View source for Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn

{{Short description|British prince, son of Queen Victoria (1850–1942)}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Prince Arthur
| title        = [[Duke of Connaught and Strathearn]]
| image        = Prince Arthur, 1st Duke of Connaught and Strathearn.jpg
| caption      = Photograph by [[Alexander Bassano]], {{circa|1885}}
| succession   = 10th [[Governor General of Canada]]
{{Infobox officeholder/office
| monarch      = [[George V]]
| reign-type   = In office
| termstart    = 13 October 1911
| termend      = 11 November 1916
| predecessor  = [[Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey|The Earl Grey]]
| successor    = [[Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire|The Duke of Devonshire]]
| primeminister= {{plainlist|
* [[Robert Borden]] ([[Prime Minister of Canada|Canadian]])
* [[H. H. Asquith]] ([[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|British]])}}
}}
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|1850|5|1|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Buckingham Palace]], [[London]], England
| full name    = Arthur William Patrick Albert
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|1942|1|16|1850|5|1|df=y}}
| death_place  = [[Bagshot Park]], [[Surrey]], England
| burial_date  = 23 January 1942
| burial_place = Royal Vault, [[St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle]] <br /> 19 March 1942 <br /> [[Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore]]
| spouse       = {{marriage|[[Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia]]|13 March 1879|14 March 1917|reason=died}}
| issue        = {{plainlist|
* [[Princess Margaret of Connaught|Margareta, Crown Princess of Sweden]]
* [[Prince Arthur of Connaught]]
* [[Princess Patricia of Connaught|Lady Patricia Ramsay]]
}}
| house        = [[House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]] (''until 1917'')<br/>[[House of Windsor|Windsor]] (''from 1917'')
| father       = [[Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]
| mother       = [[Queen Victoria]]
| signature    = Prince Arthur's signature.svg
| module       = {{Infobox person | embed=yes
  | education= [[Royal Military Academy, Woolwich]]
}}
{{Infobox military person | embed=yes
  |branch= [[British Army]]
  |serviceyears= 1868–1942
  |rank=[[Field marshal (United Kingdom)|Field Marshal]]
  |unit=[[Royal Engineers]]<br/>[[Royal Regiment of Artillery]]<br/>[[Rifle Brigade]]
  |commands=[[Inspector-General of the Forces]]<br/>[[Commander-in-Chief, Ireland]]<br/>[[III Corps (United Kingdom)|Third Army Corps]]<br/>[[Aldershot Command]]<br/>[[Southern Command (United Kingdom)|Southern Command]]<br/>[[Bombay Army]]
  |battles=[[Fenian Raids]]
*[[Battle of Eccles Hill]]
[[Anglo-Egyptian War]]
  |awards=[[Volunteer Officers' Decoration]]<br/>[[Territorial Decoration]] }}
}}

'''Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn''' (Arthur William Patrick Albert; 1 May 1850{{spaced ndash}}16 January 1942), was the seventh child and third son of [[Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom]] and [[Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]. He served as [[Governor General of Canada]], the [[List of Governors General of Canada#Governors General of Canada, 1867–present|tenth]] since [[Canadian Confederation]] and the only [[British prince]] to do so.

Arthur was educated by private tutors before entering the [[Royal Military Academy at Woolwich]] at 16 years old. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a [[lieutenant]] in the [[British Army]], where he served for some 40 years, seeing service in various parts of the [[British Empire]] and rising to the rank of [[Field marshal (United Kingdom)|field marshal]]. During this time, he was also created a [[Royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom|royal duke]], becoming [[Duke of Connaught and Strathearn]] as well as [[Earl of Sussex]]. In 1900, he was appointed as [[Commander-in-Chief, Ireland]], which he regretted; his preference was to join the [[Second Boer War|campaign against the Boers]] in South Africa.<ref>{{Cite news|date=8 January 1900|title=Ireland|work=The Times}}</ref> In 1911, he was appointed Governor General of Canada, replacing [[Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey]], as [[viceroy]]. He occupied this post until he was succeeded by [[Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire]], in 1916. He acted as the King's, and thus the [[Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Forces|Canadian Commander-in-Chief]]'s, representative through the first years of the [[First World War]].

After the end of his viceregal tenure, Arthur returned to Britain and performed various royal duties there and in Ireland, while also again taking up military duties. Though he retired from public life in 1928, he continued to make his presence known in the army well into the Second World War, before his death in 1942. He was Queen Victoria's last surviving son.

==Early life==
[[File:Queen Victoria with Prince Arthur.jpg|thumb|left|A painting of [[Queen Victoria]] with Prince Arthur by [[Franz Xaver Winterhalter]]]]
Arthur was born at [[Buckingham Palace]] on 1 May 1850, the seventh child and third son of [[Queen Victoria]] and [[Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]. He was [[infant baptism|baptised]] by the [[Archbishop of Canterbury]], [[John Bird Sumner]], on 22 June in the palace's private chapel.  His godparents were [[Wilhelm I, German Emperor|Prince William of Prussia]] (the later King of Prussia and German Emperor Wilhelm I); his [[William IV|great-uncle's]] sister-in-law, [[Princess Ida of Saxe-Meiningen|Princess Bernard of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach]] (for whom his maternal grandmother the [[Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld|Duchess of Kent]] stood proxy); and the [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Duke of Wellington]], with whom he shared his birthday and after whom he was named.<ref>{{London Gazette| issue=21108 |date=26 June 1850 |page=1807}}</ref><ref name=Bousfield80>{{cite book| last1=Bousfield| first1=Arthur| last2=Toffoli |first2=Gary| title=Home to Canada: Royal Tours 1786–2010| publisher=Dundurn Press| year=2010| location=Tonawanda| page=[https://archive.org/details/royaltours1786200000bous/page/80 80]| isbn=978-1-55488-800-9| url=https://archive.org/details/royaltours1786200000bous/page/80}}</ref> As with his older brothers, Arthur received his early education from private [[tutor]]s. It was reported that he became the Queen's favourite child.<ref>{{cite book| last=Erickson| first=Carolly| title=Her Little Majesty: The Life of Queen Victoria| publisher=Simon & Schuster| date=15 January 2002| location=New York| isbn=978-0-7432-3657-7}}</ref>

==Military career==
[[File:Prince Arthur and Leopold, 1860d.jpg|thumb|right|Prince Arthur (sitting on the right) with his younger brother, [[Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany|Prince Leopold]], {{circa|1866}}]]
It was at an early age that Arthur developed an interest in the army, and in 1866 he followed through on his military ambitions by enrolling at the [[Royal Military Academy, Woolwich]], from where he graduated two years later and was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Corps of [[Royal Engineers]] on 18 June 1868.<ref>{{London Gazette| issue=23391 |date=19 June 1868 |page=3431}}</ref> The Prince transferred to the [[Royal Regiment of Artillery]] on 2 November 1868 and,<ref>{{London Gazette| issue=23436 |date=30 October 1868 |page=5467}}</ref> on 2 August 1869, to the [[Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own)|Rifle Brigade]],<ref>{{London Gazette| issue=23522 |date=3 August 1869 |page=4313}}</ref> his father's own regiment, after which he pursued a long and distinguished career as an army officer, including service in South Africa, Canada in 1869, Ireland, Egypt in 1882, and in India from 1886 to 1890.
 
In Canada, Arthur, as an officer with the [[Montreal]] detachment of the Rifle Brigade,<ref name=Bousfield80 /> undertook a year's training and engaged in defending the [[Dominion]] from the [[Fenian Raids]]; there was initially concern that his personal involvement in Canada's defence might put the Prince in danger from Fenians and their supporters in the United States, but it was decided his military duty came first.<ref name=Bousfield80/> Following his arrival at [[Halifax Regional Municipality|Halifax]], Arthur toured the country for eight weeks and made a visit in January 1870 to Washington, D.C., where he met with [[President of the United States|President]] [[Ulysses S. Grant]].<ref name=Bousfield80 /><ref name=Bousfield81>{{Harvnb| Bousfield| Toffoli |2010| p=81}}</ref> During his service in Canada he was also entertained by Canadian society; among other activities, he attended an investiture ceremony in [[Montreal]], was a guest at balls and garden parties, and attended the opening of parliament in [[Ottawa]] (becoming the first member of the royal family to do so),<ref name=Bousfield81/> all of which was documented in photographs that were sent back for the Queen to view. On 25 May 1870 he was engaged in fending off Fenian invaders during the [[Battle of Eccles Hill]], for which he received the [[Canada General Service Medal|Fenian Medal]].<ref>{{Harvnb| Bousfield| Toffoli |2010| p=82}}</ref>
[[File:Prince Arthur Mohawk Chapel Canada 1869.jpg|thumb|Prince Arthur met with the Chiefs of the [[Six Nations of the Grand River]] at the [[Mohawk Chapel]] in 1869.]]
Arthur made an impression on many in Canada. He was given on 1 October 1869 the title ''Chief of the Six Nations'' by the [[Iroquois]] of the [[Six Nations of the Grand River|Grand River Reserve]] in [[Ontario]] and the name ''Kavakoudge'' (meaning the sun flying from east to west under the guidance of the [[Great Spirit]]), enabling him to sit in the tribe's councils and vote on matters of tribe governance. As he became the 51st chief on the council, his appointment broke the centuries-old tradition that there should only be 50 chiefs of the Six Nations.<ref name=Bousfield83>{{Harvnb| Bousfield| Toffoli |2010| p=83}}</ref> Of the Prince, Lady Lisgar, wife of then Governor General of Canada [[John Young, 1st Baron Lisgar|Lord Lisgar]], noted in a letter to Victoria that Canadians seemed hopeful Prince Arthur would one day return as governor general.<ref>{{cite book| last=Hubbard| first=R.H.| title=Rideau Hall| publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press| year=1977| location=Montreal and London| page=[https://archive.org/details/rideauhallillust00hubb/page/17 17]| isbn=978-0-7735-0310-6| url=https://archive.org/details/rideauhallillust00hubb/page/17}}</ref>

Arthur was promoted to the honorary rank of colonel on 14 June 1871,<ref>{{London Gazette| issue=23751|page=3006| date=30 June 1871}}</ref> substantive lieutenant-colonel in 1876,<ref name=Bousfield80 /> colonel on 29 May 1880 and,<ref name=gazette29May80>{{London Gazette| issue=24849| date=29 May 1880|page=3269}}</ref> on 1 April 13 years later, was made a general.<ref name=Bousfield80 /> He gained military experience as Commander-in-Chief of the [[Bombay Army]] from December 1886 to March 1890.<ref>{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3VQTAAAAYAAJ| last=India Office| title=The India List and India Office List| year=1819| publisher=Harrison| location=London| access-date=7 July 2013}}</ref> He went on to be [[General officer commanding]] [[Southern Command (United Kingdom)|Southern District]], at [[Portsmouth]], from September 1890<ref name=commands>{{cite web|url=https://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/Army%20Commands%201860-.pdf|title=Army Commands|access-date=21 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=26084|page=4775|date=2 September 1890}}</ref> to 1893.<ref>{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=26458|page=6356|date=14 November 1893}}</ref> The Prince had hoped to succeed his first cousin once-removed, the elderly [[Prince George, Duke of Cambridge]], as [[Commander-in-Chief of the Forces]], upon the latter's forced retirement in 1895. But this desire was denied to Arthur, and instead he was given, between 1893<ref>{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=26446|page=5554|date=3 October 1893}}</ref> and 1898, command of the [[Aldershot Command|Aldershot District Command]].<ref name=commands/>
He was appointed [[Colonel (United_Kingdom)#Colonel-in-Chief|Colonel-in-Chief]] of the [[Rifle Brigade]] in 1880 and of the [[6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons]] in 1897, [[Colonel (United Kingdom)#Honorary Colonel|Honorary Colonel]] of the [[Isle of Wight Artillery Militia]] (later the 'Duke of Connaught's Own') in 1875 and of the [[3rd (West Kent Militia) Battalion, Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment)]] in 1884.<ref name = List>''Army List'', various dates.</ref> In August 1899 the 6th Battalion, Rifles of the Canadian [[Non-Permanent Active Militia]], located in [[Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]], also asked Prince Arthur to give his name to the regiment and act as its honorary colonel. The regiment had recently been converted to the infantry role from the 2nd Battalion, 5th British Columbia Regiment of Canadian Artillery. With the Prince's agreement the unit was renamed 6th Regiment, Duke of Connaught's Own Rifles (DCORs) on 1 May 1900. He was subsequently appointed colonel-in-chief of the regiment, then known as [[The British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught's Own)]], in 1923. He held that appointment until his death. Additionally, in 1890 he became patron of, giving his name to, the [[6th Duke of Connaught's Royal Canadian Hussars]], which in 1958 amalgamated with [[17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars]], to become the [[Royal Canadian Hussars]].

On 26 June 1902 he was promoted to the post of [[Field marshal (United Kingdom)|field marshal]], and thereafter served in various important positions, including [[Commander-in-Chief, Ireland]], from January 1900<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=27154 |date=16 January 1900 |page=289 }}</ref> to 1904, with the dual position of commander of the [[III Corps (United Kingdom)|Third Army Corps]] from October 1901,<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=27360 |date=1 October 1901 |page=6400}}</ref> and [[Inspector-General of the Forces]], between 1904 and 1907.

For a brief period of time, after the [[May Coup (Serbia)|May Coup]] that took place in [[Kingdom of Serbia|Serbia]] in 1903, he was among those considered for the vacant Serbian throne after the extinction of the then ruling [[Obrenović dynasty]]. His succession was advocated particularly among the conservative anglophile circles, represented most prominently by [[Čedomilj Mijatović]], then Serbian ambassador to the [[Court of St James's]].<ref>{{cite book| title=Athensjournals| location=Athens| pages=5–7]| url=https://www.athensjournals.gr/reviews/2021-4234-HIS.pdf}}</ref>

==Peerage, marriage, and family==
On his mother's birthday (24 May) in 1874, Arthur was created a royal [[Peerage|peer]], being titled as the [[Duke of Connaught and Strathearn]] and [[Earl of Sussex]].<ref>{{London Gazette| issue=24098| date=26 May 1874|page=2779}}</ref> Some years later, Arthur came into the direct line of succession to the Duchy of [[Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]] in Germany, upon the death in 1899 of his nephew, [[Alfred, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Prince Alfred of Edinburgh]], the only son of his elder brother, [[Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh]]. He decided, however, to renounce his own and his son's succession rights to the duchy, which then passed to his other nephew, [[Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Prince Charles Edward]], the posthumous son of [[Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany]].<ref>{{cite web|title=House Laws of the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|url=https://www.heraldica.org/topics/royalty/HGSachsen-CG.htm#1899|website=Heraldica.org}}</ref>
[[File:ArthurConnaughtfamille.jpg|thumb|upright|The Duke and [[Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia|Duchess of Connaught]] with their three children, 1893]]
At [[St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle]], on 13 March 1879, Arthur married [[Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia]], the daughter of Prince [[Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia|Frederick Charles]] and a great-niece of the German Emperor, Arthur's godfather, Wilhelm I. The couple had three children: Princess [[Princess Margaret of Connaught|Margaret Victoria Charlotte Augusta Norah]] (15 January 1882 – 1 May 1920), Prince [[Prince Arthur of Connaught|Arthur Frederick Patrick Albert]] (13 January 1883 – 12 September 1938), and Princess [[Princess Patricia of Connaught|Victoria Patricia Helena Elizabeth]] (17 March 1886 – 12 January 1974), who were all raised at the Connaughts' country home, [[Bagshot Park]], in [[Surrey]], and after 1900 at [[Clarence House]], the Connaughts' London residence. Through his children's marriages, Arthur became the father-in-law of Crown Prince [[Gustaf VI Adolf|Gustaf Adolf of Sweden]]; [[Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife]]; and Sir [[Alexander Ramsay (Royal Navy officer)|Alexander Ramsay]]. The Duke's first two children predeceased him; Margaret while pregnant with her sixth child.{{#tag:ref|Through Princess Margaret, the reigning monarchs of [[Monarchy of Sweden|Sweden]] and [[Monarchy of Denmark|Denmark]] are descended from the Duke of Connaught and Strathearn.|group=n|name=Descent}} For many years, Arthur maintained a liaison with [[Sir John Leslie, 2nd Baronet|Leonie, Lady Leslie]], sister of [[Jennie Churchill]], while still remaining devoted to his wife.<ref>{{Cite book| last=King| first=Greg| title=Twilight of Splendor: The Court of Queen Victoria During Her Diamond Jubilee| publisher=John Wiley & Sons| year=2007| location=Hoboken| page=59| isbn=978-0-470-04439-1}}</ref>

==Royal duties==
[[File:Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, Arthur, Duke of Connaught, and Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, 1893.jpg|thumb|250px|right|From left to right, the [[Edward VII|Prince of Wales]], Prince Arthur, and [[Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Prince Alfred]], at the [[Wedding of Prince George and Princess Victoria Mary|Wedding]] of the [[George V|Duke]] and [[Mary of Teck|Duchess of York]], July 6, 1893]]

Alongside his military career, the Duke continued to undertake royal duties beyond, or only vaguely associated with, the army. He also represented the monarchy throughout the Empire. On the return from a posting in India, he again, this time with his wife, toured Canada in 1890, stopping in all major cities across the country.<ref name=Bousfield83 /> He also toured Canada in 1906.<ref>Edmonton Bulletin, 9 March 1906</ref> In January 1903, the Duke and Duchess represented the new King [[Edward VII]] at the 1903 [[Delhi Durbar]] to celebrate his accession. On their way to India, the couple passed through Egypt where the Duke opened the [[Aswan Low Dam|Aswan dam]] on 10 December 1902.<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title= Court News |date=27 November 1902 |page=10 |issue=36936| }}</ref>

In 1910, Arthur travelled aboard the [[Union-Castle Line]] ship ''[[RMS Balmoral Castle (1909)|Balmoral Castle]]'' to South Africa, to open the first parliament of the newly formed [[Union of South Africa]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maritimematters.com/union-castle.html |title=Union-Castle Line – A brief Company History |last=Cox |first=Martin |publisher=Maritime Matters |access-date=28 September 2008  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080917135535/http://www.maritimematters.com/union-castle.html |archive-date=17 September 2008 }}</ref> and in [[Johannesburg]] on 30 November he laid a commemorative stone at the [[South African National Museum of Military History|Rand Regiments Memorial]], dedicated to the British soldiers that died during the [[Second Boer War]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.allatsea.co.za/cems/anglomemorial.htm| title=The Anglo-Boer War Memorial at the Museum of Military History| publisher=The All at Sea Network| access-date=28 September 2008| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918224019/http://www.allatsea.co.za/cems/anglomemorial.htm| archive-date=18 September 2008}}</ref>

Prince Arthur was a [[Freemason]] and was elected as [[Grand Master (Masonic)|Grand Master]] of the [[United Grand Lodge of England]] when his elder brother was obliged to resign the office upon his accession in 1901 as King Edward VII. He was subsequently re-elected an additional 37 times before 1939, when the Prince was nearly 90 years of age.

==Governor General of Canada==
It was announced on 6 March 1911 that King [[George V]] had, by commission under the [[royal sign-manual]], approved the recommendation of his British prime minister, [[H.H. Asquith]], to appoint Arthur as [[Governor General of Canada]], the representative of the monarch.<ref name=GGConn>{{cite web| url=http://archive.gg.ca/gg/fgg/bios/01/connaught_e.asp| last=Office of the Governor General of Canada| title=Governor General > Former Governors General > Field Marshal His Royal Highness the Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=30 April 2009}}</ref> His brother-in-law, [[John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll]], had previously served as the country's governor general, but when Arthur was sworn in on 13 October 1911 in the ''[[Legislative Council of Quebec|salon rouge]]'' of the [[Parliament Building (Quebec)|parliament buildings of Quebec]],<ref name=Bousfield85>{{Harvnb| Bousfield| Toffoli |2010| p=85}}</ref> he became the first Governor General who was a member of the [[British royal family]].<ref name=GGConn />
[[File:HRH the Duke of Connaught and staff (HS85-10-26905).jpg|thumb|The Duke of Connaught with the Duchess, his daughter, and his staff in 1913. He served as the [[Governor General of Canada]] from 1911 to 1916.]]
To Canada, Arthur brought with him his wife and his younger daughter, the latter of whom would become an extremely popular figure with Canadians. The Governor General and his viceregal family travelled throughout the country, performing such constitutional and ceremonial tasks as opening parliament in 1911 (for which Arthur wore his field marshal's uniform and the Duchess of Connaught wore the gown she had worn at the [[Coronation of George V and Mary|King's coronation]] earlier that year) and,<ref name=Bousfield85 /> in 1917, laying at the newly rebuilt [[Centre Block]] on [[Parliament Hill]] the same cornerstone his older brother, the late King Edward VII, had set on 1 September 1860, when the original building was under construction. The family crossed the country a number of times and the Governor General made another trip to the United States in 1912, when he met with President [[William Howard Taft]].<ref>{{Harvnb| Bousfield| Toffoli |2010| p=86}}</ref>

When in Ottawa, Connaught maintained a routine of four days each week at his office on [[Parliament Hill]] and held small, private receptions for members of all political parties and dignitaries. The Duke learned to [[Ice skating|ice skate]] and hosted skating parties at his official residence{{mdash}} [[Rideau Hall]]{{mdash}} to which the Connaughts made many physical improvements during Arthur's term as governor general. The royal family also took to [[camping]] and other outdoor sports, such as hunting and fishing.<ref>{{Harvnb| Bousfield| Toffoli |2010| p=87}}</ref>
[[File:Postcard of Vice-Regal Visit to Valcartier Military Base 1914.jpg|thumb|left|Prince Arthur and his viceregal party visit the [[CFB Valcartier|Valcartier military base]] in 1914.]]
In 1914, the First World War broke out, with Canadians called to arms against [[German Empire|Germany]] and [[Austria-Hungary]]. Arthur maintained a wider role in [[British Empire|the empire]]{{mdash}} for instance, from 1912 until his death, serving as [[Colonel-in-Chief]] of the [[Cape Town Highlanders Regiment]]<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.cthighlanders.co.za/cth/history.htm| title=History – Past Royal Connections| publisher=Cape Town Highlanders Website (Unofficial)| access-date=28 August 2008| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071008154156/http://www.cthighlanders.co.za/cth/history.htm| archive-date=8 October 2007}}</ref>{{mdash}} but the Connaughts remained in Canada after the beginning of the global conflict, Arthur emphasising the need for military training and readiness for Canadian troops departing for war, and giving his name to the Connaught Cup for the [[Royal North-West Mounted Police]], to encourage pistol marksmanship for recruits. He was also active in auxiliary war services and charities and conducted hospital visits. Though well intended, upon the outbreak of the war, Arthur immediately donned his field marshal's uniform and went, without advice or guidance from his ministers, to training grounds and barracks to address the troops and to see them off before their voyage to Europe. This was much to the chagrin of Prime Minister [[Robert Borden]], who saw the Prince as overstepping [[Constitutional convention (political custom)|constitutional conventions]].<ref>{{cite book| last=Hubbard| first=R.H.| title=Rideau Hall| publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press| year=1977| location=Montreal and London| pages=[https://archive.org/details/rideauhallillust00hubb/page/137/mode/1up 137]| isbn=978-0-7735-0310-6| ref=CITEREF_Hubbard_1977| url=https://archive.org/details/rideauhallillust00hubb/page/137/mode/1up}}</ref> Borden placed blame on the military secretary, Edward Stanton (whom Borden considered to be "mediocre"), but also opined that Arthur "laboured under the handicap of his position as a member of the royal family and never realised his limitations as Governor General."<ref>{{Cite book| last=Borden| first=Robert| author-link=Robert Borden| title=Memoires| publisher=McClelland and Stewart| date=1 January 1969| location=Toronto| pages=601–602| volume=1}}</ref> At the same time, the Duchess of Connaught worked for [[St John Ambulance]], the [[Red Cross]], and other organisations to support the war cause. She was also Colonel-in-Chief of the [[199th Battalion Duchess of Connaught's Own Irish Rangers, CEF|Duchess of Connaught's Own Irish Canadian Rangers]] battalion, one of the regiments in the [[Canadian Expeditionary Force]], and Princess Patricia also lent her name and support to the raising of a new Canadian army regiment{{mdash}} [[Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry]].

His term as Canada's Governor General ended in 1916.

Following the war, Arthur commissioned in memory of Canada's fallen a [[stained glass]] window which is located in [[St. Bartholomew's Anglican Church (Ottawa)|St. Bartholomew's Church, Ottawa]], which the family attended regularly.

==Later life==
[[File:Laszlo - Prince Arthur, The Duke of Connaught and Strathearn.jpg|thumb|upright|Portrait by [[Philip de László]], 1937.]]
After his years in Canada, the Duke held no similar public offices but undertook a number of public engagements. In 1920, he travelled to South Africa to open [[Chapman's Peak Drive]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Drive|first=Chapman's Peak|title=History|url=https://www.chapmanspeakdrive.co.za/the-drive/history.html|access-date=2020-07-01|website=Chapmans Peak Drive|language=en-gb}}</ref> The following year he travelled to India, where he officially opened the new [[Central Legislative Assembly]], [[Council of State (India)|Council of State]], and [[Chamber of Princes]].<ref>{{Citation|contribution=Arthur, Prince, first duke of Connaught and Strathearn|year=2004|title=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography|editor-last=Harrison|editor-first=Brian|volume=I|place=Oxford|publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref>  During his time in India, the [[Indian National Congress]]'s [[Non-cooperation movement (1909–22)|first satyagraha]] was ongoing; as part of this, shops were closed and few Indians attended the official ceremonies when he visited [[Calcutta]] in the same year.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Searching for rights and freedoms in the 20th century|author=Jane Shuter |author2=Rosemary Rees |author3=William Beinart |author4=Edward Teversham |author5=Rick Rogers |publisher=Pearson Education Limited|year=2015|isbn=978-1-447-98533-4|location=London|page=196}}</ref> As president of the [[The Scout Association|Boy Scouts Association]] and one of [[Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell|Lord Baden-Powell]]'s friends and admirers, he performed the official opening of the [[3rd World Scout Jamboree]] at [[Arrowe Park]].

The Duke also returned to military service and continued well into the Second World War,<ref>{{Citation|last=Bell|first=Edward|title=Letter to Mrs. E.I.J. Bell|date=4 June 1939|publisher=The Letter Repository|url=http://www.war-letters.com/0023/0024.html|access-date=25 April 2010|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106204135/http://www.war-letters.com/0023/0024.html|archive-date=6 January 2009}}</ref> where he was seen as a grandfather figure by aspiring recruits. The Duchess, who had been ill during their years at Rideau Hall, had died in March 1917, and Arthur mostly withdrew from public life in 1928.{{cn|date=March 2025}}

==Death==
Prince Arthur died on 16 January 1942 at [[Bagshot Park]]. At the age of 91 years and 260 days he was the equal [[List of longest-living members of the British royal family|longest-lived]] of Queen Victoria's children, alongside his elder sister, [[Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll]], who had died two years and one month before. A funeral service for the Duke was held at [[St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle]] on 23 January, after which his body was placed temporarily in the Royal Vault beneath the chapel.<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=The Late Duke of Connaught|date=20 March 1942 |page=7 |issue=49189 }}</ref> He was reburied on 19 March 1942 in the [[Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stgeorges-windsor.org/about-st-georges/royal-connection/royal-burials/royal-burials-chapel-since-1805/|title=Royal Burials in the Chapel since 1805|work=College of St George - Windsor Castle|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref> He was Queen Victoria's last surviving son.<ref name=obit>{{cite news |title=Duke Of Connaught Dead In England, 91. Last of Four Sons of Queen Victoria, Governor General of Canada, 1911-16. King Orders Mourning. Senior Field Marshal of the British Army Had a Notable Career in Armed Forces |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D07E5D61639E03BBC4F52DFB7668389659EDE&legacy=true |newspaper=[[New York Times]] |date=17 January 1942 |page=8}}</ref> His will was sealed in [[Llandudno]] after his death in 1942. His estate was valued at £150,677 (or £4.9 million in 2022 when adjusted for inflation).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Evans |first1=Rob |last2=Pegg |first2=David |title=£187m of Windsor family wealth hidden in secret royal wills |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jul/18/187m-pounds-of-windsor-family-wealth-hidden-in-secret-royal-wills |website=The Guardian |access-date=19 July 2022 |language=en |date=18 July 2022}}</ref>

== Legacy ==
His great-nephew [[Edward VIII|King Edward VIII]] remembered Prince Arthur in his memoirs:<blockquote>His manners were faultless; his courtesy invested his simplest action with dignity and naturalness. I would not have called him a completely happy man. His family life had not been without sadness. As a younger brother and later the uncle and great-uncle of successive Sovereigns he had always had to play second fiddle in the affairs of the Royal Family. Yet, he never shirked the onerous demands made upon his services. As a sponsor of a multitude of national institutions and undertakings he was a distinguished figure in public life. In his personal philosophy, he was urbane, tolerant and wise. Even when I sometimes found myself in rebellion against some of the things of the world of which he was a part, I nevertheless felt that, while he might not necessarily approve the course I had in mind, he would view it in a sympathetic and understanding light.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Windsor |first=Duke of |title=A King's Story: the Memoirs of the Duke of Windsor |publisher=The Reprint Society London |year=1951 |isbn=9787240011775 |location=London |pages=180–181}}</ref></blockquote>

==Titles, styles, honours and arms==
{{Main|List of titles and honours of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn}}
As a member of the royal family and having been a viceroy, Prince Arthur held a number of titles and styles during his life. He was also the recipient of many honours, both domestic and foreign. He was an active member of the military, eventually reaching the rank of [[Field marshal (United Kingdom)|field marshal]], and served as [[Personal Aide-de-Camp|personal aide-de-camp]] to four successive sovereigns.

===Arms===
{{Infobox COA wide
|image             = File:Coat of Arms of Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, after 1917.svg
|bannerimage       = Royal Standard of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (1917-1942).svg
|badgeimage        =
|notes             = Prince Arthur was granted a coat of arms with his dukedom, consisting of the [[Escutcheon (heraldry)|escutcheon]] of the [[Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom|arms of the sovereign in right of the United Kingdom]], with a difference of a label argent, of three points, the first and third bearing fleurs-de-lys azure, and the central a cross gules and an inescutcheon of Saxony. In 1917, the inescutcheon was dropped by royal warrant from [[George V of the United Kingdom|King George V]].<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/cadency.htm|title=British Royalty Cadency|publisher=Heraldica|access-date=27 April 2010}}</ref>
|year_adopted      = 1874
|crest             =
|torse             =
|helm              =
|escutcheon        = Quarterly 1st and 4th gules three lions passant guardant in pale or 2nd or a lion rampant gules within a double tressure flory counterflory gules 3rd azure a harp or stringed argent. Overall differenced by a label of three points argent, the central point charged with a [[St George's Cross]], the points dexter and sinister charged with a [[Fleur-de-lis|Fleur-de-Lis]] azure.
|supporters        = Dexter a lion rampant gardant or imperially crowned proper, sinister a unicorn argent, armed, crined and unguled or, gorged with a coronet or composed of crosses patée and fleurs de lis a chain affixed thereto passing between the forelegs and reflexed over the back also or.
|compartment       =
|motto             =
|orders            =
|other_elements    = 
|banner            = Arthur's banner of arms between 1917 and 1942.
[[File:Royal Standard of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (1868-1917).svg|50px]] (The previous version with the coat of arms of the [[List of rulers of Saxony|Royal House of Saxony]] inescutcheon.)
|badge             =
|symbolism         = As with the Royal Arms of the United Kingdom. The first and fourth quarters are the arms of [[Coat of arms of England|England]], the second of [[Coat of arms of Scotland|Scotland]], the third of [[Coat of arms of Ireland|Ireland]].
|previous_versions = [[File:Coat of Arms of Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn.svg|right||120px]]Quarterly 1st and 4th gules three lions passant guardant in pale or 2nd or a lion rampant gules within a double tressure flory counterflory gules 3rd azure a harp or stringed argent. Overall differenced by a label of three points argent, the central point charged with a [[St George's Cross]], the points dexter and sinister charged with a [[Fleur-de-lis|Fleur-de-Lis]] azure. Until 1917, an [[inescutcheon]] of [[Saxony]] (for his father). In 1917, [[inescutcheon]] of the shield of Saxony was dropped by royal warrant from [[George V]].<ref>[https://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/cadency.htm Heraldica – British Royalty Cadency]</ref>
}}

==Issue==
{| border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse;"
|- bgcolor="#cccccc"
!Image!!Name!!Birth!!Death!!Notes
|-
|align=center| [[File:Margaret of Connaught.jpg|90px]] ||[[Princess Margaret of Connaught]]||15 January 1882||1 May 1920||married, 15 June 1905, Crown Prince [[Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden|Gustaf Adolf of Sweden]]; had issue (including [[Ingrid of Sweden|Ingrid, Queen of Denmark]]).
|-
|align=center| [[File:Prince Arthur of Connaught Garter.jpg|90px]] ||[[Prince Arthur of Connaught]]||13 January 1883||12 September 1938||married, 15 October 1913, [[Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife]]; had issue.
|-
|align=center| [[File:Princess Patricia.jpg|90px]] ||[[Princess Patricia of Connaught]]||17 March 1886||12 January 1974||married, 27 February 1919, Captain Sir [[Alexander Ramsay (Royal Navy officer)|Alexander Ramsay]], renouncing her title and becoming Lady Patricia Ramsay; had issue.
|}

==Ancestry==
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center |ref=<ref>{{cite book| last1 = Louda| first1 = Jiří|author1-link=Jiří Louda|last2=Maclagan |first2=Michael|author2-link=Michael Maclagan| title = Lines of Succession: Heraldry of the Royal Families of Europe| year = 1999| publisher = Little, Brown| location = London| isbn = 1-85605-469-1| page = 34 }}</ref>
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|1= 1. '''Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn'''
|2= 2. [[Albert, Prince Consort|Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]
|3= 3. [[Queen Victoria|Victoria of the United Kingdom]]
|4= 4. [[Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]
|5= 5. [[Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1800–1831)|Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg]]
|6= 6. [[Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn]]
|7= 7. [[Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld]]
|8= 8. [[Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld]]
|9= 9. [[Countess Augusta of Reuss-Ebersdorf]]
|10= 10. [[Augustus, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg]]
|11= 11. [[Duchess Louise Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Schwerin]]
|12= 12. [[George III of the United Kingdom]]
|13= 13. [[Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz|Duchess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]]
|14= 14. [[Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld]] (= 8)
|15= 15. [[Countess Augusta of Reuss-Ebersdorf]] (= 9)
}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Scouting}}
* [[British prince]]
* [[Royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom]]

Named in his honour:
* [[Port Arthur, Ontario|Port Arthur]], a former city in Northern Ontario
* [[Beltline, Calgary#Connaught|Connaught]], a neighbourhood in [[Calgary]], [[Alberta]], Canada
* [[Connaught Drive]], Singapore
* [[Connaught Place, New Delhi]], the commercial centre of India's capital, the epicentre of the imperial [[Lutyens' Delhi]]
* [[Connaught Place, London]], at the south end of [[Edgware Road]], very close to the [[Marble Arch]] and [[Hyde Park, London|Hyde Park]]
* [[Connaught Road]], Hong Kong, a major thoroughfare on the north shore of Hong Kong Island.

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=n}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn}}
{{NSRW Poster|Connaught, Arthur, Duke of|Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn}}
* {{UK National Archives ID}}
* {{NPG name}}
* [http://bibnum2.banq.qc.ca/bna/massic/detail/8-47-a.jpg 8 May 1915, newspaper coverage of the Duke of Connaught's appearance at McGill University Convocation.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100213175310/http://bibnum2.banq.qc.ca/bna/massic/detail/8-47-a.jpg |date=13 February 2010 }}
* ''Scouting Round the World'', [[J. S. Wilson|John S. Wilson]], first edition, Blandford Press 1959 p.&nbsp;81

{{S-start}}
{{S-hou|[[House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]] later [[House of Windsor]]|1 May|1850|16 January|1942|[[House of Wettin]]}}
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{{S-end}}

{{British princes}}
{{Princes of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha}}
{{Governors General of Canada}}
{{Grand Masters of the Order of the Bath}}
{{UGLE}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, Prince}}
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