View source for Prince George, Duke of Kent

{{short description|British prince (1902–1942)}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Prince George
| title        = [[Duke of Kent]] ([[#Honours and arms|more]])
| image        = Prince George, Duke of Kent.jpg
| image_size   =
| caption      = George in 1934
| spouse       = {{marriage|[[Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark]]|29 November 1934}}
| issue        = {{plainlist|
* [[Prince Edward, Duke of Kent]]
* [[Princess Alexandra, The Hon. Lady Ogilvy]]
* [[Prince Michael of Kent]]}}
| full name    = George Edward Alexander Edmund
| house        = {{plainlist|
* [[House of Windsor|Windsor]] (from 1917)
* [[House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]] (until 1917)}}
| father       = [[George V]]
| mother       = [[Mary of Teck]]
| birth_name   = Prince George of Wales
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|1902|12|20|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [[York Cottage]], [[Sandringham, Norfolk]], England
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|1942|8|25|1902|12|20|df=y}}
| death_place  = [[Morven, Caithness]], Scotland
| death_cause  = [[Dunbeath air crash]]
| burial_date  = 29 August 1942
| burial_place = {{Br separated entries|Royal Vault, [[St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle]] | 29 August 1968 |[[Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore]]}}
| signature    = PrinceGeorgeSignature.svg
| module       = {{Infobox person
| embed=yes
  | education     = {{plainlist|
* [[Royal Naval College, Osborne]]
* [[Britannia Royal Naval College]]}}
}}
{{Infobox military person
| embed=yes
  | allegiance    = {{flagu|United Kingdom}}
  |branch= {{plainlist|
* {{navy|United Kingdom}}
* {{army|United Kingdom}}
* {{air force|United Kingdom}}}}
  |serviceyears= 1916–1942
  |serviceyears_label= Years of active service
  |rank={{plainlist|
* [[Rear admiral (Royal Navy)|Rear-admiral]] (RN)
* [[Major-general (United Kingdom)|Major general]] (British Army)
* [[Air commodore]] (RAF)}}
  |unit=
  |commands=
  |battles={{plainlist|
* [[First World War]]
* [[Second World War]]}}
}}
}}
'''Prince George, Duke of Kent''' (George Edward Alexander Edmund; 20 December 1902 – 25 August 1942), was a member of the [[British royal family]], the fourth son of [[George V|King George V]] and [[Mary of Teck|Queen Mary]], and a younger brother of Kings [[Edward VIII]] and [[George VI]]. He served in the [[Royal Navy]] during the 1920s, later worked briefly as a [[civil servant]], and was granted the [[dukedom of Kent]] in 1934. In the late 1930s, he became a [[Royal Air Force]] officer, serving in staff roles at [[RAF Training Command]] and, from July 1941, in the Welfare Section of the RAF Inspector General's Staff. George died in the [[Dunbeath air crash]] in Scotland in 1942, aged 39, one of fourteen fatalities among the fifteen crew and passengers.

==Early life==
[[File:Princejohnandfamily.jpg|thumb|left|Prince George (far right) with his siblings in 1910]]
George was born on 20 December 1902 at [[York Cottage]] on the [[Sandringham House|Sandringham Estate]] in Norfolk, England.<ref name=ppg26aug>{{cite news|title=Duke of Kent once called sailor prince|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=dtkOAAAAIBAJ&pg=5896,1218980&dq=prince+george+duke+of+kent&hl=en|access-date=23 March 2013|newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|date=26 August 1945}}</ref> His father was the Prince of Wales (later King [[George V]]), the only surviving son of King [[Edward VII]] and [[Alexandra of Denmark|Queen Alexandra]].

His mother was the Princess of Wales, later [[Mary of Teck|Queen Mary]], the only daughter and eldest child of the [[Francis, Duke of Teck|Duke]] and [[Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge|Duchess of Teck]]. At the time of his birth, he was fifth in the [[Succession to the British throne|line of succession to the throne]], behind his father and three older brothers: [[Edward VIII|Edward]], [[George VI|Albert]] and [[Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester|Henry]].

George was baptised in the Private Chapel at [[Windsor Castle]] on 26 January 1903 by [[Francis Paget]], [[Bishop of Oxford]]. His godparents were King [[Edward VII]] (his paternal grandfather), [[Prince Valdemar of Denmark]] (his paternal granduncle, represented by [[Haakon VII of Norway|Prince Carl of Denmark]], his paternal uncle), [[Prince Louis of Battenberg]] (husband of his father's cousin), [[Alexandra of Denmark|Queen Alexandra]] (his paternal grandmother), [[Maria Feodorovna (Dagmar of Denmark)|Empress Dowager Maria Feodorovna]] (his paternal grandaunt, represented by [[Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom]], his paternal aunt), and [[Princess Helena of the United Kingdom|Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein]] (his paternal grandaunt).<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Court Circular|date=27 January 1903 |page=8 |issue=36988}}</ref>

==Education and career==
[[File:Princes Edward, Henry, and George Time cover 1927.jpg|thumb|George (centre) with his brothers the [[Edward VIII|Prince of Wales]] and [[Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester|Prince Henry]] on ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine's cover, 8 August 1927]]
George received his early education from a tutor and then followed his elder brother, [[Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester|Henry]], to [[St Peter's Court]], a preparatory school at [[Broadstairs]], Kent. At the age of 13, like his brothers, the Prince of Wales, later King [[Edward VIII]] and Albert, later King [[George VI]], before him, he went to naval college, first at [[Royal Naval College, Osborne|Osborne]] and later, at [[Britannia Royal Naval College|Dartmouth]].<ref name=ppg26aug/> He was promoted to sub-lieutenant on 15 February 1924,<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=33004 |date=23 December 1924 |page=9333 |nolink=y}}</ref> and was promoted to lieutenant on 15 February 1926.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=33133 |date=16 February 1926 |page=1160 |nolink=y}}</ref> He remained on active service in the Royal Navy until March 1929, serving on {{HMS|Iron Duke|1912|6}} and later on the flagship of the Atlantic Fleet (renamed the [[Home Fleet]] in 1932), {{HMS|Nelson|28|6}}.<ref name=ppg26aug/> He served on the latter as a lieutenant on the admiral's staff before transferring in 1928 to {{HMS|Durban}} on the [[North America and West Indies Station|America and West Indies Station]], based at the [[Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda|Royal Naval Dockyard]] at [[Bermuda]]. His father had previously served at Bermuda on {{HMS|Canada|1881|6}} and {{HMS|Thrush|1889|6}}, as a watch-keeping lieutenant.<ref>"Our London Letter", ''The Gloucester Journal'', Gloucester, England. 21 July 1928, p. 13</ref>

After leaving the navy, he briefly held posts at the Foreign Office and later the Home Office, becoming the first member of the royal family to work as a civil servant.<ref name=ppg26aug/> He continued to receive promotions after leaving active service: to commander on 15 February 1934<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=34024 |date=16 February 1934 |page=1074 |nolink=y}}</ref> and to captain on 1 January 1937.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=34356 |date=1 January 1937 |page=10 |nolink=y}}</ref>

From January to April 1931, George and his elder brother the Prince of Wales travelled 18,000 miles on a tour of South America. Their outward voyage was on the ocean liner {{SS|Oropesa|1919|2}}.<ref>{{citation |url= http://www.ecsodus.com/PSNC/fleet/O-1920.html |last=Erskine |first=Barry |title=Oropesa (II) |work=Pacific Steam Navigation Company |access-date=15 December 2013}}</ref> In Buenos Aires they opened a British Empire Exhibition.<ref>{{cite book |last=Nicol |first=Stuart |year=2001 |title=MacQueen's Legacy; Ships of the Royal Mail Line |volume=Two |place=Brimscombe Port and Charleston, SC |publisher=[[The History Press|Tempus Publishing]] |isbn=0-7524-2119-0 |page=130}}</ref> They continued from Río de la Plata to Rio de Janeiro on the liner {{RMS|Alcantara|1926|2}} and returned from Brazil to Europe on the liner {{RMS|Arlanza|1911|2}}, landing at [[Lisbon]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Nicol |first=Stuart |year=2001 |title=MacQueen's Legacy; A History of the Royal Mail Line |volume=One |place=Brimscombe Port and Charleston, SC |publisher=[[The History Press|Tempus Publishing]] |isbn=0-7524-2118-2 |page=158}}</ref> The princes returned via Paris and an Imperial Airways flight from [[Paris–Le Bourget Airport]] that landed specially in Windsor Great Park.<ref>{{citation |url= http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19310430-1.2.53.aspx |title=Arrival at Windsor by Air |newspaper=[[The Straits Times]] |publisher=[[National Library, Singapore]] |date=30 April 1931 |access-date=18 December 2013}}</ref><ref>{{citation |url= http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article45763837 |title=Princes Home |newspaper=[[The Advertiser (Adelaide)|The Advertiser and Register]] |publisher=[[National Library of Australia]] |date=1 May 1931 |access-date=18 December 2013}}</ref>

On 23 June 1936, George was appointed a personal aide-de-camp to his eldest brother, the new king, Edward VIII.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=34365 |date=19 June 1936 |page=4012 |supp=y |nolink=y}}</ref> Following the [[abdication of Edward VIII]], he was appointed a personal naval aide-de-camp to his elder brother, now George VI.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=34365 |date=29 January 1937 |page=687 |supp=y |nolink=y}}</ref> On 12 March 1937, he was commissioned as a colonel in the British Army and in the equivalent rank of group captain in the Royal Air Force (RAF).<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=34379 |date=12 March 1937 |page=1646 |nolink=y}}</ref> He was also appointed as the Colonel-in-Chief of the [[Royal Fusiliers]] from the same date.<ref name="Fusiliers">{{London Gazette |issue=34379 |date=12 March 1937 |page=1642 |nolink=y}}</ref>

In October 1938 George was appointed [[Governor-General of Australia]] in succession to [[Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie|Lord Gowrie]] with effect from November 1939.<ref>"The Duke of Kent: Appointment in Australia", ''The Times'' (26 October 1938): 14.</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Marina, a tragic but well-loved Princess|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BLIpAAAAIBAJ&pg=3140,8817486&dq=princess+marina&hl=en|access-date=24 July 2013|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=28 August 1968|location=London}}</ref> On 11 September 1939 it was announced that, owing to the outbreak of the Second World War, the appointment was postponed.<ref>"Duke of Kent and Australia", ''The Times'' (12 September 1939): 6.</ref>

On 8 June 1939, George was promoted to the ranks of [[Rear admiral (Royal Navy)|rear admiral]] in the Royal Navy, [[Major-general (United Kingdom)|major-general]] in the British Army and [[air vice-marshal]] in the Royal Air Force.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{London Gazette |issue=34633 |date=6 June 1939 |page=3851 |supp=y |nolink=y}}</ref> At the start of the Second World War, George returned to active naval service with the rank of rear admiral, briefly serving in the [[Naval Intelligence Division (United Kingdom)|Intelligence Division]] of the [[Admiralty (United Kingdom)|Admiralty]].

He was patron of the [[Society for Nautical Research]] between 1926 and 1942.<ref>Hugh Murphy & Derek J. Oddy (2010) ''The Mirror of the Seas; A Centenary History of the Society for Nautical Research'' London, Society for Nautical Research, p.191. {{ISBN|978-0-902387-01-0}}</ref>

==Personal life==
===Marriage and children===
[[File:The Duke and Duchess of Kent.jpg|thumb|The Duke and Duchess of Kent in 1934]]
On 9 October 1934, in anticipation of his forthcoming marriage to his second cousin, [[Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark]], he was created [[Duke of Kent]], [[Earl of St Andrews]], and [[Baron Downpatrick]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34094|date=9 October 1934|page=6365|city=London}}</ref> The couple [[Wedding of Prince George and Princess Marina|married]] on 29 November 1934 at [[Westminster Abbey]].<ref>{{cite news|title=King and Queen|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gBRkAAAAIBAJ&pg=1563,3406056&dq=prince+george+duke+of+kent&hl=en|access-date=23 March 2013|newspaper=The Calgary Daily Herald|date=29 November 1934}}</ref> This was followed by a Greek ceremony in the private chapel at [[Buckingham Palace]], which was converted into an Orthodox chapel for the liturgy.<ref>{{cite news|title=King and Queen see rehearsals|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jOpUAAAAIBAJ&pg=7191,2539668&dq=princess+marina&hl=en|access-date=24 July 2013|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=29 November 1934}}</ref> They had three children:
* [[Prince Edward, Duke of Kent]] (born 9 October 1935). He married [[Katharine, Duchess of Kent|Katharine Worsley]] on 8 June 1961. They have three children.
* [[Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy|Princess Alexandra, The Hon. Lady Ogilvy]] (born 25 December 1936). She married the Hon. [[Angus Ogilvy]], son of [[David Ogilvy, 12th Earl of Airlie]] and Lady Alexandra [[Earl of Leicester#Seventh creation (1837)|Coke]], on 24 April 1963. They have two children.
* [[Prince Michael of Kent]] (born 4 July 1942). He married [[Princess Michael of Kent|Baroness Marie Christine von Reibnitz]] on 30 June 1978. They have two children.

===Relationships===
George was rumoured to have affairs with musical star [[Jessie Matthews]],<ref name="Panton">Kenneth J. Panton [https://books.google.com/books?id=BiyyueBTpaMC&pg=PA217&lpg=PA217 ''Historical Dictionary of the British Monarchy''], Lanham,MD: Scarecrow Press, 2011, p.217</ref> writer [[Cecil Roberts]],<ref>King, Francis Henry. ''Yesterday Came Suddenly'', Constable (London) 1993, p278</ref> and [[Noël Coward]],<ref>Barry Day, ed., ''The Letters of Noël Coward''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2007. p. 691</ref> a relationship which Coward's long-term partner, [[Graham Payn]], denied.<ref>[[Gyles Brandreth|Brandreth, Gyles]] (2004). ''Philip and Elizabeth: Portrait of a Marriage''. London: Century. {{ISBN|0-7126-6103-4}}, p. 94</ref> While married, he was also rumoured to have had an affair with Margaret Whigham, later known as [[Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll]],<ref name=londontimes>{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/comment/article/the-dirty-duchess-of-argyll-was-ahead-of-her-time-8zj2q7kjg|title=The Dirty Duchess of Argyll was ahead of her time|work=[[The Times]]|date=2 February 2019|access-date=2 February 2019|last1=MacIntyre|first1=Ben}}</ref> though there is no solid foundation to this rumour.<ref name="Telegraph">{{Cite news |date=2024-06-30 |title=The scandalous unseen letters of 'love rat' Prince George, Duke of Kent |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2024/06/10/scandalous-unseen-letters-prince-george-duke-of-kent/ |access-date=2024-07-01 |work=The Telegraph}}</ref>

George's first major affair was with Gladys Jean Combe, younger daughter of Captain Christian Combe, of the [[Royal Horse Guards]], and his wife Lady Jane, daughter of [[George Conyngham, 3rd Marquess Conyngham]].<ref name="Telegraph"/> He had met her as a sub-lieutenant on [[HMS Mackay (D70)|HMS ''Mackay'']] on one of his trips ashore.<ref name="Telegraph"/> He was rumoured to have been addicted to drugs, especially [[morphine]] and [[cocaine]], an allegation which reputedly originated from his friendship with [[Kiki Preston]] (née Alice Gwynne, 1898–1946), whom he first met in the mid-1920s.<ref>Lynn Kear and John Rossman. ''Kay Francis: A Passionate Life and Career''. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 2006. [https://books.google.com/books?id=QWRWZu2EsKAC&pg=PA28 p. 28]</ref><ref name="Farrant">Farrant, Leda (1994). ''Diana, Lady Delamere and the Lord Erroll Murder'', p. 77. Publishers Distribution Services.</ref><ref>McLeod, Kirsty. ''Battle Royal: Edward VIII & George VI, Brother Against Brother''. Constable, 1999. p 122</ref> Known as "the girl with the silver syringe" due to her addiction to [[heroin]], Preston – a cousin of railroad heiress [[Gloria Vanderbilt]] – was married first to Horace R. B. Allen and then, in 1925, to banker Jerome Preston.<ref>Lynn Picknett, Clive Prince, Stephen Prior, and Robert Brydon. ''War of the Windsors: A Century of Unconstitutional Monarchy''. p. 58.</ref> She died after jumping out of a window of the [[Stanhope Hotel]] in New York City.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hpggAAAAIBAJ&sjid=R2gFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4430,7809765&dq=lillian+turner+preston&hl=en | title=N. Y. Woman Leaps 5 Stories to Death | work=[[The Lewiston Daily Sun]] | location=[[Lewiston, Maine]] | date=24 December 1946 | agency=[[Associated Press]] | access-date=12 June 2024}}</ref> His other alleged sexual liaisons include a ''[[ménage à trois]]'' with Preston and [[:es:José Evaristo Uriburu Roca|José Uriburu]], bisexual son of [[Argentina|Argentine]] ambassador to the UK [[:es:José Evaristo Uriburu Tezanos Pinto|José Uriburu Tezanos]].<ref>Bazán, Osvaldo (2004). ''[https://books.google.com/books/about/Historia_de_la_homosexualidad_en_la_Arge.html Historia de la homosexualidad en la Argentina: de la conquista de América al siglo XXI].'' (in Spanish), p. 180. Marea Editorial.</ref> In addition to his legitimate children, he was said to have had a son by Kiki Preston.<ref>Nicholson, Stuart (1999). ''Reminiscing in Tempo: A Portrait of Duke Ellington'', p. 146. Northeastern University Press.</ref> According to the memoirs of a friend, [[Loelia, Duchess of Westminster]], George's brother [[Edward VIII]] believed that the son was [[Michael Temple Canfield]] (1926–1969), the adopted son of American publisher [[Cass Canfield]] – and the first husband of [[Lee Radziwill]], sister of [[First Lady of the United States|First Lady]] [[Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis]] (wife of President [[John F. Kennedy]]).<ref>Westminster, Loelia, Duchess of. ''Grace and Favour'', Weidenfeld Nicholson, 1961</ref>

After he was sent by the King to the Far East, George began a relationship in Singapore in 1926 with Leila Devitt, a hostess and wife of a commodities czar, 10 years his senior.<ref name="Telegraph"/> He had several other lovers and mistresses throughout his life, including [[Poppy Baring]] (whom the King and Queen deemed unsuitable as a royal bride), [[Lois Sturt]], [[Paula Gellibrand]], Audrey Coats, Edythe d'Erlanger, Myrtle Farquharson, [[Florence Mills]], and [[Adelaide Hall]].<ref name="Telegraph"/>

==RAF career==
[[File:Royal Air Force Ferry Command, 1941-1943. CH3161.jpg|thumb|right|The Duke of Kent before he crossed the Atlantic by air]]

As a young man the Duke came to the opinion that the future lay in aviation. It became his passion, and in 1929, the Duke earned his pilot's licence. He was the first of the royal family to cross the Atlantic Ocean by air. Before his flying days, he entered the Royal Navy, and was trained in intelligence work while stationed at [[Rosyth]].<ref>Macwhirter, Robin, 'The Tragedy at Eagle's Rock', Scotsman, 24 August 1985</ref>

In March 1937, he was granted a commission in the Royal Air Force as a [[group captain]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34379 |date=12 March 1937|page=1646}}</ref> He was also made the [[Honorary Air Commodore]] of [[No. 500 Squadron RAF|No. 500 (County of Kent) Squadron]] [[Royal Auxiliary Air Force|Auxiliary Air Force]] in August 1938.<ref>{{Harvnb|Hunt|1972|p=314.}}</ref><ref name="No. 500">{{London Gazette |issue=35342 |date=16 August 1938 |page=5294 |nolink=y}}</ref> He was promoted to air vice-marshal in June 1939, along with promotions to flag and general officer rank in the other two services.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

In 1939 he returned to active service as a rear admiral in the Royal Navy, but in April 1940, transferred to the Royal Air Force. He temporarily relinquished his rank as an air officer to assume the post of staff officer at [[RAF Training Command]] in the rank of group captain,<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=34844 |date=7 May 1940 |page=2722 |nolink=y}}</ref> so that he would not be senior to more experienced officers. On 28 July 1941, he assumed the rank of [[air commodore]] in the Welfare Section of the RAF Inspector General's Staff.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=35292 |date=30 September 1941 |page=5659 |nolink=y}}</ref> In this role, he went on official visits to RAF bases to help boost wartime morale.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1942/1942%20-%201829.html|title=Royal family; aircraft engineer; 1942|publisher=Flight Archive|access-date=23 March 2013}}</ref>

==Freemasonry==
George was initiated into [[freemasonry]] on 12 April 1928 in Navy Lodge No. 2612.  He subsequently served as master of Navy Lodge in 1931, and was also a member of Prince of Wales's Lodge No. 259, and Royal Alpha Lodge No. 16, of which he served as master in 1940.  He was appointed senior grand warden of the [[United Grand Lodge of England]] in 1933, and served as provincial grand master of Wiltshire from 1934, until he was elected [[Grand Master (Masonic)|grand master]] of the United Grand Lodge of England in 1939; a position he held until his death in 1942.<ref>{{cite web|title=English Royal Freemasons|url=http://freemasonry.london.museum/it/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/English-Royal-Freemasons.pdf|access-date=21 January 2019|website=The Library & Museum of Freemasonry|archive-date=22 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190122003007/http://freemasonry.london.museum/it/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/English-Royal-Freemasons.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Death==
{{further|Dunbeath air crash}}

On 25 August 1942, George and 14 others took off in a RAF [[Short Sunderland]] [[flying boat]] W4026 from [[Invergordon]], [[Ross and Cromarty]], to fly to [[Iceland]] on non-operational duties. The aircraft crashed on Eagle's Rock, a hillside near [[Dunbeath]], [[Caithness]], Scotland. George and all but one of those on board were killed. He was 39 years old.<ref>{{cite news |title=Duke of Kent Dies in an R.A.F. Crash on way to Iceland |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1942/08/26/85582803.pdf |access-date=11 September 2012 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date= 26 August 1942}}</ref>

[[Lynn Picknett]] and Clive Prince wrote about the crash in their book ''Double Standards'', which was criticised for its "implausible inaccuracy".<ref>
{{cite book
| last1                 = Rubinstein
| first1                = William D.
| author-link1          = William D. Rubinstein
| chapter               = 7: The Mysteries of Rudolf Hess
| title                 = Shadow Pasts: History's Mysteries
| url                   = https://books.google.com/books?id=UPiYKsL25ZIC
| location              = Harlow, England
| publisher             = Pearson/Longman
| date      = 2008
| page                  = 147
| isbn                  = 9780582505971
| access-date            = 2017-02-18
| quote                 = ... probably the strangest book ever written on the Hess affair is ''Double Standards''... The thesis of ''Double Standards'' is that [[Rudolf Hess]] ... died in the plane crash in northern Scotland in August 1942 which also killed the Duke of Kent ... Hess was being transported to neutral Sweden (not Iceland, given in the official story as the plane's destination) to be handed over to the Germans as the first step in a settlement of the war between Britain and Germany. ... ''Double Standards'' seems breathtaking in its implausible inaccuracy.
}}</ref>
They alleged that Kent had a briefcase full of 100 [[Swedish krona]] notes, worthless in Iceland, handcuffed to his wrist, leading to speculation the flight was a military mission to Sweden, the only place where Swedish notes were of value.<ref>''Double Standards'' p. 424</ref>

His death in RAF service marked the first time in more than 450 years that a member of the royal family died on active service.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://newbattleatwar.wordpress.com/2013/04/09/the-death-of-lac-william-currie-newtongrange-and-sunderland-w4032/ |title=Aviation – Newbattle at war |website=newbattleatwar.wordpress.com|date=9 April 2013 }}</ref> George's body was transferred initially to [[St George's Chapel, Windsor]], and he was buried in the [[Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore]], directly behind [[Queen Victoria]]{{'}}s mausoleum.<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|accessdate=5 March 2023}}</ref> His elder son, six-year-old [[Prince Edward, Duke of Kent|Edward]], succeeded him as Duke of Kent. Marina, his wife, had given birth to their third child, [[Prince Michael of Kent|Michael]], only seven weeks before George's death. His will was sealed in [[Llandudno]] in 1943. His estate was valued at £157,735 (or £{{Format price|{{Inflation|UK-GDP|157735|1942|r=-5}}}} in {{Inflation/year|UK-GDP}} 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>

One RAF crew member survived the crash: Flight Sergeant Andrew Jack, the Sunderland's rear gunner.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ranter |first1=Harro |title=ASN Aircraft accident Short Sunderland III W4026 Dunbeath, Scotland |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19420825-1 |website=aviation-safety.net |access-date=22 June 2017}}</ref> Flight Sergeant Jack's niece has claimed that Jack told his brother that the Duke had been at the controls of the plane; that Jack had dragged him from the pilot's seat after the crash; and that there was an additional person on board the plane whose identity has never been revealed.<ref>[https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_east/3342953.stm "Secret of Duke's plane death."] [[BBC News]], Wales, 23 December 2003. Retrieved 26 September 2017</ref>

==In popular culture==
[[File:Duke of Kent1934.jpg|thumb|upright|Portrait by [[Philip de László]], 1934]]
The Duke's early life is dramatised in [[Stephen Poliakoff]]'s television serial ''[[The Lost Prince]]'' (2003), a biography of the life of [[Prince John of the United Kingdom|the Duke's younger brother John]]. In the film, the teenage Prince 'Georgie' is portrayed as sensitive, intelligent, artistic and almost uniquely sympathetic to his brother's plight. He is shown as detesting his time at the Royal Naval College and as having a difficult relationship with his austere father.

In May 2008, the BBC aired its Radio 4 comedy ''[[Hut 33]]'', Series 2, Episode 1, titled "The Royal Visit". The main guest character for this episode was Duke of Kent, played by Michael Fenton-Stevens. The show is set at [[Bletchley Park]] with a team of code breakers. The Duke has been chosen to make an impromptu visit, and the code breakers have been told to hide all evidence of their real work and invent a story. "On no account should the Duke be told what really happens at Bletchley because he is a Nazi spy." He is also portrayed as promiscuous and bisexual, as he tries to gain sexual favours from one of the male staff, and one of the female characters recalls a previous liaison with the Duke.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00vs38k|title = BBC Radio 4 Extra – Hut 33, Series 2, Royal Visit}}</ref>

Much of George's later life was outlined in the documentary film ''The Queen's Lost Uncle''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-queens-lost-uncle|title=The Queen's Lost Uncle|publisher=Channel 4|access-date=18 May 2015}}</ref> He is a recurring character in the revival of ''[[Upstairs Downstairs (2010 TV series)|Upstairs, Downstairs]]'' (2010/2012), played by [[Blake Ritson]].<ref name=dexp26feb>{{cite news|title=Upstairs life of a royal rogue|url=http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/304572/Upstairs-life-of-a-royal-rogue/|access-date=23 March 2013|newspaper=Daily Express|date=26 February 2012}}</ref> He is portrayed as a caring brother, terrified of the mistakes that his family is making; later, he is portrayed as an appeaser of the German regime, but also as a supportive friend of Hallam Holland.<ref name=dexp26feb/>

George and his eldest brother the Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII, are shown in [[Stephen Poliakoff]]'s BBC television serial ''[[Dancing on the Edge (TV series)|Dancing on the Edge]]'' (2013), in which they are portrayed as supporters of jazz and encouragers of Louis Lester's Jazz Band. A sexual attraction to Louis on George's part is also insinuated.<ref name=fur1feb>{{cite news|last=Furness|first=Hannah|title=New BBC drama to show the scandalous stories of the playboy princes|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/9843404/New-BBC-drama-to-show-the-scandalous-stories-of-the-playboy-Princes.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/9843404/New-BBC-drama-to-show-the-scandalous-stories-of-the-playboy-Princes.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=23 March 2013|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|date=1 February 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==Honours and arms==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
! scope="col" |Country
! scope="col" |Date
! scope="col" |Appointment
! scope="col" |Ribbon
! scope="col" |Post-nominal
letters
!Other
|-
! rowspan="6" |{{Flagu|United Kingdom}}
|1923
|Royal Knight Companion of [[Order of the Garter]]
|[[File:Order of the Garter, ribbon bar (colour from 1950 onwards).svg|70x70px]]
|KG
|<ref>{{citation |title=List of the Knights of the Garter |url=https://www.heraldica.org/topics/orders/garterlist.htm |via=heraldica.org}}</ref> formally invested in 1924
|-
|1935
|Extra Knight of the [[Order of the Thistle]]
|[[File:UK Order of the Thistle ribbon.svg|70x70px]]
|KT
|
|-
|1934
|Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of St Michael and St George]]
|[[File:UK Order St-Michael St-George ribbon.svg|70x70px]]
|GCMG
|<ref>{{London Gazette
| issue = 34045
| date = 27 April 1934
| page = 2703
}}</ref>
|-
|1924
|Knight Grand Cross of the [[Royal Victorian Order]]
|[[File:Royal Victorian Order UK ribbon.png|70x70px]]
|GCVO
|<ref>P. Galloway, D. Stanley, D. Martin (1996), [https://books.google.com/books?id=LHMYnwEACAAJ ''Royal Service''], volume 1, pp. 209–212 (London: Victorian Publishing, {{ISBN|0-9528527-0-5}})</ref>
|-
|1936
|Recipient of the [[Royal Victorian Chain]]
|
|
|<ref>{{London Gazette
| issue = 34238
| date = 31 December 1935
| page = 7
}}</ref>
|-
|23 June 1936
|[[Personal aide-de-camp]]
|
|ADC
|<ref>{{cite web |title=Personal Aide de Camp Appointments 23 June 1936 |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34296/supplement/4012 |access-date=11 June 2022 |website=The London Gazette |language=en}}</ref>
|-
!{{Flagu|Denmark}}
|20 September 1922
|Knight of the [[Order of the Elephant]]
|[[File:Order of the Elephant Ribbon bar.svg|70x70px]]
|
|<ref>{{cite book |url=https://dis-danmark.dk/bibliotek/918011.pdf#page=53 |title=Statshaandbog for Kongeriget Danmark for Aaret 1933 |publisher=J.H. Schultz A.-S. Universitetsbogtrykkeri |year=1933 |editor1-last=Bille-Hansen |editor1-first=A. C. |series=Kongelig Dansk Hof- og Statskalender |location=Copenhagen |page=17 |language=da |trans-title=State Manual of the Kingdom of Denmark for the Year 1933 |access-date=5 March 2020 |editor2-last=Holck |editor2-first=Harald |via=[[:da:DIS Danmark]] |orig-year=1st pub.:1801}}</ref>
|-
!{{Flagu|Norway}}
|20 December 1924
|Grand Cross with Collar of the [[Order of St. Olav]]
|[[File:St Olavs Orden storkors stripe.svg|70x70px]]
|
|<ref name="norges1">{{citation |title=Norges Statskalender for Aaret 1930 |pages=995–996 |year=1930 |chapter=Den kongelige norske Sanct Olavs Orden |chapter-url=https://runeberg.org/norkal/1930/0560.html |location=Oslo |publisher=Forlagt av H. Aschehoug & Co. (w. Nygaard) |language=Norwegian |via=runeberg.org}}</ref>
|-
!{{Flagu|Sweden}}
|1 October 1932
|Knight of the [[Order of the Seraphim]]
|[[File:Order of the Seraphim - Ribbon bar.svg|70x70px]]
|
|<ref>{{cite book |author=Per Nordenvall |title=Kungliga Serafimerorden: 1748–1998 |year=1998 |isbn=91-630-6744-7 |location=Stockholm |language=sv |chapter=Kungl. Maj:ts Orden}}</ref>
|-
!{{Flagu|Chile}}
|
|Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of Merit (Chile)|Chilean Order of Merit]]
|[[File:CHL Order of Merit of Chile - Grand Cross BAR.svg|70x70px]]
|
|<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bortrick |first1=William |title=The Royal Family – HM Queen Elizabeth II |url=http://burkespeerage.com/articles/peerage/page62-6a.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091201030448/http://burkespeerage.com/articles/peerage/page62-6a.aspx |archive-date=1 December 2009 |access-date=7 January 2021 |website=Burke's Peerage and Gentry}}</ref>
|-
!{{Flagu|France}}
|March 1939
|Grand Cross of the [[Legion of Honour]]
|[[File:Legion Honour ribbon (II class).svg|70x70px]]
|
|<ref>{{cite book |author=M. & B. Wattel |title=Les Grand'Croix de la Légion d'honneur de 1805 à nos jours. Titulaires français et étrangers |date=2009 |publisher=Archives & Culture |isbn=978-2-35077-135-9 |location=Paris |page=463 |language=French |ref=M. et B. Wattel}}</ref>
|}

===Appointments===
====Military====
;Canada
* {{Flagicon|CAN|army}} Colonel-in-Chief, [[The Essex and Kent Scottish]] (1937 – 1942)<ref>{{citation| url=https://ekscot.org/army-reserve/key-appointments/| author=The Essex and Kent Scottish| title=Key Appointments| publisher=The Scottish Borderers Foundation| accessdate=15 November 2023}}</ref>

;New Zealand
* {{Flagicon|NZ|army}} Colonel-in-Chief, [[Corps of New Zealand Engineers]] (1938)<ref>{{cite book|first=P.|last=Cooke|title=Won by the Spade: How the Royal New Zealand Engineers Built a Nation|publisher=Exisle Publishing|location=Dunedin|isbn=9781775593645|year=2019|page=233}}</ref>

;United Kingdom
* {{Flagicon|UK|army}} [[Colonel-in-Chief]], [[Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment]] (1935)<ref>{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=34142|page=1807|date=15 March 1935}}</ref>
* {{Flagicon|UK|army}} Colonel-in-Chief, [[Royal Fusiliers]] (1937)<ref name="Fusiliers"/>
* {{Flagicon|UK|air force}} [[Honorary Air Commodore]], [[No. 500 Squadron RAF|No. 500 (County of Kent) Squadron]] [[Royal Auxiliary Air Force|Auxiliary Air Force]] (1938)<ref name="No. 500"/>

====Civic====
* 1938–42: Grand Master of the [[Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.airpilots.org/members/the-court/members-of-the-court/past-masters/|title=Past Masters|work=The Honourable Company of Air Pilots|access-date=7 August 2025}}</ref>

===Arms===
Around the time of his elder brother Prince Henry's twenty-first birthday, Prince George was granted the use of the Royal Arms, differenced by a label argent of three points, each bearing an anchor azure.

{| border="0" align="center" width="70%"
|-
!width=25% |[[Image:Coat of Arms of George, Duke of Kent.svg|200px|center]]
!width=25% |[[File:Royal Standard of Prince George, Duke of Kent.svg|200px|center]]
!width=25% |[[File:Royal Standard of Prince George, Duke of Kent (in Scotland).svg|200px|center]]
|-
|{{center|Prince George's [[coat of arms]]}}
|{{center|George's banner of arms}}
|{{center|George's personal banner of arms in Scotland}}
|}

{{Clear}}

==Ancestry==
{{See also|Descendants of Christian IX of Denmark}}

{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|1= 1. '''Prince George, Duke of Kent'''
|2= 2. [[George V|George V of the United Kingdom]]
|3= 3. [[Mary of Teck|Princess Victoria Mary of Teck]]
|4= 4. [[Edward VII|Edward VII of the United Kingdom]]
|5= 5. [[Alexandra of Denmark|Princess Alexandra of Denmark]]
|6= 6. [[Francis, Duke of Teck]]
|7= 7. [[Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge]]
|8= 8. [[Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]
|9= 9. [[Queen Victoria|Victoria of the United Kingdom]]
|10= 10. [[Christian IX|Christian IX, King of Denmark]]
|11= 11. [[Louise of Hesse-Kassel|Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel]]
|12= 12. [[Duke Alexander of Württemberg (1804–1885)|Duke Alexander of Württemberg]]
|13= 13. [[Countess Claudine Rhédey von Kis-Rhéde]]
|14= 14. [[Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge]]
|15= 15. [[Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel]]
}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|last=Hunt|first=Leslie|title=Twenty-one Squadrons: History of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, 1925–57|location=London |publisher=Garnstone Press|year=1972|isbn=0-85511-110-0}}(New edition in 1992 by Crécy Publishing, {{ISBN|0-947554-26-2}}.)
* Millar, Peter. "The Other Prince". ''The Sunday Times'' (26 January 2003).
* Warwick, Christopher. ''George and Marina, Duke and Duchess of Kent''. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1988. {{ISBN|0-297-79453-1}}.

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{Hansard-contribs|mr-george-windsor-2|the Duke of Kent}}
* {{NPG name}}
* {{PM20|FID=pe/005982}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-hou | [[House of Windsor]] |20 December|1902|25 August|1942|[[House of Wettin]]}}
{{S-npo|mason}}
{{Succession box | title=Grand Master of the [[United Grand Lodge of England]] | before=[[Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn|The Duke of Connaught and Strathearn]] | after=[[Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood|The Earl of Harewood]] | years=1939–1942}}
{{S-reg|uk}}
{{S-new}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Duke of Kent]]|years=1934–1942}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Prince Edward, Duke of Kent|Prince Edward]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{British princes}}
{{Windsor family}}
{{Dukes of Kent}}
{{Princes of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha}}
{{UGLE}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kent, Prince George, Duke Of}}
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