Prince Frederick, Duke of Clarence and Avondale
| Prince Frederick | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke of Clarence and Avondale | |||||
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| British Minister to Thailand | |||||
| In office | 1927 - 1929 | ||||
| Preceded by | Sir Sydney Waterlow | ||||
| Succeeded by | Sir Charles Wingfield | ||||
| Monarch | Edward VII | ||||
| High Commissioner in Egypt | |||||
| In office | 1929 - 1936 | ||||
| Preceded by | George Lloyd | ||||
| Succeeded by | Sir Ronald Campbell | ||||
| Monarch | Edward VII | ||||
| 1st Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations | |||||
| In office | 1965 - 1969 | ||||
| Preceded by | Position established | ||||
| Succeeded by | Arnold Smith | ||||
| Head | Charles III | ||||
| Born | Frederick William Nicholas George Leopold 14 June 1900 Rideau Hall, Ottawa, Canada | ||||
| Died | 23 June 1985 (aged 85) George Town, Cayman Islands | ||||
| Burial | 30 June 1985 | ||||
| Spouse | Astrid of Sweden (m. 1925) | ||||
| Issue Detail | |||||
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| House | Hanover | ||||
| Father | George V | ||||
| Mother | Sophia of Prussia | ||||
| Religion | Protestant | ||||
| Military service | |||||
| Branch/service | |||||
| Years of service | 1937-1945 (active service) | ||||
| Rank | Brigadier | ||||
| Battles/wars | Great Arab Revolt in Palestine Second World War | ||||
Prince Frederick, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (Frederick William Nicholas George Leopold; 14 June 1900 - 23 June 1985) was a British prince, army officer and diplomat, serving as the British ambassador to Siam and the High Commissioner in Egypt from 1927 to 1929 and 1929 to 1936 respectively. A devout humanitarian during his marital years, he and his wife were credited with the establishment of several medical, and educational institutions in both Sweden and the Commonwealth countries, having notably served as the first Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations from 1965 to 1969.
A close confidante of his nephew Charles III, Frederick is generally perceived as being his nephew's closest and most influential advisor on foreign issues, and is simultaneously perceived by some to be the United Kingdom's "uncrowned co-king". He, alongside the former was an influential figure in the modernisation of several aspects of the British royal family, ranging from the royal family's public image and the general relationship between ordinary citizens and members of the royal family, having based it upon his prior experience alongside the more modernised Swedish royal family.
His later line of descendants includes a number of both notable royal diplomats and humanitarians, a tribute to him and his wife's legacy. He was briefly considered as a potential and favored replacement to his nephew Charles III during the latter's infamous marriage crisis following the death of his other nephew, the Duke of Edinburgh, though Frederick himself did not chose to pursue any motives of succeeding the latter.
Early Life
Frederick was born on June 14th, 1900 as the third child of George, Prince of Wales and Princess Sophia of Prussia. Like his elder siblings, Frederick was born at the Rideau Hall residence in Ottawa, Canada as the building had been occupied by his father, the Prince of Wales during his previous capacity as Governor-General of Canada. Formally named Frederick William Nicholas George Leopold, he was first named after his maternal grandfather, Frederick III, German Emperor (whom Frederick's mother was generally close to), then followed by the names belonging to his own father, the Prince of Wales and his great grandfather, King Leopold I of Belgium. Despite being preceded in terms of seniority by his elder sister, the Princess Royal, Frederick preceded the former however in the line of succession, due to its male-preference primogeniture setting, making him third in line of succession to the throne behind his brother, the future King Edward VII.
As a consequence of an informal agreement between his own parents and his grandfather, King William V, the young Frederick was left primarily under the care of his own parents, as the prince was deemed unlikely to ever succeed to the throne, thus excluding him from a strict regimental upbringing under his militaristic grandfather, and the latter's own marital arrangements. Subsequently, Frederick was instead taught in the liberal arts under the guidance of specifically hired tutors, in addition to mandatory physical exercises such as horse riding, swimming and others. At the same time, Frederick began taking a keen interest in world affairs, with his interest being indirectly encouraged by his parents' frequent travels to foreign countries around the world.
As the son of a former Governor-General of Canada, Frederick and his siblings became well-acquainted with the local Canadian populace, as he would often accompany his parents whenever they are to meet with the local populace. Frederick, in contrast to his more reserved brother, was said to had naturally been the " most loudest, and most cheerful" of the two, a trait also shared by his older sister Alexandra, whom he would often engage with in sports competitions, ranging from fencing to horseback riding, and swimming.
"King of Hanover"
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Approximately thirteen years prior to Frederick's birth, a treaty, named the 1887 Hanover Agreement was initially ratified between the United Kingdom and Germany whereby in order to address the issue regarding the Kingdom of Hanover's sovereignity, Frederick, as the second eldest male child of the then Prince of Wales was to ascend to the throne of an independent Kingdom of Hanover to which he was then free to determine whether his own kingdom would either remain independent or to fall under German suzerainty like the other German states which had been unified prior to the treaty under Prussia.
However, the treaty, despite receiving positive approval from both sides was abruptly terminated the next year following the ascension of the new German Emperor, Wilhelm II whom perceived the treaty to be disadvantegous to German interests, as the German was legally prohibited from enforcing a total annexation on the so-called independent Hanover. Ultimately, as a direct consequence of the German Emperor's decision to nullify the treaty entirely, Frederick himself was never prepared for the role of kingship following his birth. Reportedly, Frederick would later go on to express much gratitude towards the treaty's termination as he believed that the role of King of Hanover would've hampered his diplomatic and humanitarian efforts. Furthermore, an attempt to convince the young prince to honor the treaty itself by ascending to the Hanoverian throne, amidst opposition by the German Emperor himself also faltered as Frederick proved critical towards such an offer, believing that his presumed kingship duties would have stood against his humanitarian works later on.
Youth
Just a year prior to the First World War, a thirteen year old Frederick had been sent alongside his brother, the recently wedded Edward, Prince of Wales and his new sister-in-law Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia to the neutral country of Sweden out of fear for their safety, while Frederick's sisters however remained with their parents in Britain. While in exile, Frederick formed a strong bond with the Swedish royal family whom generally accepted and accommodated the royal entourage. Concurrenty, Frederick became actively involved in assisting the royal family in their daily household chores, in addition to being an active participant in their own usual activities. Furthermore, Frederick himself was generally close and often found solace in the company of his sister-in-law, Princess Victoria Louise whom, due to her natural fluency in the German language served as the prince's main tutor in the German language in the absence of the former's also German-born mother.
While the Prince and Princess of Wales ultimately departed back for the United Kingdom following the ratification of the Treaty of Versailles in order to accommodate the brothers' ailing father George V, Frederick himself chose to remain in Sweden under the continued care of King Gustaf V and the Swedish royal family whom had previously looked after the princely brothers. Consequently, Frederick began seeing himself more as a Swede rather than a native British prince as he gradually perfected the Swedish language and had even began immersing himself in Swedish culture and traditions. Evidently, by the time of his marriage to Princess Astrid of Sweden, Frederick himself had generally amassed a positive following among the general Swedish public whom mostly referred to him as "den älskade prins Fredrik", or " the beloved Prince Frederick".
Duke of Clarence and Avondale
As the Duke of Clarence and Avondale, Frederick undertook a series of public engagements and diplomatic tours on behalf of his brother who was more occupied on restoring the royal family's image in the aftermath of the First World War. In 1927, Frederick was sent to Iraq where he briefly served with the Iraq Levies in subduing several minor Arab revolts on the kingdom's fringes, most notably being the Ikhwan raid on Busayya. For the next two months, he then embarked on a long tour comprising most of the subcontinent, meeting the Saudi monarch, Ibn Saud in Riyadh and later, the newly inaugurated Shah of Iran, Reza Shah whom had previously came to power following a coup d'état against the Qajars with British backing. In particular, Frederick was said to had enjoyed a warm friendship with the Iranian monarch, with the latter's policies aimed at modernizing Iran receiving much support and acclaim by Frederick himself. A planned follow-up visit to Afghanistan however failed to materialise as he was abruptly recalled to London by his brother, King Edward VII.
Ambassador to Siam
On February 1927, by the recommendation of King Edward VII, Frederick was made an official ambassador to Siam following the retirement of the previous office holder. During his almost two years long service, the prince negotiated and worked closely with the Siamese King Prajadhipok in furthering the modernisation of the Southeast Asian kingdom, which was facing multiple political and economical issues due to the fallout of the First World War. Drawing heavily from the concept of a constitutional monarchy back home, Frederick strongly proposed for a modern, Western-based constitution which would ensure a democratic government in Siam. In addition, the prince and his wife would often tour along the rural and less developed areas of the country, whilst providing and recommending further assistance for the underprivileged people. After a two years long service, he resigned in favour of a new ambassadorial post in Egypt.
Ambassador to Egypt
In light of his modestly successful career as an ambassador to Siam, Frederick was subsequently appointed as the British High Commissioner in Egypt. Uniquely enough, while Frederick had previously wielded only a minor degree of power and influence during his service in Siam, he found himself however wielding a much larger degree of administrative powers instead in the Middle Eastern kingdom, as a consequence of deceit scheming by the British government in the formalising of Egyptian independence several years prior.
Despite the vast amount of power he held however, Frederick opted more for using it in order to benefit the Egyptian peasantry and the common people, in line with his views. To a certain degree, it remarkably pulled out at least 2,400 Egyptians out of poverty though this was met with skepticism by the local British government in Cairo, who saw it as a potential trigger to a nation-wide insurrection that could force the British out of Egypt for good. Regardless, Frederick himself found a friend in the Egyptian king Fuad I, whom he considered as a vital ally in preserving the fragile peace in the country. On one occasion, upon learning of the beauty of one of Fuad's daughters, namely the ten year old Princess Fawzia Fuad, Frederick once suggested, perhaps in a joking manner for the king's attractive Muslim daughter to be exclusively betrothed to that of his son Charles who is six years the princess's junior. However, the suggestion itself never went through as implied, due to clear religious and political complications that would arose from a hypothetical conversion of the princess's religion to Christianity.
Despite Frederick's gubernatorial duties, the prince and his family were said to had rarely occupied the gubernatorial residence in Cairo, having mostly preferred their original residence in Sweden instead though to a certain extent, Frederick himself would maintain a degree of communication from abroad with his subordinates in Egypt. In 1936, following news of Germany's remilitarisation of the Rhineland, Frederick abruptly resigned from his post and left for Britain due to unspecified reasons, though it was most likely believed that the prince feared an inevitable escalation into a state of armed conflict, thus leading him into evacuating Egypt beforehand. Nevertheless, Frederick himself later returned to Egypt during the ensuing Second World War as a participant in the North African campaign of the war.
Military Career
In the years leading up to the eventual Second World War, Frederick, now thirty seven years of age had unexpectedly forfeited his previous post as High Commissioner in Egypt, followed by a hasty return to Britain, though Astrid and their three children were immediately sent back to Sweden, where the prince believed would be a safe haven from the impending armed conflict, though the two would maintain a steady stream of communication through letters amidst later rumours of adultery spread by dissenters from either sides. Following his commissioning as Second Lieutenant in early 1937, Frederick underwent his first military stint when he was sent to the British mandate of Mandatory Palestine. Though Frederick himself had initially took part in pacifying the Palestinian uprising, he soon filed for a leave only a month into his service there, a decision that was quickly granted due to his royal status. Regardless of his short and mostly insignificant amount of service, he was nevertheless promoted to the rank of Captain in the British Army. During the late intermediary years, Frederick generally abstained from any further military service, choosing instead to devote his attention once more to his immediate family in Sweden.
Following Hitler's declaration of war against Poland, Frederick was among a number of British elites who sharply criticised Chamberlain's appeasement strategy. Shortly after, alongside the likes of his nephew William, he was once more recommissioned for the Second World War amidst opposition by his own wife who strongly feared for her husband's life. A year later, Frederick was among the ranks of officers serving under the British Expeditionary Force stationed in northern France. However, by early June, the BEF was promptly driven back to the area of Dunkirk in northern France as the Germans overran the technologically inferior French forces, leading to its capitulation in the same year. At Dunkirk, amidst the envirclement by the much larger German force, Frederick and a substantial amount of other British soldiers were able to safely evacuate back to the United Kingdom from the now Nazi-occupied France.
In the immediate days following his return to the country, Fredrick briefly met with his brother Edward whom, despite popular recommendation had refused to leave the country in the face of the subsequent German aerial bombardment. In return, Edward himself suggested for his brother instead to evacuate the country in the vicinity. However, with the nearby countries of Norway and Denmark already being under German control, which would had made a return trip to Sweden extremely risky, the King promptly suggested for Frederick to evacuate further west to the United States, Britain's old ally during the First World War where Frederick's own nephew and Edward's heir apparent, the Prince of Wales had been residing in. Nevertheless, he ultimately decided against such suggestions, preferring to further contribute to the British war effort and to remain as close as possible with his family whom had been sent back to neutral Sweden by his own insistence prior to the war. As a consequence, Frederick later took part in the decisive Battle of Britain, which faltered any hopes of a direct German invasion. Throughout the following years, Frederick was then stationed in the North African theater due to his expertise regarding the region, to which he served with considerable amount of distinction, then marked by a promotion to the rank of Brigadier in the concluding years of the war. Frederick himself promptly retired from the military on the 21st of December 1945, followed by a familial reunion in Sweden alongside his wife and children in Sweden.
With the immediate onset of the decades-long Cold War conflict, Frederick began to take a more active role in international affairs concerning both Sweden and the United Kingdom, and was quick to sponsor all three of this then newly adult-aged children on their diplomatic works both local and abroad. While his advice and counsel was periodically sought for by the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he gained a much more prominent role in the United Kingdom however where he was generally sought for on a much more active basis by his nephew, King Charles III, leading him to be known by many observers as "Britain's uncrowned co-king".
Frederican Reforms
Following his nephew's ascension to the throne, Frederick consequently gained further prominence when he was made an unofficial advisor by the former regarding foreign issues due to his own personal experience as a diplomat for the United Kingdom itself. However, despite being highly regarded for his expertise in international affairs by his own nephew and several cabinet members themselves, Frederick's greatest landmark as his nephew's unofficial advisor was to be that of his proposed list of reforms meant to modernise the British royal family, while emulating that of its Swedish counterpart, whom Frederick judged as being more modernised and liberal in comparison to the British. The list, which was subsequently named the Frederican Reforms markedly proposed, among other things the immediate abolishing of the debutante ball due to its perceived old-fashionedness, the gradual opening of Buckingham Palace and the other royal residences to public viewing as to encourage openness within the British monarchy, and the exemption from government consultation and review regarding the monarch's speeches that do not specifically involve administrative matters. Ultimately, all the stated reforms were put into effect, though at a gradual pace due to a compromise made by Charles III and the British governments that oversaw it.
Marriage
Following his birth, the young Frederick was initially third in line of succession to the throne, placing behind his brother Prince Edward and his father, the then Prince of Wales. His grandfather, the royal family's then patriarch had prior arranged a marital agreement between Frederick's brother Edward with the Hohenzollern Princess Victoria Louise, which later turned out to be a rather successful arrangement. At the same time, Frederick's appearance, which are at times compared to that of his brother's had also garnered him a series of potential and eligible brides.
Almost immediately, potential suitors from the Russian court, namely the Romanov grand duchesses were immediately disqualified out of fear of potentially galvanising public opinion which had been critical of his brother Edward's marriage to a German princess. Concurrently, candidates from Greece, Belgium, Romania, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, and Sweden in particular were also considered. However, with Bulgaria's entry into the war on the side of the Central Powers faction, its candidates were promptly declined. Nevertheless, at war's end, Frederick's list of potential suitors remained considerably large, with the now matured Frederick being allowed to voice his own preferences regarding his marital prospects. In the end, he ultimately opted for a Swedish princess, although at one point, Frederick momentarily considered on being betrothed to the Spanish Infanta Beatriz, his 3rd cousin once removed through his great great grandfather, King George III instead, with the latter being around nine years his junior, and was reportedly prized by the prince for her own mastery of sports and several languages.
In the year 1913, a thirteen year old Frederick was sent to Sweden alongside his brother and sister-in-law, Princess Victoria Louise, whereupon their arrival, the trio were warmly received by the likes of both the Swedish government and the Swedish royal family. Soon after, while Frederick's older brother Edward and his sister-in-law were able to easily adapt to their new living conditions in Sweden, the much more younger prince was immediately taken into by the Swedish royal family, particularly by the family of Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland, the king's brother whose three daughters and one son Frederick subsequently grew up with. Thus, as an unofficial member of the Swedish royal family, Frederick himself was nevertheless treated with much fairness and kindness by his adoptive parents, the Duke and Duchess of Västergötland. In return, Frederick was said to had actively contributed in daily household chores, much to the family's delight. In the following years, as Frederick expectedly became close friends with his adopted brother, Prince Carl Bernadotte, he also grew somewhat close to his three adopted sisters, namely Margaretha, Märtha, and Astrid.
At one point, encouraged by Prince Carl himself, Frederick chose to took up personal interest in the Swedish language and culture, during which he was largely aided by both Prince Carl himself, and his fellow Swedish relatives. His relative success in his endeavour quickly brought him further attention among his three adopted sisters, with rumours of a potential marriage between Frederick and either one of them quickly gaining pace. However, the eldest of the three princesses, namely Princess Margaretha was already married to the Danish Prince Axel, leaving the then seventeen year old Märtha and the thirteen year old Astrid as the remaining candidates.
Despite being generally cordial with either princesses, he ultimately diclosed his intentions privately towards both King Gustaf V and Prince Carl of pursuing the youngest of the two remaining sisters' hand in marriage, namely Princess Astrid herself, while the older Princess Märtha would go on to marry the future King Olav V of Norway, the maternal great-grandfather of Queen Alexandra, Frederick's great-grandnephew through his brother, King Edward VII.
Though both King Gustaf V and Prince Carl were unanimously on board with Frederick's prospects, he also required the blessing of his own parents back in Britain. To that end, Frederick wrote a detailed letter to his brother Edward, whom had then been sworn in as Prince Regent on behalf of their ailing father. In the first exchange of letters, the Prince Regent asked his brother to personally bring over the now grown Astrid to Buckingham Palace for a review by the Prince and Princess Regent themselves, though the real motive was intentionally kept hidden from Astrid herself, whom was subsequently told of it being a familial reunion instead. Almost immediately, both the Prince and Princess Regent found an instant liking for the seventeen year old princess, whose charm and mannerisms were repeteadly commended and unanimously praised by the princely couple. Eventually, Edward himself soon approved the planned union by reminding his brother of his future marital responsibilities as the latter's entourage was to depart back for Sweden, as he proclaimed, "You will take utmost care of the young and sweet girl. She is both strong, yet delicate and I do not wish for her to be harmed in any way or form as her soon-to-be brother in law".
Several months later, Frederick had personally volunteered to accompany the now eighteen year old princess on a hiking trip up the Kebnekaise mountain. While en route up the mountain, the princess suffered an accidental slip but was promptly saved by Frederick who was able to grab hold of the princess's back in time, saving the former from a possible fall. Almost immediately, Frederick's spontaneous actions affirmed his long held feelings for the young Astrid. The pair soon became engaged upon reaching the top of Kebnekaise mountain. During the subsequent descend down the mountain, an exhilarated Frederick personally carried the princess all the way down upon nearing the mountain's foot, and even into their vehicle himself. In the subsequent words of the royal chauffeur that had been tasked in driving the two royals back home, "The young princess rather enjoyed the warm comfort of her partner, and it seemed that neither of them could ever have had enough of one another".
General approval from both the Swedish and British royal families were quick to materialise in favour of their engagement though the couple was advised to wait for at least two years longer before they are to be subsequently married as to provide a "breathing space" for the younger Astrid whom, by Swedish law had recently came of age following her 18th birthday. Nevertheless, the two first took up residence in their own apartment at the Drottningholm Palace while King Gustaf V, now Frederick's uncle-in-law commissioned a castle, named Frederick and Astrid Castle in their honour at the Swedish island of Gotland, which was completed in 1930.
Subsequently, as fiancés, the couple first travelled to Switzerland incognito where they were said to had mostly hiked through the abundant mountains in the country while also exploring the country's wilderness. Despite being a largely peaceful and harmonious trip in its entirety, the couple however promptly withdrew from the country after a week long stay following a brief altercation between Frederick and an Italian anarchist, the latter whom had spontaneously attempted to assassinate the prince when the princely couple was residing at the Hotel Palace Luzern. For their follow-up visit, the couple was ultimately advised against their initial prospects of visiting Egypt amidst security concerns, though this was soon compensated with a visit to Turkey instead where this time, in contrast to their initial stay in Switzerland where the couple largely kept to themselves and mostly avoided meeting local leaders, they instead met the new Turkish President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and briefly, the last Ottoman caliph Abdulmejid II, whom Frederick later succeeded in offering a residence to in Sweden, much to Atatürk's own disapproval.
On July 1925, the couple were wed at the Stockholm Palace in the attendance of various European royal families alongside several elected head of states, with the likes of the French and American presidents, namely Gaston Doumergue and Calvin Coolidge respectively. Immediately after their marriage, Frederick and Astrid were jointly created Duke and Duchess of Clarence and Avondale by Frederick's brother, King Edward VII whom had also attended the wedding itself alongside his wife, Queen Louise. For their wedding honeymoon, the couple was allowed by King Christian X of Denmark, whom was also the father of Frederick's brother-in-law, Prince Knud, to reside in the Danish territory of Iceland. Thus, for the next two months, the newlyweds resided in the Icelandic city of Akureyri, where they were said to had frequently rode around the city solely on horseback, in contrast to automobiles instead, earning much praise and admiration for their humility and simplicity.
Personal Information
Titles & Honours
- 14 June 1900 - 30 January 1913 His Royal Highness Prince Frederick of Wales
- 30 January 1913 - 11 July 1925 His Royal Highness The Prince Frederick
- 11 July 1925 - 23 June 1985 His Royal Highness The Duke of Clarence and Avondale
Honours
Ancestry
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