Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester

British soldier (1900–1974), Governor-General of Australia from 1945 to 1947

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Lived 1900–1974, aged 74United Kingdom

United Kingdom PoliticiansPolitician

Wikipedia
36 languages
Cross-language footprint
Era
1900–1974
Aged 74
Known for
A Queen Is Crowned
1953

Summary

Updated 2026-06-21

Third son of George V, sandwiched between two kings, he spent a life in uniforms he rarely got to wear — sidelined by protocol, entangled in a Kenyan scandal that cost him regular payments, then shipped to Australia as governor-general when his brother died in the air crash that had freed the job.

Biography

About

Henry William Frederick Albert was born 31 March 1900, the first son of a British monarch educated at school rather than by tutors; he excelled at sports, moved through Eton, and took a commission in the 10th Royal Hussars hoping one day to command it. Royal duties kept pulling him from the barracks — he earned the nickname "the unknown soldier" for his low profile — and while big-game shooting in Kenya he became romantically involved with the future pilot Beryl Markham, a liaison the court pressured him to end but which required ongoing hush-money to keep quiet. In 1935 he married Lady Alice…

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