Prince Georg of Denmark (Georg Valdemar Carl Axel; 16 April 1920 – 29 September 1986) was a Danish diplomat and member of the Danish royal family as a great-grandson of Christian IX. He was a first cousin of Harald V of Norway,

Baudouin of Belgium Baudouin (;, ; nl, Boudewijn Albert Karel Leopold Axel Maria Gustaaf, ; german: Balduin Albrecht Karl Leopold Axel Maria Gustav. 7 September 1930 – 31 July 1993), Dutch name Boudewijn, was King of the Belgians from 17 July 1951 until his de ...

, and Albert II of Belgium, as well as a second cousin of

George VI of the United Kingdom George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of Ind ...

Early life

Prince Georg was born at Bernstorff Palace, the summer residence of his paternal grandfather, Prince Valdemar, on 16 April 1920.McNaughton, C. Arnold, ''The Book of Kings'', vol.1, p.187 He was the eldest son of Prince Axel of Denmark and Princess Margaretha of Sweden. He received a military education at Jægersborg Barracks and served in World War II. He became a Lieutenant-Colonel and a Colonel in the Royal Danish Army, Defense Attache and

Military Attaché A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission, often an embassy. This type of attaché post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer, who retains a commission while serving with an embassy. Opport ...

in the Danish United States of America Embassy in Washington, District of Columbia.

Marriage

On 16 September 1950, at Glamis Castle, he married Anne Ferelith Fenella, Viscountess Anson (née Bowes-Lyon), the daughter of the Hon.

John Bowes-Lyon The Hon. John Herbert Bowes-Lyon (1 April 1886 – 7 February 1930) was the second son of the 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne and the Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne, and the brother of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the future Queen Elizabe ...

, brother of Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom, and ex-wife of Thomas, Viscount Anson. Anne was a first cousin of

Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during h ...

, Prince Georg himself was a second cousin of

and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. At the time of his marriage, Danish princes normally lost their titles and places in the line of succession if they contracted a morganatic marriage. This was the case when Prince Georg's younger brother, Prince Flemming, married Ruth Nielsen in 1949, thus losing his princely title and being created

Count of Rosenborg The Danish royal family is the dynastic family of the monarch. All members of the Danish royal family except Queen Margrethe II hold the title of ''Prince/Princess of Denmark''. Dynastic children of the monarch and of the heir apparent are accor ...

. Prince Georg attached greater significance to his title than his brother and implored Frederik IX, his second cousin, to allow him to retain his princely title and rank. George VI of the United Kingdom intervened on behalf of his niece and allegedly told Frederik IX "if a Bowes-Lyon was good enough for me, a Bowes-Lyon is surely good enough for one of your princes." The king relented and granted his permission for the marriage, thus Prince Georg retained his rank and his wife was recognized as a princess of Denmark. As Viscountess Anson was divorced, the marriage was opposed by the Church of England and the Scottish Episcopal Church. Queen Elizabeth announced her intention to attend her niece's wedding, but

Geoffrey Fisher Geoffrey Francis Fisher, Baron Fisher of Lambeth, (5 May 1887 – 15 September 1972) was an English Anglican priest, and 99th Archbishop of Canterbury, serving from 1945 to 1961. From a long line of parish priests, Fisher was educated at Marlb ...

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...

, intervened, ordered the withdrawal of the Scottish Episcopal clergyman and “advised” the Queen not to attend. The Queen and

Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth ...

attended only the wedding breakfast and waited in an adjoining drawing room while the ceremony took place. The service was conducted by the Rev. Mogens Buch, pastor of the Danish Seaman's Mission Church in

Newcastle-upon-Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is als ...

. The Rev. Canon H. G. G. Rorison, chaplain to the Earl of Strathmore, read the lesson as he was forbidden by the Anglican church hierarchy from conducting the service.

Later life

As a result of the Act of Succession of 1953, which restricts the throne to those descended from Christian X and his wife, Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, through approved marriages, he lost his place in the line of succession like his brother

Flemming Flemming is a surname and a male given name referring, like the more common '' Fleming'', to an inhabitant (or descendant thereof) of Flanders,

had in 1948. At this time, his Danish title changed from ''Prins til Danmark'' (Prince to Denmark) to ''Prins af Danmark'' (Prince of Denmark). He served as defense attaché to London and military, naval and air attaché at Paris. In 1975, he was named Honorary Colonel of the 5th Battalion of the Queen's Regiment in the British Army. He was an Honorary Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order and a Knight of the

Order of the Elephant The Order of the Elephant ( da, Elefantordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry and is Denmark's highest-ranked honour. It has origins in the 15th century, but has officially existed since 1693, and since the establishment of constitutional ...

. Princess Anne died in 1980. In 1981, he attended the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer. He died in Copenhagen on 29 September 1986 at the age of 66. He and his wife are both buried in the grounds of Bernstorff Palace. His will was sealed in London after his death. His estate was valued at £785,000 (or £1.8m in 2022 when adjusted for inflation).

Ancestry

References

Citations

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Georg of Denmark, Prince Princes of Denmark House of Glücksburg (Denmark) 1920 births 1986 deaths Recipients of the Cross of Honour of the Order of the Dannebrog Honorary Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order