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 Norway, and the younger son of King Frederick III of Denmark and Norway. 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 acknowledges that history has not treated George ‘kindly or fairly’, noting that he is often characterised by historians as an ‘amiable but bone-headed gentleman’. Apparently, even King Charles II held him in low regard: ‘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 challenges previous assessments of his character and achievements, describing the depth and steadfastness of his loyalty (both political and emotional) to his wife, and the important role he played in British history. She reminds us that George was generally admired and respected during his lifetime. In 1702, George married Princess Anne, daughter of King James II. The marriage was arranged to cement an Anglo-Danish alliance intended to help defend Britain against Dutch maritime power. However, the alliance made George unpopular with King William III, who was married to Anne’s older sister, Mary, and maintained strong ties to the Netherlands; before his marriage, William was William II, Stadtholder 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 became Queen Anne I and reigned from 1702 to 1714. She was the last of the Stuart monarchs. 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. From 1702 to 1708, George also ordered many groundbreaking horological innovations from master clockmaker Thomas Tompion. These high-end commissions were known as the Denmark group. Antiquarian Jonathan Carter has provided the most up-to-date list of the fourteen Tompion timekeepers that are known and are likely to be part of this group.[1] Eight of the fourteen were made while Tompion was in partnership with Edward Banger and are signed Tompion and Banger. Also included in the group is a Tompion–Graham production most likely commissioned by Prince George but completed for Queen Anne in 1710, after his death. For an example of a Denmark group commission, see the Sidereal Tompion Regulator, which was probably completed just after George’s passing. The death of his patron appears to have left Tompion with unpaid expenses towards his tremendous financial output to produce such a technically advanced timekeeper. 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. End Note [1] Carter 2022, 220. Reference Carter, J. 2022. The John C Taylor Collection: Part III (Selling Exhibition Catalogue, Carter Marsh & Co). Winchester: Carter Marsh & Co. 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
