Prince George William of Great Britain (13 November 1717 – 17 February 1718) was a member of the British royal family, second son of the Prince and Princess of Wales (later King George II and Queen Caroline). He died aged 3 months, 4 days. A post-mortem was conducted to prove that he died from disease and not separation from his mother. He was buried at

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the Unite ...

Biography

Prince George William was born at St James's Palace in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

on 13 November 1717 (2 November 1717 on the Julian calendar in use at the time). His father,

The Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers o ...

, was the son of

George I George I or 1 may refer to: People * Patriarch George I of Alexandria (fl. 621–631) * George I of Constantinople (d. 686) * George I of Antioch (d. 790) * George I of Abkhazia (ruled 872/3–878/9) * George I of Georgia (d. 1027) * Yuri Dolgor ...

. His mother was Caroline of Ansbach, daughter of

Johann Friedrich, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (18 October 1654 – 22 March 1686) succeeded his father Albert II as margrave of Ansbach in 1667. He married his second wife Princess Eleonore Erdmuthe of Saxe-Eisenach on 4 November 1681. Their da ...

. Twenty-six days after his birth, he was baptised at St James's Palace by

Bishop of London A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

John Robinson. His godparents were his grandfather the King, the

Duke of Newcastle Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne was a title that was created three times, once in the Peerage of England and twice in the Peerage of Great Britain. The first grant of the title was made in 1665 to William Cavendish, 1st Marquess of Newcastle ...

( Lord Chamberlain of the King's Household) and the

Duchess of St Albans {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022 Duchess of St Albans is a title given to the wife of the Duke of St Albans. Women who have held the title include: *Diana Beauclerk, Duchess of St Albans (c.1679–1742), wife of Charles Beauclerk, 1st Duke of St A ...

( First Lady of the Bedchamber to his mother). The baptism was the catalyst for a family quarrel. The infant's parents wanted to call the baby Louis, and suggested the Queen in Prussia and the Duke of York as sponsors. The King chose the names George William, and, supposedly following custom, appointed the

Lord Chamberlain The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Sovereign of the United Kingdom while also acting as the main c ...

, the

, as one of the

baptism Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...

al sponsors of the child. The King was angered when the Prince of Wales, who disliked Newcastle, verbally insulted the Duke at the christening, which the Duke misunderstood as a challenge to a duel; the Prince shook his fist at Newcastle and said "You are a rascal, but I shall find you out!", which the Duke apparently misheard as "I shall fight you!" The Prince of Wales was banished from court, and he and the Princess of Wales moved into Leicester House, while their children remained in the care of the King. Caroline fell sick with worry, and fainted during a secret visit to her children made without the King's approval. By January, the King had relented and allowed Caroline unrestricted access. In February, Prince George William fell ill, and the King allowed both the Prince and Princess of Wales to see him at Kensington Palace without any conditions. When George William died at three months of age, a post-mortem was conducted to prove that the cause of death was disease (a polyp on the heart) rather than the separation from his mother.

Titles and styles

*13 November 1717 – 17 February 1718: ''His Royal Highness'' Prince George William

Ancestors

References

* Arkell, R. L. (1939) ''Caroline of Ansbach''. Oxford University Press. * Van der Kiste, John (1997) ''George II and Queen Caroline''. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing. {{DEFAULTSORT:George William Of Great Britain, Prince 1717 births 1718 deaths 18th-century British people Princes of Great Britain House of Hanover People from Westminster English people of Scottish descent English people of German descent Children of George II of Great Britain Burials at Westminster Abbey Royalty who died as children Sons of kings