Prince George Duke of Kent Timeline 1902-1942

Prince George, Duke of Kent, was born George Edward Alexander Edmund, to Prince George, son of King Edward VII, and Mary of Teck at York Cottage, Sandringham, Norfolk. He was the couple’s 5th child, his elder siblings Edward, Albert, Mary and Henry had been born earlier.

George was christened in the private chapel at Windsor Castle. The service was performed by the Bishop of Oxford, Francis Paget.

George’s brother, John Charles Francis, was born to George and Mary of Teck at York Cottage, Sandringham, Norfolk.

George’s parents left Britain on a six month tour of India.

Prince George began his education. He was educated at home by a private tutor.

Prince George attended St Peter’s Court prep school in Broadstairs, Kent.

George’s grandfather, King Edward VII, died and his father became King George V of Great Britain and Emperor of India. George’s brother, Edward, became Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Lord of the Isles and Baron Renfrew.

George’s brother, Edward, was made a Knight of the Garter and created Prince of Wales.

George’s father was crowned King George V and his mother was crowned Queen Consort at Westminster Abbey.

King George V was crowned Emperor of India and Mary of Teck was crowned Empress of India at New Delhi, India.

Britain declared war on Germany after Germany did not withdraw their troops from Belgium.

George became a pupil at Osborne Naval College on the Isle of Wight.

King George V fell from his horse while visiting British troops in Flanders and suffered a fractured pelvis.

George’s father changed the royal family name from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor due to strong anti-German feeling during World War One.

Due to concerns that it would start a revolution against the monarchy, King George V turned down a request by his cousin, Tsar Nicholas II for sanctuary for the Russian royal family in Britain.

George’s brother, John, who suffered from epilepsy, died at Wood Farm, Wolferton, Norfolk.

King George authorised a ship to be sent to rescue the royal family of Greece. The rescuees included the infant Prince Philip.

Britain’s first Labour Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald, was elected.

Prince George was promoted to sub-lieutenant in the navy.

George began an association with American socialite, Kiki Preston. She was nicknamed ‘the girl with the silver syringe’ due to her drug addiction and it is thought that she introduced the prince to cocaine and morphine. George was also rumoured to have had relationships with a number of women and men during this period including playwright Noel Coward.

King George V, a heavy smoker, was diagnosed with chronic obstructive airways disease. He took a private cruise of the Mediterranean to recuperate.

George’s grandmother, Alexandra of Denmark, suffered a heart attack and died at Sandringham.

Prince George was promoted to lieutenant in the navy.

Michael Temple Canfield was born. It has long been alleged, though not proven, that Michael was the illegitimate son of Prince George and Kiki Preston. He was adopted by American publisher, Augustus Canfield and his wife.

George had a relationship with Poppy Baring but was told to end the relationship because her lifestyle was unsuitable.

King George was taken ill with septicaemia. His eldest son, Edward took over many royal duties.

Prince George became a freemason when he joined Navy Lodge No. 2612.

King George V spent time in Bognor in the south of England recuperating from his illness. The town was given the suffix ‘Regis’ to mark the King’s stay in the town.

Edward, Prince of Wales, was concerned about George’s relationship with Kiki Preston and his reliance on drugs. Edward forced Kiki to leave England and prevented George from seeing her.

George learnt to fly and gained his pilot’s license.

George left the Royal Navy.

George and his elder brother, Edward, Prince of Wales, began a three month tour of South America.

King George V made the first Royal Christmas broadcast.

In the Freemasons, Prince George became Senior Grand Warden of the United Grand Lodge of England.

George, was created Duke of Kent.

Prince George Duke of Kent married Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark at Westminster Abbey.

King George V celebrated his silver jubilee. He and Mary had become popular with the people.

A son, Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick, was born to Prince George Duke of Kent and Princess Marina at Belgrave Square, London.

George’s brother, Henry, married Alice Christabel at the private chapel in Buckingham Palace.

King George V died of pleurisy. He was succeeded by his eldest son Edward, as King Edward VIII.

King George V was buried in St George’s chapel, Windsor Castle.

Prince George was made a personal aide-de-camp to his brother, King Edward VIII.

Edward VIII told Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin that he wished to marry Wallis Simpson when her divorce was finalised. The royal family, politicians and the Church of England were firmly opposed to Edward marrying Wallis Simpson.

Edward VIII signed abdication papers at Fort Belvedere. A clause was included that Edward would live abroad and would only be allowed to return to the UK by personal invitation of the sovereign.

King Edward VIII formally abdicated the throne so that he could marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson. He made a public broadcast to the nation explaining that he could not be King without the woman he loved. That evening he left Britain for Austria where he would wait for Wallis’s divorce to become final.

George’s brother, Albert, reluctantly took the throne as King George VI of Great Britain and Emperor of India. He chose the name George to emphasise continuity with the reign of his father, George V.

King George VI created his brother Edward, Duke of Windsor.

A daughter, Alexandra Helen Elizabeth Olga Christabel, was born to Prince George Duke of Kent and Princess Marina at Belgrave Square, London.

Prince George Duke of Kent was made a personal aide-de-camp to his brother, King George VI.

It was reported that George had secretly met his exiled brother, Edward in Austria. It was also believed that George had spent time with the German Ambassador to England, Joachim von Ribbentrop.

Prince George was made a Colonel in the British Army, a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force and Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Fusiliers.

George’s brother, Edward, married Wallis Simpson in a private ceremony at Chateau de Cande, Tours, France. Members of the British royal family were forbidden to attend by King George VI.

Both Prince George and his exiled elder brother, Prince Edward believed that Neville Chamberlain’s policy of appeasement towards Adolf Hitler was the right one.

George was made Honorary Air Commodore of No. 500 (County of Kent) Squadron Auxiliary Air Force.

Prince George was appointed successor to Lord Gowrie, Governor General of Australia, who would leave the role in November 1939.

In the Freemasons, Prince George became Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England.

Prince George Duke of Kent secretly met his cousin, Prince Philip of Hesse to try to find a way to avoid war between Britain and Nazi Germany.

George was promoted to Air Vice-Marshall.

Prince George spoke to his brother, King George VI, about the possibility of negotiating directly with Adolf Hitler. The King took the idea to Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain.

Following the outbreak of World War Two, George’s appointment as Governor of Australia was cancelled and he returned to active service in the Royal Navy.

George and his family moved to Pitliver House, near Rosyth, Fife, Scotland

George transferred to the Royal Air Force.

George, Duke of Kent went to Lisbon, Portugal, to meed with Dictator Antonio Salazar. British officials made sure that George had no opportunity to meet with his brother, Edward, who was in Madrid.

Prince George, Duke of Kent met with the Duke of Hamilton in Scotland.

George was at RAF Sumburgh in the Shetland Islands.

Ruldolph Hess, Deputy Fuhrer of Germany, flew a Messerchmitt 110 to Scotland to meet with the Duke of Hamilton. Hess believed that Hamilton would arrange a meeting between himself and King George VI. It is believed by some historians that Prince George was with Hamilton on this day and was planning to meet with Hess and possibly seek an alliance. It is known that George was in the area at this time but official records have not been released to the public so the allegation cannot be confirmed.

George visited Balmoral Castle.

Prince George gained the rank of Air Commodore in the Welfare Section of the RAF Inspector General’s Staff. He made numerous visits to RAF bases to boost morale.

A son, Michael George Charles Franklin, was born to Prince George Duke of Kent and Princess Marina at Coppins Iver, Buckinghamshire.

Prince George Duke of Kent was killed after an RAF Short Sunderland Flying Boat, in which he and 14 others were travelling from Invergordon to Iceland, crashed on Eagle’s Rock near Dunbeath, Caithness, Scotland. The plane was off course and there has been much speculation about whether the group were flying to a different destination since all those on board were highly experienced personnel. There was one survivor of the crash, Andy Jack, who later told Prince George’s widow, that they had been on a ‘special mission’. Jack was forced to sign the Official Secrets Act.

A funeral service for Prince George, Duke of Kent, was held at St George’s Chapel, Windsor.

The official inquiry into the crash reported that the cause of the crash was an accident caused by an error of judgement on the part of the captain of the aircraft.