Henry William Frederick Albert, Prince (1900-1974), served as governor general of Australia from 1945 to 1947. He was the third son of Prince George, Duke of York, who succeeded to the throne as King George V in 1910.
Prince Henry was born on March 31, 1900, at York Cottage, on the royal estate of Sandringham, Norfolk, England. He was educated at Eton College; the Royal Military College at Sandhurst; and Trinity College, Cambridge University. In 1921, Henry joined the 10th Royal Hussars, a cavalry regiment. He married Alice Christabel Montagu-Douglas-Scott on Nov. 6, 1935. The couple had two children. During World War II (1939-1945), Henry served as chief liaison officer between the British and French armies. In 1941, he became second-in-command of the 20th Armoured Brigade.
In 1945, Australian Prime Minister John Curtin appointed Prince Henry as the country’s governor general. Previous governors general had been Australian citizens, and some Australians expressed concern over Prince Henry’s appointment. Others saw it as a sign of the continued importance of British royalty in Australia. He served as governor general until 1947, when he returned to the United Kingdom. Prince Henry spent the rest of his life devoted to diplomatic and philanthropic causes. He died on June 10, 1974 at Barnwell Manor, Northamptonshire, England.
Prince Henry received numerous titles and honors. King George made Henry a Knight of the Garter in 1921. In 1925, he became a member of the Privy Council, a private group of advisers to the British monarch. He received the title Duke of Gloucester in 1928. Other titles he held during his life included Earl of Ulster and Baron Culloden.
