Prince George of Denmark and Norway, Duke of Cumberland Prince George of Denmark and Norway, Duke of Cumberland was the younger brother of King Christian V of Denmark, and the younger son of King Frederik III of Denmark. He was husband and consort to Princess Anne from 1702 until his death in 1708. In her 2017 lecture ‘Prince George of Denmark (1653–1708): The Forgotten Consort’, historian Julie Farguson acknowledged that history has not treated George ‘kindly or fairly’, and that he is often characterised by historians as an ‘amiable but bone-headed gentleman’. Apparently, even King Charles II said of him ‘I have tried him drunk and I have tried him sober and there is nothing to him’. In an attempt to rehabilitate the Prince's image, Farguson debunked myths about him by explaining the depth and steadfastness of his loyalty (both politically and emotionally) to his wife, and the important role he played in British history. In fact, George was generally admired and respected during his lifetime. In 1702, he married Princess Anne. Anne was the daughter of King James II and also the last of the Stuart monarchs. George’s marriage to Anne was arranged to cement an Anglo-Danish alliance to help defend Britain against Dutch maritime power. The alliance made George unpopular with King William III, who was married to Anne’s sister and maintained strong ties to the Netherlands. Before marrying Mary, William was William II, the stadholder of five of the United Provinces of the Netherlands. William and Mary had succeeded to the British throne as joint monarchs in 1689, after the so-called Glorious Revolution led to the deposition of King James II. Following William III’s death in 1702, George’s wife Anne became Queen Anne I and reigned from 1702 to 1714. George was the royal patron of mechanician John Rowley and architect Inigo Jones, among others. He also famously funded the pirated publication of John Flamsteed’s unfinished star catalogue, which Isaac Newton and Edmund Halley edited for publication against Flamsteed’s wishes. Enraged by the publication of his unfinished work, Flamsteed duly burned most of the copies. Anne and George’s marriage proved to be strong despite immense personal tragedy. She became pregnant no fewer than 18 times, suffering 13 miscarriages or stillbirths. Of the five live children born to the couple, four died in infancy and their chronically ill son William died at the age of 11. Thus, Anne and George were not survived by any of their children. In 1708, George of Denmark died at the age of 55 from chronic lung disease. He is buried in Westminster Abbey. Reference Farguson, J. 2017. ‘Prince George of Denmark (1653–1708): The Forgotten Consort’ (Lecture, Thursday, 16 November 2017) Queen’s House, Romney Road, Greenwich, London: Royal Museum Greenwich and TORCH | The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities. Image Credit Prince George of Denmark, Duke of Cumberland after Michael Dahl. Oil on canvas, circa 1705. NPG 4163 © National Portrait Gallery, London, CC BY-NC-ND 3.0, https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw02479/Prince-George-of-Denmark-Duke-of-Cumberland?LinkID=mp01754&role=sit&rNo=1
