Mercier.jpg|thumb|Portrait by [[Philippe Mercier]], 1736]]
The motives for the ill-feeling between Frederick and his parents may have included the fact that he had been set up by his grandfather, even as a small child, as the representative of the House of Hanover, and was used to presiding over official occasions in the absence of his parents. He was not permitted to go to Great Britain until after his father took the throne as [[George II of Great Britain|George II]] on 11 June 1727. Frederick had continued to be known as Prince Friedrich Ludwig of Hanover (with his British HRH style) even after his father had been created Prince of Wales.

Frederick was created Prince of Wales on 7 January 1729.<ref name="powprev">[https://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/the-prince-of-wales/titles-and-heraldry/previous-princes-of-wales Prince of Wales: Previous princes]; [http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/personalprofiles/theprinceofwales/abouttheprince/previousprincesofwales/index.html Prince of Wales – Previous Princes]; {{London Gazette |issue=6741 |date=4 January 1728 |page=2}}</ref> He served as the tenth [[chancellor of the University of Dublin]] from 1728 to 1751, and a portrait of him still enjoys a commanding position in the Hall of [[Trinity College Dublin]].

Once established in London, Frederick sponsored a court of 'opposition' politicians. They supported the [[Opera of the Nobility]] in [[Lincoln's Inn Fields]] as a rival to [[George Frideric Handel]]'s royally sponsored opera at the [[Her Majesty's Theatre|King's Theatre]] in the [[Haymarket (London)|Haymarket]].<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 125</ref> His circle also backed opposition journalism and historiography: under the patronage of [[Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield|Chesterfield]] and [[George Dodington, 1st Baron Melcombe|George Bubb Dodington]], the Country-Whig paper ''[[Old England (periodical)|Old England; or, the Constitutional Journal]]'' was paired with two large histories—[[William Guthrie (writer)|William Guthrie]]’s ''A General History of England'' (to 1688) and [[James Ralph]]’s [[History of England (James Ralph)|''The History of England, During the Reigns of King William, Queen Anne, and King George I'']] (1744–46).<ref>{{cite book |last=Okie |first=Laird |title=Augustan Historical Writing: Historiography in England, 1688–1750 |publisher=University Press of America |year=1991 |pages=122, 156}}</ref>
Frederick was a lover of music who played the viola and cello;<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 111</ref> he is depicted playing a cello in three portraits by [[Philippe Mercier]] of Frederick and his sisters.<ref>The three copies are in the [https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw00125/The-Music-Party?LinkID=mp07308 National Portrait Gallery, London], [https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/11/collection/402414/the-music-party-frederick-prince-of-wales-with-his-three-eldest-sisters the Royal Collection] and [http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/766108 Cliveden House, Buckinghamshire].</ref> He enjoyed the natural sciences and the arts, and became a thorn in the side of his parents, making a point of opposing them in everything, according to the court gossip [[John Hervey, 2nd Baron Hervey|Lord Hervey]]. At court, the favourite of George II and Queen Caroline was Frederick's younger brother, [[Prince William, Duke of Cumberland]], to the extent that the king looked into ways of splitting his domains so that Frederick would succeed only in Britain, while Hanover would go to William.<ref name="Vander">Van der Kiste, p. 158</ref>

Hervey and Frederick (using a pseudonym "Captain Bodkin") wrote a theatrical comedy which was staged at the [[Theatre Royal, Drury Lane|Drury Lane Theatre]] in October 1731. It was panned by the critics, and even the theatre's manager thought it so bad that it was unlikely to play out even the first night. He had soldiers stationed in the audience to maintain order, and when the play flopped, the audience were given their money back.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 114</ref> Hervey and Frederick also shared a mistress, [[Anne Vane]], who had a son called FitzFrederick Vane in June 1732. Either of them or [[William Stanhope, 1st Earl of Harrington]], another of her lovers, could have been the father.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 115</ref> Jealousy between Frederick and Hervey may have contributed to a breach, and their friendship ended. Hervey later wrote bitterly that Frederick was "false&nbsp;... never having the least hesitation in telling any lie that served his present purpose."<ref>Quoted in Van der Kiste, p. 115</ref>

{{House of Hanover (UK)|george2}}

==Patron of the arts==
A permanent result of Frederick's patronage of the arts is "[[Rule, Britannia!]]", one of the best-known British patriotic songs. It was composed by the English composer [[Thomas Arne]] with words written by the Scottish poet and playwright [[James Thomson (poet, born 1700)|James Thomson]] as part of the [[masque]] ''[[Alfred (Arne opera)|Alfred]]'', which was first performed on 1 August 1740 at [[Cliveden]]. Thomas Arne was also one of Frederick's favourite artists. A masque linking the prince with both the Saxon hero-king [[Alfred the Great]]'s victories over the [[Vikings]] and with the contemporary issue of building up British [[sea power]] accorded well with Frederick's political plans and aspirations. Later, the song gained a life of its own outside of the masque. Thomson, who supported the Prince of Wales politically, also dedicated an earlier work dedicated to him: ''Liberty'' (1734). 
[[File:Giltwood Frame by Paul Petit for Frederick, Prince of Wales.jpg|thumb|A Royal Giltwood Frame of Colossal Scale by Paul Petit made at the command of Frederick, Prince of Wales to contain a portrait of [[Frederick the Great]] by [[Antoine Pesne]] (1683–1757). Collection of Carlton Hobbs LLC.]]
Unlike the king, Frederick was a knowledgeable amateur of painting, patronising immigrant artists such as [[Jacopo Amigoni]] and [[Jean-Baptiste van Loo]], who painted the portraits of the prince and his consort for Frederick's champion [[William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath]]. The list of other artists whom he employed—[[Philippe Mercier]], [[John Wootton]], [[George Knapton]], and the engraver [[Joseph Goupy]]—includes some of the principal painters of the English [[Rococo]]. The prince was also crucially important in furthering the popularity of the Rococo style in the decorative arts, with a clear predilection for French [[Huguenot]] craftsmen. He patronised silversmiths such as Nicolas Sprimont (1713–1771), "toyshop" owners such as Paul Bertrand, and also carvers and gilders. The most notable of the latter was Paul Petit (1729–c. 1756) who first worked for the prince on [[William Kent]]'s [[Palladian architecture|neo-Palladian]] [[Prince Frederick's Barge|state barge of 1732]],<ref>{{Cite book|title=William Kent and the Royal Barge.|last=Beard|first=Geoffrey|publisher=The Burlington Magazine , Vol. 112, No. 809, pp 488-493+495.|date=August 1970|pages=492}}</ref> which is still preserved in the [[National Maritime Museum]]. Petit worked on a handful of magnificent trophy frames in the Rococo style for Frederick, which are among the most significant remaining testaments to the prince's patronage of the decorative arts.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://carltonhobbs.com/portfolio-items/a-royal-giltwood-frame-of-colossal-scale-by-paul-petit-at-the-command-of-frederick-prince-of-wales-to-contain-a-portrait-of-frederick-the-great-by-antoine-pesne-1683-1757/ |title=9880{{snd}}A ROYAL GILTWOOD FRAME OF COLOSSAL SCALE BY PAUL PETIT AT THE COMMAND OF FREDERICK, PRINCE OF WALES {{!}} Carlton Hobbs New York |website=carltonhobbs.com |access-date=4 April 2016 |archive-date=17 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417082334/http://carltonhobbs.com/portfolio-items/a-royal-giltwood-frame-of-colossal-scale-by-paul-petit-at-the-command-of-frederick-prince-of-wales-to-contain-a-portrait-of-frederick-the-great-by-antoine-pesne-1683-1757/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> One frame, made in 1748 for his namesake cousin [[Frederick the Great]] of Prussia, was especially lavish and represented the esteem in which the prince held his cousin. This suggests the prince identified with Frederick the Great's style of enlightened rule, more than that of his own father George II. Petit's frame contained a portrait of Frederick the Great painted by [[Antoine Pesne]], and remains today in the [[Royal Collection|British Royal Collection]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/search#/41/collection/406797/frederick-ii-king-of-prussia-1712-86 |title=Antoine Pesne (1683–1757): Frederick II, King of Prussia (1712–86) 1747{{snd}}1748 |website=Royal Collection |access-date=4 April 2016}}</ref>

None of Frederick's homes are now left standing except for the country residence of [[Cliveden]], which is in a much altered state. His London residences ([[Norfolk House]], [[Carlton House]], [[Leicester House, Westminster|Leicester House]], and [[Kew Palace#George II's children|Kew House or the White House]]) have all been demolished.

==Domestic life==
Negotiations between George II and his first cousin and brother-in-law [[Frederick William I of Prussia]] on a proposed marriage between the Prince of Wales and Frederick William's daughter [[Wilhelmine of Prussia, Margravine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth|Wilhelmine]] were welcomed by Frederick even though the couple had never met.<ref>Van der Kiste, pp. 109–110</ref> George II was not keen on the proposal but continued talks for diplomatic reasons. Frustrated by the delay, Frederick sent an envoy of his own to the [[Prussian court]]. When George II discovered the plan, he immediately arranged for Frederick to leave Hanover for England.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 110</ref> The marriage negotiations floundered when Frederick William demanded that Frederick be made Regent in Hanover.<ref>Van der Kiste, pp. 86, 118</ref>

Frederick also almost married [[Diana Russell, Duchess of Bedford|Lady Diana Spencer]], daughter of [[Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland]] and [[Anne Spencer, Countess of Sunderland (1683–1716)|Lady Anne Churchill]]. Lady Diana was the favourite grandchild of the powerful [[Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough|Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough]]. The duchess sought a royal alliance by marrying Lady Diana to the Prince of Wales with a massive dowry of £100,000. The prince, who was in great debt, agreed to the proposal, but the plan was vetoed by [[Robert Walpole]] and the king. Lady Diana soon married [[John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford]].

Although in his youth he was a spendthrift and womaniser, Frederick settled down following his marriage to the sixteen-year-old [[Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha|Augusta of Saxe-Gotha]] on 27 April 1736.<ref>{{Cite web |date=27 April 2011 |title=The Royal Wedding… of 1736 |url=http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/the-royal-wedding-of-1736 |access-date=2018-03-17}}</ref> The wedding was held at the [[Chapel Royal#St James's Palace|Chapel Royal]] at [[St James's Palace]] in London,<ref name="walford">{{Cite book |last=Walford |first=Edward |title=Old and New London |chapter=St James's Palace |pages=100–122 |volume=4 |publisher=Cassell, Petter & Galpin |location=London |date=1878 |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/old-new-london/vol4/pp100-122 |access-date=13 July 2020 }} via "British History Online"</ref> presided over by [[Edmund Gibson]], Bishop of London and Dean of the Chapel Royal. [[George Frideric Handel|Handel]] provided the new anthem '[[Sing Unto God/Anthem for the Wedding of Frederick, Prince of Wales|Sing unto God]]' for the service, and the wedding was also marked in London by two rival operas, Handel's ''[[Atalanta (opera)|Atalanta]]'' and [[Nicola Porpora|Porpora]]'s ''[[La festa d'Imeneo]]''.<ref>{{cite ODNB |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-10140 |author=Matthew Kilburn |title=Frederick Lewis, prince of Wales (1707–1751) |year=2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/10140 |access-date=2018-03-17}}</ref>

In May 1736, George II returned to Hanover, which was unpopular in England. A satirical notice was pinned to the gates of St James's Palace decrying his absence: "Lost or strayed out of this house", it read, "a man who has left a wife and six children on the parish."<ref>Van der Kiste, pp. 149–150</ref> The King made plans to return, in the face of inclement weather; when his ship was caught in a storm, gossip swept London that he had drowned. Eventually, in January 1737, he arrived back in England.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 152</ref> Immediately he fell ill, with [[hemorrhoid|piles]] and a fever, and withdrew to his bed. The Prince of Wales put it about that the King was dying, with the result that George insisted on getting up and attending a social event to disprove the gossip-mongers.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 153</ref>

[[File:Frederick, Prince of Wales 1754 by Liotard.jpg|thumb|Frederick (pictured) opposed his father's government.]]

Quickly accumulating large debts, Frederick relied for an income on his wealthy friend [[George Dodington, 1st Baron Melcombe|George Bubb Dodington]]. The prince's father refused to make him a financial allowance of the size that the prince considered should have been his. Frederick's public opposition to his father's government continued; he opposed the unpopular [[Gin Act 1736]], which tried to control the [[Gin Craze]].<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 148</ref> Frederick applied to Parliament for an increased financial allowance, and public disagreement over the payment of the money drove a further wedge between parents and son. Frederick's allowance was raised, but by less than he had asked for.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 154</ref>

In June 1737, Frederick informed his parents that Augusta was pregnant, and was due to give birth in October. Traditionally, royal births were witnessed by members of the family and senior courtiers to guard against [[supposititious children]]. But in fact, Augusta's due date was earlier. When she went into labour in July, the Prince snuck her out of [[Hampton Court Palace]] in the middle of the night and forced her to ride {{convert|21|km|mi}} in a rattling carriage to St James's Palace, so that the King and Queen could not be present at the birth.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 155</ref> When they learned of the Prince's action, George and Caroline were horrified. With a party including two of her daughters and [[John, Lord Hervey|Lord Hervey]], the Queen rushed to St James.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 156</ref> There, Caroline was relieved to discover that Augusta had given birth to a "poor, ugly little she-mouse" rather than a "large, fat, healthy boy". That made a supposititious child unlikely, since the baby was so pitiful. The circumstances of the birth deepened the estrangement between mother and son.<ref name="vdk157">Van der Kiste, p. 157</ref>

Frederick was banished from the king's court,<ref name="Vander" /> and a rival court grew up at Frederick's new residence, [[Leicester House, Westminster|Leicester House]], where his father and mother had themselves lived after becoming estranged from George I.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 159</ref> His mother fell fatally ill at the end of the year, but the king refused Frederick permission to see her.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 161</ref> Frederick became a devoted family man, taking his wife and children to live in the countryside at [[Cliveden]], where he fished, shot, and rowed.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 113</ref> In 1742, [[Robert Walpole]] left office, and the realignment of the government led to a reconciliation between father and son, as [[Patriot Whigs|Frederick's friends in Parliament]] gained influence.<ref>Van der Kiste, pp. 175–176</ref>

After the [[Jacobite Rising of 1745]], Frederick met [[Flora MacDonald (Scottish Jacobite)|Flora MacDonald]], who had been imprisoned in the [[Tower of London]] for aiding the escape of the Rising's leader [[Charles Edward Stuart]], and helped to secure her eventual release.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 187</ref> In 1747, Frederick rejoined the political opposition, and the king responded by dissolving Parliament. In the subsequent [[1747 British general election|early general election]], Frederick's allies lost.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 188; Hilton, Austin W. B., "King Fred: How the British King Who Never Was Shaped the Modern Monarchy" (2016). ''Electronic Theses and Dissertations''. [https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3064 Paper 3064.] </ref>

==Cricket==
By the time Frederick arrived in Great Britain, [[cricket]] had developed into the country's most popular team sport, and it thrived on gambling. Perhaps because he wished to anglicise and so fit in with society, Frederick developed an academic interest in cricket and soon became a genuine enthusiast. He began to make wagers and then to patronise and play the sport, even forming his own team on several occasions.

The earliest mention of Frederick in cricket annals is in a contemporary report of a match on 28 September 1731 between [[Surrey county cricket teams|Surrey]] and [[London Cricket Club|London]], played on [[Kennington Common]]. No post-match report was found despite advance promotion as "likely to be the best performance of this kind that has been seen for some time". The records show that "for the convenience of the gamesters, the ground is to be staked and roped out"&nbsp;– a new practice in 1731 and possibly done partly for the benefit of a royal visitor. The advertisement refers to "the whole county of Surrey" as London's opponents and states that the Prince of Wales is "expected to attend".<ref name=DC>[[H. T. Waghorn]], ''The Dawn of Cricket'', Electric Press, 1906.</ref>

In August 1732, the ''[[Whitehall Evening Post]]'' reported that Frederick attended "a great cricket match" at Kew on 27 July.<ref name=GB18>[[G. B. Buckley]], ''Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket'', Cotterell, 1935.</ref>

By the 1733 season, Frederick was seriously involved in the game, in effect as a county cricketer for Surrey.<ref>Marples, Morris ''Poor Fred and the Butcher : Sons of George II'' London 1970 p41 {{ISBN|0718108167}}</ref> He was said to have given a guinea to each player in a Surrey vs. [[Middlesex county cricket teams|Middlesex]] game at [[Moulsey Hurst]].<ref name=CS/> Then he awarded a silver cup to a combined Surrey and Middlesex team which had just beaten [[Kent county cricket teams|Kent]], arguably the best county team at the time, at Moulsey Hurst on 1 August.<ref name=CS>[[H. T. Waghorn]], ''Cricket Scores, Notes, etc. (1730–1773)'', Blackwood, 1899.</ref> This is the first reference in cricket history to any kind of trophy (other than hard cash) being contested. On 31 August, the Prince of Wales XI played [[Sir William Gage, 7th Baronet|Sir William Gage]]'s XI on Moulsey Hurst. The result is unknown but the teams were said to be of county standard, so presumably it was in effect a Surrey vs. Sussex match.<ref name=TJM>[[Timothy J. McCann]], ''Sussex Cricket in the Eighteenth Century'', Sussex Record Society, 2004.</ref>

In the years following 1733, there are frequent references to the Prince of Wales as a patron of cricket and as an occasional player.

When he died on 31 March 1751, cricket suffered a double blow as his death closely followed that of [[Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond]], the game's greatest financial patron at the time. The number of top-class matches declined for several years.

==Death==
[[File:Britannia mourning the death of Frederick, Prince of Wales, c. 1751, St. James's Factory, London, glassy soft-paste porcelain - Gardiner Museum, Toronto - DSC00833.JPG|thumb|150px|Britannia mourning the death of the Prince of Wales, c. 1751]]
His political ambitions unfulfilled, Frederick died at Leicester House at the age of 44 on 31 March 1751 (20 March [[Old style|OS]]).<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=9042 |date=23 March 1750 |page=1 }}</ref> This had once been attributed to a burst [[lung abscess]] caused by a blow from a cricket or a [[real tennis]] ball,<ref>Deborah Fisher, ''Princes of Wales'' (University of Wales Press, 2006); Van der Kiste, pp. 190–191</ref> but {{asof|2016|lc=y}} it is thought to have been from a [[pulmonary embolism]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Frederick Prince of Wales |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/41xVBDYmZgbmgwPNc9XlNY8/frederick-prince-of-wales |publisher=BBC}}; {{Cite book |last=Livingstone |first=Natalie |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D64CDAAAQBAJ&q=%22Frederick%22+%22blood+clot+in+his+lungs%22&pg=PA239 |title=The Mistresses of Cliveden: Three Centuries of Scandal, Power and Intrigue in an English Stately Home |date=2016-04-07 |publisher=Arrow Books |isbn=978-0-09-959472-7 |language=en}}</ref> He was buried at [[Westminster Abbey]] on 13 April 1751. He is the most recent Prince of Wales not to have acceded to the British throne.

The Prince of Wales's [[epigram]] (quoted by [[William Makepeace Thackeray]], "Four Georges"):
<poem>
  "Here lies poor Fred who was alive and is dead,
  Had it been his father I had much rather,
  Had it been his sister nobody would have missed her,
  Had it been his brother, still better than another,
  Had it been the whole generation, so much better for the nation,
  But since it is Fred who was alive and is dead,
  There is no more to be said!"
</poem>

Three months after his death, on 22 July, Augusta gave birth to their last child, [[Caroline Matilda of Great Britain|Princess Caroline Matilda]], who would later marry [[Christian VII of Denmark]].

==Titles, honours and arms==
===British titles===
He was given the title [[Duke of Gloucester]] on 10 January 1717,<ref>{{citation|author-link=Alison Weir|last=Weir|first=Alison|year=1996|title=Britain's Royal Families: A Complete Genealogy|edition=Revised|publisher=Pimlico|location=London|isbn=978-0-7126-7448-5|page=278}}</ref> but when he was raised to the peerage on 26 July 1726 it was as Duke of Edinburgh.<ref name="gazedin"/><ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Gloucester, Earls and Dukes of|volume=12|page=128}}</ref> He became [[Duke of Cornwall]] on 11 June 1727 and Prince of Wales on 7 January 1729.<ref name="gazwales"/>

===Honours===
* 3 July 1717: [[Order of the Garter|Royal Knight of the Garter]]<ref name="p41">Shaw, Wm. A. (1906) ''The Knights of England'', '''I''', London, [https://archive.org/stream/cu31924092537418#page/n131/mode/2up p. 41]</ref>

===Arms===
Between his creation as Duke of Edinburgh in 1726 and his creation as Prince of Wales, he bore the arms of the kingdom, differentiated by a ''label argent of three points, the centre point bearing a cross gules''. [[Coat of arms of the Prince of Wales|As Prince of Wales]], the difference changed to simply a ''label argent of three points''.<ref>[http://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/cadency.htm Marks of Cadency in the British Royal Family]</ref> Frederick never succeeded his father as Treasurer of the Holy Roman Empire and so the red escutcheon in the centre of his Hanover quarter is empty.<ref>
{{citation |last=Maclagan |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Maclagan |author2=Louda, Jiří |title=Line of Succession: Heraldry of the Royal Families of Europe |year=1999 |publisher=Little, Brown |location=London |isbn=1-85605-469-1 |page=32}}</ref>
{{Gallery|noborder=yes|width=220|height=200|mode=nolines|align=center
|File:Coat of Arms of the Hanoverian Princes of Wales (1714-1760).svg|Arms of Frederick, Prince of Wales
}}

== Family ==

===Ancestors===
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center |ref=<ref>{{cite book|title=Genealogie ascendante jusqu'au quatrieme degre inclusivement de tous les Rois et Princes de maisons souveraines de l'Europe actuellement vivans| trans-title=Genealogy up to the fourth degree inclusive of all the Kings and Princes of sovereign houses of Europe currently living |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AINPAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA55|year=1768|publisher=Frederic Guillaume Birnstiel|location=Bourdeaux|language=fr|page=55}}</ref>
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|1= 1. '''Frederick, Prince of Wales'''
|2= 2. [[George II of Great Britain]]
|3= 3. [[Caroline of Ansbach|Princess Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach]]
|4= 4. [[George I of Great Britain]]
|5= 5. [[Sophia Dorothea of Celle|Duchess Sophia Dorothea of Brunswick-Celle]]
|6= 6. [[John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach]]
|7= 7. [[Princess Eleonore Erdmuthe of Saxe-Eisenach]]
|8= 8. [[Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover]]
|9= 9. [[Sophia of Hanover|Princess Sophia of the Palatinate]]
|10= 10. [[George William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg]]
|11= 11. [[Éléonore Desmier d'Olbreuse]]
|12= 12. [[Albert II, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach]]
|13= 13. [[Sophie Margarete of Oettingen-Oettingen|Countess Sophie Margarete of Oettingen-Oettingen]]
|14= 14. [[John George I, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach]]
|15= 15. [[Johannetta of Sayn-Wittgenstein (1632–1701)|Johannetta, Countess of Sayn-Altenkirchen]]
}}

===Issue===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Birth !! Death !! Notes
|-
|colspan=4| '''''By The Honourable [[Anne Vane]]'''''
|-
| FitzFrederick Cornwall Vane || 4 June 1732 || 23 February 1736 || Born on [[St James's Street]] and baptised on 17 June 1732 with The Honourable [[Henry Vane, 1st Earl of Darlington|Henry Vane]] (his maternal uncle), [[Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore]] and Lady Elizabeth Mansel as his godparents. He died in London of "a fit of convulsions" while in the care of his uncle Henry.
|-
| Amelia Vane || 21 April 1733 || 22 April 1733 || Died the day after her birth.
|-
|colspan=4| '''''By Margaret, Countess of Marsac''''' ''reputed''
|-
| [[Charles Marsack|Charles]] || 1736 || 22 December 1820|| Died aged 84.
|-
|colspan=4| '''''By [[Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha]]'''''
|-
| [[Princess Augusta of Great Britain|Princess Augusta]] || 31 July 1737 || 23 March 1813 || Married, 1764, [[Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel]]; had issue.
|-
| [[George III]] || 4 June 1738 || 29 January 1820 || Married, 1761, [[Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]]; had issue, including [[George IV]] and [[William IV]].
|-
| [[Prince Edward, Duke of York and Albany]] || 25 March 1739 || 17 September 1767 || Died aged 28, unmarried.
|-
| [[Princess Elizabeth of Great Britain|Princess Elizabeth]] || 10 January 1741 || 4 September 1759 || Died aged 18, unmarried.
|-
| [[Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh]] || 25 November 1743 || 25 August 1805 || Married, 1766, [[Maria, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh|Maria Waldegrave, Dowager Countess Waldegrave]]; had issue.
|-
| [[Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn]] || 7 November 1745 || 18 September 1790 || <!--an alleged marriage to [[Olive Wilmot]] in 1767 did not occur--> Married, 1771, [[Anne, Duchess of Cumberland and Strathearn|Anne Horton]]; no issue.
|-
| [[Princess Louisa of Great Britain|Princess Louisa]] || 19 March 1749 || 13 May 1768 || Died aged 19, unmarried.
|-
| [[Prince Frederick of Great Britain|Prince Frederick]] || 13 May 1750 || 29 December 1765 || Died aged 15, unmarried.
|-
| [[Caroline Matilda of Great Britain|Princess Caroline Matilda]] || 11 July 1751 || 10 May 1775 || Born posthumously; Married, 1766, [[Christian VII of Denmark|Christian VII of Denmark and Norway]]; had issue.
|}

==References==

===Notes===
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* Michael De-la-Noy, ''The King Who Never Was: The Story of Frederick, Prince of Wales'', London; Chester Springs, PA: Peter Owen, 1996.
* [[John Van der Kiste|Van der Kiste, John]] (1997) ''George II and Queen Caroline''. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing. {{ISBN|0-7509-1321-5}}
* John Walters, ''The Royal Griffin: Frederick, Prince of Wales, 1707–51'', London: Jarrolds, 1972.

==External links==
{{Commons category-inline|Frederick, Prince of Wales}}
* [https://www.rct.uk/collection/people/frederick-louis-prince-of-wales-1707-51#/type/subject Frederick Louis, Prince of Wales] at the official website of the [[Royal Collection Trust]]
* {{NPG name|name=Frederick Louis, Prince of Wales}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-hou|[[House of Hanover]]|1 February|1707|31 March|1751|[[House of Welf]]}}
{{s-roy}}
{{S-bef|rows=2|before=[[George II of Great Britain|George (II)]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Duke of Cornwall]]<br/>[[Duke of Rothesay]]|years=1727–1751}}
{{S-vac|next=[[George IV of the United Kingdom|George (IV)]]}}
|-
{{S-ttl|title=[[Prince of Wales]]|years=1729–1751}}
{{S-aft|rows=2|after=[[George III of the United Kingdom|George (III)]]}}
|-
{{S-new|creation}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Duke of Edinburgh]]|creation=1st creation|years=1726–1751}}
{{s-aca}}
{{succession box | before=[[George II of Great Britain|The Prince of Wales]] |title=[[Chancellor of the University of Dublin]] | years= 1728–1751 | after=[[Prince William, Duke of Cumberland|The Duke of Cumberland]] }}
{{S-end}}

{{British princes}}
{{Princes of Wales}}
{{Dukes of Cornwall}}
{{Dukes of Rothesay}}
{{Dukes of Edinburgh}}
{{PGLE}}
{{George III|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frederick of Wales, Prince}}
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