The life of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught

‘At ¼ p. 8 in the morning’ of 1st May 1850, Queen Victoria headed into her seventh confinement ‘after having been ill a good part of the night’. Just a few hours later the Queen gave birth to a third son, Prince Arthur, at Buckingham Palace.

Over a month after his birth, on 22nd June, the ‘fine large boy’ was christened in the palaces Private Chapel. Towards the end of her confinement, Queen Victoria decided that should the baby be a boy, he would be named ‘Arthur’ after ‘the good old Duke of Wellington’, who coincidentally shared a birthday with the Prince! As a result, he was given the names Arthur’s William Patrick Albert.

His godparents were: the Duke of Wellington; Prince William of Prussia, later the King of Prussia and German Emperor Wilhelm I; and Princess Ida of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.

Like his older siblings, Arthur was brought up under Prince Albert’s strict education plan and was privately educated by tutors at home. However, from a young age it was clear that Arthur was destined to join the military – declaring to his family that one day ‘Arta is going to be a soldier’. As he got older the Princes passion continued to grow and, in 1860, the ten year old Prince built ‘Albert Barracks’ on the grounds of Osborne House. Proving his dedication, Arthur made each of the bricks himself before spending hours playing inside his creation with his father, siblings and guests.

In 1866, Arthur enrolled at the Royal Military College in Woolwich, where he studied for two years. Upon his graduation in June 1868, he became lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers. By the November, he had transferred to the Royal Regiment of Artillery; before joining his father’s own regiment, the Rifle Brigade, in August 1869. During their service, he travelled around the world, visiting numerous countries.

While in Canada, in 1869, he became an officer with the Montreal detachment of the Rifle Brigade; as well as becoming the first British Royal to attend the State opening of Parliament in Ottawa. On 1st October 1869, Prince Arthur was appointed as the 51st Chief of the Six Nations, breaking centuries old tradition of there only being 50! Before long, the Prince’s popularity had grown so much that the Canadian people hoped he would become Governor General. Upon leaving Canada, he spent eight months travelling America, visiting several of it’s states.

The 1870’s represented much change in Arthur’s life. On 24th May 1874, he was appointed Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, along with Earl of Sussex, as part of his mother’s birthday honours. Four years later, he met Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia, while visiting his eldest sister in Germany. Upon their introduction, Arthur was immediately attracted to the princess. Although he wasn’t quite ready for marriage, and despite Queen Victoria’s disapproval, Arthur insisted he didn’t want to marry anyone else. On 13th March 1879, Prince Arthur married princess Louise Margaret at St George’s Chapel, Windsor. They settled at Bagshot Park in Surrey, where their eldest child was born just under three years later, on 15th January 1882. Over the next four years, they went in to have a total of two daughters and one son. Although their marriage was happy, Arthur had a continued affair with Leonie, Lady Leslie, throughout his married life.

In 1880, Prince Arthur served as Colonel-in-Chief of the Rifle Brigade, before serving as Commander-in-Chief of the Bombay army between December 1886 and March 1890. Along with his military career, Arthur continued to undergo royal duties. In 1890, he toured Canada with his wife; and in 1903, represented King Edward VII at the Delhi Durbar in India.

On 6th March 1911, King George V appointed Arthur as Governor General of Canada, upon the suggestion of the Prime Minister. He was officially sworn in on the 13th October in the salon rouge of the parliament buildings in Quebec. Used to moving for Arthur’s career, Princess Louise Margaret and their youngest daughter, Patricia, moved to Ottawa to support him. While living at Rideau Hall, the Prince learnt to ice skate and frequently held skating parties. In their free time, the family would go on camping, fishing and hunting trips.

When the First World War broke out, the Prince and his family decided to remain in Canada for the duration of the war. Arthur spent most of his time encouraging training and readiness for soldiers; as well as playing an active part in auxiliary war services and charities. He would often visit training ground’s and barracks to address troops before seeing them off to war. Although his intentions were to be helpful, his position made his appearance inappropriate, especially as he acted on his own will rather than the suggestion of government officials.

When Arthur’s time as Governor General ended in 1916, and after the death of his wife in 1917, he continued his royal duties. In 1920, he travelled to South Africa to open Chapmans Peak Drive and was also the president of the Boy Scouts association. However, in 1928, he began to retire from public life and undertook his last public engagement on 3rd November 1934. Despite aging, Arthur continued his military service into the Second World War.

Prince Arthur died on 16th January 1942 at Bagshot Park, Surrey, aged 91. He was the last surviving son of Queen Victoria and was the joint longest lived of her children, along with Princess Louise (they both lived 91 years 8 months and 16 days). His funeral was held a week later at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor on 23rd January. His body was later reburied at the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore, on 19th March 1942.

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