Victoria of England Queen





Victoria's Dad, Prince Edward, LS to MP who would Serve during his Daughter's Reign







2pp letter signed by Queen Victoria I's father, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn (1767-1820) as "Edward" at top of the second page. Written at Castle Hill Lodge, the duke's residence in Ealing in south central England, on October 22, 1804. Docketed "D. of Kent / 1804" on fourth page. On watermarked cream bifold stationery paper. Third page is blank. Expected light paper folds and a few scattered ink stains, else near fine. 7.25" x 9.25". Accompanied by a complete typewritten transcript.







In part:







"Dear Sir







Being extremely anxious to have a quarter of an hour's conversation with you upon two subjects…I take the liberty of requesting of you, when you to Town, to favor me with a line informing me [illegible], in order that we may fix upon a day for my calling upon you at your house for that purpose…"







Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, was the fourth son of British monarch George III and Hanoverian Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. His only daughter Princess Alexandrine Victoria (1819-1901) would become Queen Victoria I, Britain's second longest ruling monarch.







As the fourth person in line for the throne, neither Prince Edward--nor any of his descendants--were expected to rule. He was educated in Switzerland and Germany before undertaking military service in Gibraltar, Canada, and the West Indies. Prince Edward's military career was less than stellar (he went AWOL in 1790, for example) but his royal lineage reserved for him an honorary appointment as a field marshal.







Prince Edward died at age 52 of pneumonia, only 7 months after Victoria's birth. His siblings were either childless or past childbearing age, so Victoria became the heir of paternal uncle William IV. Upon his death in 1837, Victoria ascended the throne.







Prince Edward's correspondent, "The Right Honorable / George Rose M.P." referred to British politician George Henry Rose (1771-1855). In 1804, Rose was in the middle of a 19-year-long tenure as a member of Parliament for Southampton. During a political career that stretched almost 20 years into Victoria's reign, Rose would act as longtime Clerk of Parliament, and serve as a diplomatic envoy to the United States and Germany.









WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!