Item 003 - Letter from Edward Duke of Kent

Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, was an army officer and a member of the British royal family. He was also the father of Queen Victoria. He was born in 1767 at Buckingham Palace in London, the fifth child of King George III (of Great Britain and Ireland) and Charlotte Sophia of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Edward had a difficult relationship with his father, the king, and was kept out of England for much of his life. He received a military education in Hanover, Lüneburg (Germany) and Geneva (Switzerland). He went on to hold commands in Gibraltar, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. Edward was known to enforce strict discipline among his troops, especially on the topics of proper dress, drunkenness and gambling, and as a result was often unpopular. During his time in Halifax, Edward invested in local infrastructure and fortifications. Edward spent 27 years in a partnership with Thérèse-Bernardine Mongenet (also known as Mme de Saint-Laurent), but parted ways with her when he was pressured into marriage in order to secure the succession of the British throne. In 1818, Edward married Victoria Mary Louisa and one year later their daughter Princess Victoria was born. Edward died of pneumonia in December 1819 at a country house in Sidmouth (near Devon, UK).