Prince William Augustus Edward of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, , PC(Ire) (11 October 1823 – 16 November 1902) was a British military officer of German parents. After a career in the

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

, he became Major General commanding the Brigade of Guards and General Officer Commanding the Home District in 1870, General Officer Commanding Southern District in October 1878 and

Commander-in-Chief, Ireland Commander-in-Chief, Ireland, was title of the commander of the British forces in Ireland before 1922. Until the Act of Union in 1800, the position involved command of the distinct Irish Army of the Kingdom of Ireland. History Marshal of Ireland ...

in October 1885. He was promoted to field marshal in 1897 despite his career including no great military achievements.

Career

Edward was born to Prince Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and Princess Ida of Saxe-Meiningen at

Bushy House Bushy House is a Grade II* listed former residence of King William IV and Queen Adelaide in Teddington, London, which Lord Halifax had constructed for his own enjoyment on the site of a previous house Upper Lodge, Bushy Park, between 1714 and ...

, the home of his mother's sister

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

and her husband the future

William IV of the United Kingdom William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded h ...

. After being naturalised as a British subject, Edward's military career began on 1 June 1841, when, having trained at the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infant ...

, he joined the 67th (South Hampshire) Regiment of Foot as an

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

.Heathcote, p. 114 He was promoted to ensign in the

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

and lieutenant in the Army on 8 June 1841 and lieutenant in his regiment and captain in the Army on 19 May 1846 before becoming adjutant of his battalion in November 1850. Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Vanity Fair, 1875-10-30

Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Vanity Fair, 1875-10-30

Edward was promoted to brevet major in the Grenadier Guards on 20 June 1854. He served in the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...

and fought at the

Battle of Alma The Battle of the Alma (short for Battle of the Alma River) was a battle in the Crimean War between an allied expeditionary force (made up of French, British, and Ottoman forces) and Russian forces defending the Crimean Peninsula on 20Septem ...

in September 1854 and the Siege of Sevastopol in October 1854, where he was slightly injured. He fought on at the Battle of Balaclava in October 1854 and the

Battle of Inkerman The Battle of Inkerman was fought during the Crimean War on 5 November 1854 between the allied armies of Britain and France against the Imperial Russian Army. The battle broke the will of the Russian Army to defeat the allies in the field, an ...

in November 1854.Heathcote, p. 115 He was promoted to brevet

lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...

"for distinguished Service in the Field" during the war on 12 December 1854. Edward was appointed an aide-de-camp to

the Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

and received his

colonelcy Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

in the

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

on 5 October 1855. Granted the style of Royal Highness (to both Edward and his wife) in 1866, he was promoted to

major-general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

on 6 March 1868. He was appointed Major General commanding the Brigade of Guards and General Officer Commanding the Home District in 1870 and, having been promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

on 6 July 1877, he became General Officer Commanding Southern District in October 1878. Promoted to full general on 4 November 1879, he went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Ireland and a member of the Irish Privy Council in October 1885 before retiring in October 1890. In retirement Edward was a commissioner of the Patriotic Fund. He also became colonel of the

10th Regiment of Foot 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...

and then colonel of the

1st Regiment of Life Guards The 1st Regiment of Life Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. It was formed in 1788 by the union of the 1st Troop of Horse Guards and 1st Troop of Horse Grenadier Guards. In 1922, it was amalgamated ...

. He was promoted to field marshal on 22 June 1897 following which there was adverse comment in ''The Times'' that his career had included no great military achievements. Prince and Princess Edward had for several years a summer residence at

North Berwick North Berwick (; gd, Bearaig a Tuath) is a seaside town and former royal burgh in East Lothian, Scotland. It is situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, approximately east-northeast of Edinburgh. North Berwick became a fashionable ...

, and in October 1902 the Prince was honoured with the Freedom of the Royal burgh of North Berwick, a week after he had hosted King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...

as his guest there for a couple of days. Edward died on 16 November 1902 at Portland Place in London and was buried in

Chichester Cathedral Chichester Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in West Sussex, England. It was founded as a cathedral in 1075, when the seat of ...

, in the crypt of his wife's family, the dukes of Richmond and Lennox.

Family

On 27 November 1851 Edward married,

morganatically Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spou ...

, Lady Augusta Katherine Gordon-Lennox, (a daughter of

Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond, (3 August 179121 October 1860), of Goodwood House near Chichester in West Sussex, was a British peer, soldier and prominent Conservative politician. Origins He was born "Charles Lennox", the son and ...

), who was created Countess of Dornburg by the Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar the day before the wedding. The Court Circular shows that she was usually known by that title until early 1886, when the Circular began to consistently refer to her by her husband's title, i.e. " HSH Princess Edward of Saxe-Weimar". They had no children. Inkermann

Ancestry

Honours

1875 Vanity Fair Print text bio of Prince Edward

Edward received the following orders and decorations:

References

Sources

* *

External links

, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Prince Edward of 1823 births 1902 deaths Burials at Chichester Cathedral 67th Regiment of Foot officers British Life Guards officers Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Grenadier Guards officers Royal Lincolnshire Regiment officers British field marshals Commanders-in-Chief, Ireland British Army personnel of the Crimean War Knights of St Patrick Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Knights Grand Cross of the Military Order of William Recipients of the Order of the Medjidie, 3rd class Members of the Privy Council of Ireland House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Military personnel from London Princes of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach People from Richmond, London Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom