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His Royal Highness The Prince George Edward Alexander Edmund, KG, KT, GCVO, GCMG, PC, 1st Duke of Kent, Earl of St. Andrews, and Baron Downpatrick was born at York Cottage, Sandringham House, near King's Lynn, Norfolk, England, to the then Prince and Princess of Wales. At the time of his birth, he was styled "HRH Prince George of Wales." From his father's ascension to the throne on 6 May, 1910 until his creation as Duke of Kent on 12 October 1934Events January-April January 1 Alcatraz becomes a federal prison. January 7 First Flash Gordon comic strip is published. January 10 Execution of Marinus van der Lubbe January 24 Einstein visits White House January 26 The Apollo Theater opens in Harlem, Ne, he was styled "HRH The Prince George." He became a Knight of the Order of the Gartergarter is one of the Order's most recognisable insignia. Diamonds spell out the motto of the Order on this seventeenth century garter. The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an English order of chivalry with a history stretching back to mediaeval times; to (KG) at age 21. He received the Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian OrderThe Royal Victorian Order is an order of chivalry that was established by Victoria on 21 April 1896. The Order includes five classes, in order of seniority: Knight or Dame Grand Cross (G. Knight or Dame Commander (K. Commander (C. Lieutenant (L. Member (M (GCVO) in 1924Centuries: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s Years: 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 See also 1924 in aviation 1924 in film 1924 in literature 1924 in mu and the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (GCMG) in 1934Events January-April January 1 Alcatraz becomes a federal prison. January 7 First Flash Gordon comic strip is published. January 10 Execution of Marinus van der Lubbe January 24 Einstein visits White House January 26 The Apollo Theater opens in Harlem, Ne. In 1935Events January January 1 Italian colonies of Tripoli and Kyrenaika are joined together as Libya January 7 World War II: Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French foreign minister Pierre Laval conclude agreement in which each power undertakes not to oppo, he became a Knight of the ThistleThe Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is an order of chivalry associated with Scotland. While its original date of foundation is unknown, James VII (also King of England as James II) instituted the modern Order in 1687. The Order consists o (KT) and two years later he became a member of the Privy Council.

Prince George received his early education from a tutor and then followed his elder brother Prince Henry (later the Duke of Gloucester) to St. Peter's Court Preparatory School at Broadstairs in Kent. At age thirteen, like his brothers Prince Edward (later Edward VIII) and Prince Albert (later George VI) before him, he went to naval college, first at Osborne and later at Dartmouth. He remained in the Royal Navy until 1929, serving on the HMS Iron Duke and later the HMS Nelson. After leaving the navy, he briefly held posts at the Foreign Office and later the Home Office, becoming the first member of the British Royal Family to work as a civil servant. At the start of World War II, he returned to active military service at the rank of rear admiral, briefly serving on the Intelligence Division of the Admiralty. In April, 1940, he transferred to the Royal Air Force. He temporarily relinquished his rank as air vice marshal (the equivalent of rear admiral) to assume the post of staff officer in the RAF Training Command at the rank of air commodore.

On 29 November, 1934, the Duke of Kent married Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, the daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark and a great niece of Queen Alexandra, at Westminster Abbey. It was the last marriage between a son of a British Sovereign and a member of a foreign royal house to date.

The Duke of Kent had a long string of affairs with men and women before and during his marriage. The better known of his partners were black cabaret singer Florence Mills , banking heiress Poppy Baring , Ethel Margaret Whigham (later Duchess of Argyll), musical star Jessie Matthews and actor Noel Coward. (Love letters from the Duke to Coward were stolen from Coward's house in 1942). He also is said to have been addicted to drugs and reportedly was blackmailed by a male prostitute to whom he wrote intimate letters.

The Duke of Kent was killed in a plane crash on active service in World War II at Eagles Rock near Dunbeath, Caithness, Scotland. His wife had given birth to their third child, Prince Michael of Kent, only six weeks earlier. He was initially buried in St. George's Chapel, Windsor, England: his remains were later moved to the royal burial ground, adjacent to Queen Victoria's mausoleum, at Frogmore, Windsor, England. He was succeeded as Duke of Kent by his elder son, Edward.

Footnote

¹ The Duke of Kent, whose original surname may have been Wettin, was born into the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. By Royal Proclamation on 17 June 1917, King George V changed the name of the British Royal House to the House of Windsor and assumed Windsor as the surname for all descendants of Queen Victoria who were British subjects, excluding females who married and their descendants.