Alfred Alexander William Ernst Albert, born 1874, was the son of Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia. He was also a male line grandson of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Alfred, called Affie within the extended family, was the only son. When his father's uncle, Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, died, the Duke of Edinburgh succeeded and the family move to Germany. Affie became the heir apparent to the Duchy and traded a thoroughly British upbringing for a German one.
When Affie reached adulthood, it was rumored that he was engaged to Duchess Elsa of Wurttenburg. The marriage never occurred. Affie was likely a bit of a partier, like many of his male relations, and had no intention of settling down.
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| Prince Alfred of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha |
In 1899, his parents celebrated their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, despite having a less than ideal marriage. While other relations had gathered in Germany, Affie was absent. Reportedly he was very ill. Affie died at age 24. Various causes of death were given. His family said he had consumption or generally poor health. It was reported he had a tumor. More insidiously, it was said he shot himself.
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| Affie's family gathers for his majority, he stands in front. |
Now generally accepted as the truth, reportedly Affie shot himself with a revolver the night of the anniversary party. He clung to life for three days, being moved from Gotha to a sanatorium in Tyrol where he finally perished. It is alleged that he had secretly married Mabel Fitzgerald, the granddaughter of the Duke of Leinster. At the time, all marriages had to be approved by the Queen and her government, so this unapproved marriage to a commoner was greatly distressing to his family. Some historians say that this disagreement cause Affie to commit suicide.
A melancholy ran in some lines of the royal family, harkening back to King George III and evident in other descendants of Queen Victoria. Perhaps Affie was suffering from some mental illness. Unfortunately, his life was cut short. His premature death negatively changed the course of another cousin's life. The Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha passed to his cousin, Prince Charles Edward, Duke of Albany, who was encouraged to accept the Duchy by their cousin Kaiser Wilhelm. Leaving behind his English upbringing and family to become German, Charles Edward suffered from World War I and ultimately lost his wealth and much of his family by supporting Adolf Hitler in World War II.
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