Her … Whatever the case was, the aircraft, an RAF Sunderland, was on its way to Iceland and went down soon after taking off from Cromarty Firth. Share. He has held the title of Duke of Kent since the death of his father in 1942. At the last minute the flight crew had been joined by Wing Commander Thomas Mosley, who outranked the pilot. The persistent rumours about his homosexuality (including a love relation with Noel Coward) as well as his carefree lifestyle didn’t prevent the marriage. Aged only 39, George died from an airplane crash near Caithness, Scotland on August 25, 1942 during non-operational duties. Personally, George left behind his wife of eight years, Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, and their three young children, Edward, Alexandra and Michael, the last of whom was born only seven weeks before his father’s death. Prince George, Duke of Kent died in a plane crash on what should've been an uneventful flight from England to Iceland on August 25, 1942, when he was just 39 years old. The aircraft was meant to fly over water, not land, and its intended flight route was to follow the coastline and then turn north for Iceland. The death itself, however, is not without controversy – more specifically, there are many who still believe something untoward happened. The crash killed 14 of 15 passengers and crew, including Prince George, Duke of Kent, who was on duty as an Air Commodore in the Royal Air Force on a mission to Reykjavik; a message of condolence was proposed in Parliament by the British Prime Minister. A NORTH Wales woman believes she holds the key to the death of controversial Prince George, Duke of Kent. The third brother, Henry, Duke of Gloucester, had seen active duty throughout the war, though George’s death would put a swift end to that. There is a school of thought that the plane’s crash had more to do about George’s potential politics than actual mechanical failure or human error. Change ). Posted by 5 months ago. In 1934 George married Princess of Marina of Yugoslavia. He would provide moral support and drum up some good press. The plane crashed while on … She became engaged to Prince George - a distant cousin - in 1934 during a summer spent with her sister, Princess Olga of Yugoslavia. View @rebeccastarrbrown’s profile on Facebook, View @NormandyWindsor’s profile on Twitter, View @rebeccastarrb’s profile on Instagram, Follow Rebecca Starr Brown on WordPress.com, William & Kate Attend Theatre On Behalf of The Royal Foundation. His untimely death in 1942 rocked the royal family, and there were rumours he fathered at least two illegitimate children. A Royal Air Force Board of Inquir… The exact cause of the crash has never been established. Twenty-six years after George’s death, his body was moved from St. George’s to Frogmore House. At the time of the accident, George’s older brother, George VI (privately known as Albert), had been on the throne for less than six years following the abdication of Edward VIII. TIL that the Death of Prince George, Duke of Kent in WWII, marked the first death of a member of the Royal Family on active service for 500 years. On 25 August 1942, George and 14 others took off in a RAF Short Sunderland flying boat W4026 from Invergordon, Ross and Cromarty, to fly to Iceland on non-operational duties. King George V Of England 1865-1936; Princess Mary Of Teck 1867-1953 Spouses and children. Prince William was the second member of the British royal family to work in the civil service or the diplomatic service (the first was his uncle, Prince George, Duke of Kent, in the 1920s). Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. There is little to no evidence to suggest he questioned Britain’s approach to the War once it was underway. All but one were killed, including George, who was 39 years old. Because his mother, Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark was a first cousin of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Edward is both a first cousin once removed and second cousin to the Prince of Wales and his siblings. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Married 29 November 1934, Westminster Abbey, London, England, to Princess Marina Of Greece 1906-1968 (Parents :Prince Nicholas Of Greece 1872-1938 & Princess Jelena Of Russia 1882-1937) with. No one knows what was said by either side, but Jack refused to answer any questions about the flight for the rest of his life, only once alluding that he disagreed with the investigation’s findings that the crash was the result of pilot error. It seems no surprise, then, that the current Prince Michael of Kent has quietly declined to become involved with a biography of his father, who died when he was only six weeks old. But conspiracy theorists have always questioned how such experienced pilots made such basic mistakes and veered from the planned route? ( Log Out /  From Normandy to Windsor, Putting the British Monarchy in Context. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. The most recent war casualty of a senior British royal was Prince George, Duke of Kent, fourth son of King George V and Queen Mary, during World War II. As of when the collision occurred, the plane had deviated from its course. Posted November 4, 2011. She met her future husband, Prince George, Duke of Kent, the fifth child of King George V and Queen Mary in 1932 while on a visit to London. Less outlandish is the suggestion that foreign interference played a role, given what moving targets George and his brother, Henry, symbolized when they saw active duty. @ Gary Keith….If you have any proof of this claim of “fake deaths”, you should produce some evidence as it flies in the face of all subsequent investigations of this plane crash. grunge.com - Since all documentation of the crash long since disappeared, mystery and conspiracies have shrouded the death of Prince George -- royal husband and … The Tragic Death Of Prince George, Duke Of Kent - Flipboard Then there is Jack who was visited by two senior Royal Air Force officials while he was convalescing in hospital. (See above.) Aged only 39, George died from an airplane crash near Caithness, Scotland on August 25, 1942 during non-operational duties. The third son of King George V and Queen Mary, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester was born on 31 March 1900. The death of the Duke of Kent - the Queen’s uncle - in a plane crash in 1942 has never been fully explained. George and pr.john deaths were fake deaths.called official retirement.pr.john lived as Johnny cash.george as gen.jackson usmc 1977. At the time of her marriage to Prince George, the Duke of Kent, in 1934 the princess was one of a long line of foreign princesses to marry into the British royal family. When he finally settled down and married his second cousin, Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, in 1934, he was rumored to have continued his dalliances with both men and women, to the dismay of his royal parents, the King and Queen of England. Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, as Duke and Duchess of Windsor, met with Adolf Hitler in the late ‘30s and even during his brief stint as king, there were rumored concerns about where his and Wallis’s sympathies lay, ministers editing what they shared with the King for fear of him consorting with spies, even Wallis. Prince George, Duke of Kent died in a plane crash on what should've been an uneventful flight from England to Iceland on August 25, 1942, when he was just 39 years old. Marina had to be escorted from the chapel by Queen Elizabeth, while George’s mother, Queen Mary, took the King’s arm. You can unsubscribe at any time. Everything to Know About the Death of King George VI, As Seen On The Crown The coffin of George VI draped with the royal standard being carried by soldiers on Feb. 15, 1952. Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, is a member of the British royal family.He is a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II through their fathers, Prince George, Duke of Kent, and King George VI. Close. Prince George was one of six children of King George V and Mary of Teck. The press at that time, however, did not publicize those kinds of royal indiscretions. George VI was distraught by his brother’s death. This Prince George was the younger brother of Queen Elizabeth's dad (George VI), and fourth son of King George V. He died in 1942 when his plane crashed in Scotland during World War II. The death sent shockwaves through Britain. His six-year-old son, Edward, succeeded him as Duke of Kent, while Marina continued to serve as a trained nurse through the rest of the war, focusing her remaining years on raising their children and carrying out engagements on behalf of George VI and then Elizabeth II. Likely bisexual, one of his more famous rumored liaisons was with the noted playwright, Noel Coward. His siblings included Prince Edward VIII, who abdicated the throne to marry a twice-divorced American woman named Wallis Simpson, and King George VI, who became King in Edward's stead. RELATED:Follow our coverage of Prince Philip’s death. ... and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, all of whom have offered loyal support and service over the years. He had five siblings: King Edward VIII (Duke of Windsor after his abdication) (1894 … As for the suggestion that the British government played a role – all evidence in the months and years leading up to George’s death indicate that he was closely aligned with his brother the King, as well as Churchill and his government. Jorge de Kent (es); György kenti herceg (hu); Jorge de Kent (ast); Jordi del Regne Unit (ca); George… And this begs the question, who did he mean? On 25th August 1942, Prince George, Duke of Kent, the fourth son of King George V, was killed when his aircraft crashed into Eagles Rock near Dunbeath, Caithness, Scotland. Prince George, the Duke of Kent - our present Queen's uncle- died as a passenger in a plane crash on August 25th 1942 during a mysterious flight over Scotland. Bizarre theories have emerged that George was “taken out” because he was in favor of some sort of conciliation with Germany. English: HRH The Prince George, Duke of Kent (George Edward Alexander Edmund; 20 December 1902 - 25 August 1942) was a member of the British Royal Family, the fourth son of George V and Mary of Teck. His death is shrouded in mystery. A largely implausible book was written years ago alleging that George had traveled with a briefcase of krona, which weren’t usable in Iceland, indicating the destination was a cover for another mission altogether. After crashing, the fuel tank ignited and exploded, leaving all but one passenger dead. Prince George’s reputation was a questionable one. Younger sons have a bit more wiggle room, most recently evidenced by the top secret deployment of Prince Harry last decade. Even so, many still question the details of the accident. The site of his death on Eagle’s Rock is marked with a simple white cross, a memorial that George VI visited privately the following year. In 1942 when his son, the current Duke of Kent, was seven years old, George was travelling to Iceland in a Sunderland flying boat. George even found some … He held the title of Duke of Kent from 1934 until his death in a military air-crash. After only 32 minutes in the air, the plane crashed into the highest hillside in Scotland, Eagle's Rock, per Undiscovered Scotland and Military History. Prince Andrew said his father's death was a "terrible loss", and his family was "rallying round" to help the Queen. The 15-man crew flew on a RAF S.25 Short Sunderland Mark III flying boat. One unconfirmed theory is that Prince George took the helm in order to "fly over his cousin's lodge at Langwell Estate, Berridale," per Military History. Prince George, uncle to the Queen, had a 'party prince' reputation. 1934, George with Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent On 25 August 1942, four months short of his 40th birthday, the Duke of Kent was killed when the RAF S.25 Short Sunderland Mark III flying boat he was in crashed into a hillside near Dunbeath, Caithness, in the far north of Scotland. 1.9k. The Prince George, Duke of Kent (George Edward Alexander Edmund; 20 December 1902 – 25 August 1942) was a member of the British Royal Family, the fourth son of George V and Mary of Teck. ( Log Out /  However, since all documentation of the crash long since disappeared, according to The Rake, mystery and conspiracies have shrouded the death of the royal husband and father of three who led a colorful and secretly scandalous life. However, since all documentation of the crash long since disappeared, according to The Rake, mystery and conspiracies have shrouded the death of the royal husband and father of three who led a colorful and secretly … The death sent shockwaves through Britain. Edward (privately known as David) was living in the Bahamas as its Governor, a role given to him during the War for debatable reasons. At the same time he was granted the title of the Duke of Kent. Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, KG, GCMG, GCVO, ADC(P) (Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick; born 9 October 1935) is a grandchild of King George V and Queen Mary. Some of this stems from the fact that George led a controversial and dramatic personal life. King George VI was Queen Elizabeth II's father. His death remains shrouded in mystery for – perhaps most shocking of all – he was Prince George, Duke of Kent, and the Queen’s uncle. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. According to Military History, that type of plane was great in many ways, but where it lacked was that "it was severely underpowered for its size," meaning it worked best when flying over water versus land. In 1934, Princess Marina married Prince George, Duke of Kent, the son of King George V of the United Kingdom, and was styled the Duchess of Kent. According to Military History, as part of his role as an Air Commodore in the Welfare Section of the Royal Air Force Inspector General's Staff, the prince was slated to fly to Iceland to visit members of the RAF who were stationed there. The aircraft crashed on Eagle's Rock, a hillside near Dunbeath, Caithness, Scotland. ( Log Out /  Prince George, Duke of Kent (born George Edward Alexander Edmund of Wales) was the fifth of six children of the future King George V of the United Kingdom and Queen Mary, born Princess Victoria Mary of Teck.He was born on December 20, 1902, at York Cottage on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, England. To simplify, Prince George, Duke of Kent, was Queen Elizabeth's II's uncle. Marina lived until 1968 when she passed away from a brain tumor at Kensington Palace. The most recent war casualty of a senior British royal was Prince George, Duke of Kent, fourth son of King George V and Queen Mary, during World War II. The plane was en route to Iceland. The Dunbeath air crash involved the loss of a Mark 3 Short S.25 Sunderland that crashed in the Scottish Highlands on a headland known as Eagle's Rock (Creag na h-Iolaire) near Dunbeath, Caithness, on 25 August 1942. Like his brother Edward, the Duke of Kent was sympathetic to the political developments that were taking place in Nazi Germany. Marina fell to her knees before George’s casket and openly wept, while the King had visible tears in his eyes when he dropped earth over the coffin at burial. The funeral was held four days later at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor and proved an emotional affair, particularly by royal standards. Since then, the trend has been to preserve monarchs and from there direct heirs to the throne. Instead, he blamed it on the plane’s captain, but without context. The plane crashed into a hillside in Scotland. The Queen's uncle Prince George, Duke of Kent tragically died in a plane crash in Scotland on this day in 1942, during the Second World War.His death while in the service of the RAF marked the first time in more than 450 years that a member of the royal family had died on active service. An official investigation was launched into the crash by Parliament, its findings presented by the House of Commons’ Secretary for Air with: “First, that the accident had occurred because the aircraft was flown on a track other than that indicated on the flight plan given to the pilot and at too low an altitude to clear the rising ground on the track; secondly, that the responsibility for this serious mistake in airmanship lies with the captain of the aircraft; thirdly, that the weather encountered should have presented no difficulties to an experienced pilot; fourthly, that the examination of the propellers showed that the engines were under power when the aircraft struck the ground; and fifthly, that all the occupants of the aircraft were on duty at the time of the accident.”. And if there was a special mission, then where is (or was) the documentation? Katharine married Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, 85, in 1961, was a bridesmaid at Princess Anne's wedding and has taken numerous engagements … Flight Sergeant Andrew Jack somehow survived the collision; he wandered around the area aimlessly in the fog – disoriented and burned – until he was discovered by chance the next day. For that reason, the course to Iceland was set to fly over the ocean for most of the trip. Before his wedding the King created Prince George the Duke of Kent, Earl of St Andrews and Baron Downpatrick. That, perhaps, George’s death was ordered by the British government with oversight by none other than Winston Churchill. He was the first son of a monarch to … … Prince George and Princess Marina. As history records that all bodies had been accounted for, then the rear gunner shows up?? George V died of influenza on 20th January, 1936. George, who was 39, was killed along with 14 others on board. Privately, he was once addicted to cocaine and morphine and carried on a number of reckless and indiscreet affairs with men and women. But then, so did George as an air commodore. He was the first member of the British Royal Family to be killed on active military service for 500 years. He and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark married in 1934 and had three kids. The Prince George Duke of Kent KG KT GCMG GCVO was a member of the British Royal Family the fourth son and fifth child of King George V and Queen Mary and younger brother of Kings Edward VIII and George VI. According to Herald Extra, Prince George was considered a womanizer who was also bi-sexual, with a rotating cast of lovers from both genders. Episode 3: Prince George: Tragedy or Treason? Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Through history, the British Royal Family has lost any number of men to active combat, but it’s a number that has dwindled considerably in more recent centuries. Although Prince George, Duke of Kent and most of the other men on board were killed, one survived the crash: the rear gunner, Andrew Jack. The Tragic Death Of Prince George, Duke Of Kent. Prince George, Duke of Kent, was the fourth son and fifth child of King George V and Queen Mary. The Rake reported Prince George had multiple illegitimate children and he dealt with drug problems, including addictions to morphine and cocaine. He joined the Commonwealth Office in 1965 and was posted to Lagos as the third secretary at … Publicly he was known as a handsome and dashing war hero, married to his beautiful and glamorous wife and a devoted father to a young family. After her husband’s death, the Duchess of Kent continued to be an active member of the … Two of the couple’s three children are full-time members of the current British Royal Family, carrying out engagements and attending functions on behalf of their cousin, the Queen. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. He served in the Royal Navy in the 1920s and then briefly as a civil servant. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Then there was the fact that Nazi sympathizers weren’t unheard of within European royalty, even Britain’s. The last king to die in battle was Richard III in 1485; the last king to actively participate in one was George II in 1743. Who’s was the othe body?. Yet for reasons that will probably never be known, due to lack of existing documentation, the pilot went off course toward land, which was against standing orders. Death of Duke of Kent - Prince George died on 25 August 1942, at the age of 39, along with fourteen others, on board RAF Short Sunderland flying boat W4026, which crashed into a hillside near Dunbeath, Caithness, Scotland, while flying from Invergordon, Ross and … He was badly burned and in shock for about 24 hours until a local girl found him, according to Undiscovered Scotland and Military History. ( Log Out /  He was the younger brother of Edward VIII and George VI. Prince George, Duke of Kent, (George Edward Alexander Edmund; 20 December 1902 – 25 August 1942) was a member of the British royal family, the fourth son of King George V and Queen Mary. He held the title of Duke of Kent from 1934 until his death in 1942.