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Prince Edward Augustus
Duke of Kent and Strathearn
(1767–1820)

Biographical

Duke of Kent and Strathearn 1799 (Great Britain)
Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (honorary)
Earl of Dublin 1799 (Ireland)
Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order 1815 (Hanover)
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath 1815 (UK)
Knight of the Garter 1786 (England)
Knight of St Patrick 1783 (Ireland)

Grand Master of England (Ancient Grand Lodge) 1813
Keeper of Hampton Court Palace 1806
Ranger of the Home Park 1805–20†
Keeper of Cranborne Chace 1805–20†
Field marshal 1805
Governor of Gibraltar 1802–20†
Colonel of the 1st Foot (The Royal Regiment) 1801–20
Privy councillor 1799
Commander-in-chief of the Forces in British North America 1799–1800
General 1799
Major-general 1793
Provincial Grand Master (Ancient Grand Lodge) of Lower Canada 1791
Provincial Grand Master (Premier Grand Lodge) of Gibraltar 1790
Cadet at the College at Geneva –1790
Brevet-colonel 1786
Cadet Hanoverian Guards 1785

Edward pursued a military career that took him to several key locations within the British Empire, where he earned a reputation for strict discipline. His personal life was marked by a difficult relationship with his father, George III, and persistent financial difficulties. In 1790, he served in Gibraltar as a colonel and assumed command of the Royal Fusiliers. That same year, he became a member of the Grand Lodge of England (modern Freemasons) and was accorded the honorary rank of 'Past Grand Master of England'. In 1791, he led his regiment to Quebec, where he remained for two years. Promoted to major general in 1793, Edward commanded a brigade of Grenadiers and distinguished himself in the British capture of Fort Bourbon in Martinique, at St Lucia, and at the capture of Palmiste, before returning once more to Canada. After an injury resulting from a fall from his horse in 1798, he returned to England on sick leave and was soon elevated to the peerage, becoming Duke of Kent and Strathern and Earl of Dublin. Appointed commander of British forces in North America, he briefly returned to Canada, where he established cordial relations with the French-speaking population. Edward's tenure as governor of Gibraltar, beginning in 1802, ended abruptly due to a mutiny provoked by his rigid administration. Though promoted to field marshal in 1805, he saw no further active service. A senior founder of the Order of St Patrick, he lived in retirement for a time in Brussels. In 1818, under pressure to secure the succession, Edward separated from his long-time companion, Thérèse Bernadine Montgenêt, in order to marry and produce a legitimate heir. St John’s Island was renamed Prince Edward Island in his honour in 1799.

Place of birth and baptism (1767): Buckingham House, St James' Park
Place of marriage: Coburg
Place of death: Sidmouth, Devonshire
Place of burial: Kent Mausoleum, Frogmore

Son of George III of Great Britain and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, he married Mary Louisa Victoria of Saxe–Saalfeld–Coburg in 1818, and had issue.