Prince George (1902-42) was born at York Cottage in Norfolk when his grandfather Edward VII was king. George was the fourth son of George V and Mary of Teck, his siblings being Edward (b1894, Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII), Albert (b1895, later George VI), Henry (b1900, later Duke Gloucester) and his sister Mary (b1897, later Countess Harewood). At birth, he was 5th in succession to the British throne.
After private tutoring and prep school, George (13) was sent to naval college preparing for a Royal Navy career, like his brothers. He loathed the naval life, but he remained in the Royal Navy until 1929. He then held Foreign Office posts, then the Home Office.
George was especially close to his brother Edward, the stylish Prince of Wales. From 1929 they lived together in York House in St James’ Palace, sharing an interest in clothes, socialising and sex. Ironically Edward was given the task of limiting George’s drugs.
Fox 1927
The handsome princely bachelors were style arbiters and magazine favourites on both sides of the Atlantic. Given his liking for the nightlife and the arts, George’s preference for a double-breasted style led it to being called The Kent. George played the piano, spoke French and Italian, liked fast cars and preferred sailing to shooting.
Just before marriage, George was made Duke of Kent and Earl of St Andrews. He happily married his second cousin, Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark in Nov 1934 at Westminster Abbey then a Greek Orthodox service at Buckingham Palace. NB Marina was Prince Philip’s first cousin.
Christopher Warwick wrote George and Marina: The Duke and Duchess of Kent(1988) . The Duke and Duchess of Kent were very popular with the British public, and their home in Belgrave Sq dazzled London society pre-WW2. George was the most cultivated royal, entertaining the best stars from the arts and theatre.
Duke and Duchess of Kent, by Christopher WarwickJust before marriage, George was made Duke of Kent and Earl of St Andrews. He happily married his second cousin, Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark in Nov 1934 at Westminster Abbey then a Greek Orthodox service at Buckingham Palace. NB Marina was Prince Philip’s first cousin.
Christopher Warwick wrote George and Marina: The Duke and Duchess of Kent(1988) . The Duke and Duchess of Kent were very popular with the British public, and their home in Belgrave Sq dazzled London society pre-WW2. George was the most cultivated royal, entertaining the best stars from the arts and theatre.
George was said to have a very active sexual life. He fancied an American socialite, producing a son. He liked the bisexual son of Argentina’s ambassador to London, an African-American cabaret star, an English musical star, a banking heiress and a socialite Duchess. Author Barbara Cartland said that he fathered her daughter Raine McCorquodale, Princess Diana’s stepmother.
And George had a 19-year affair with actor-composer Noël Coward. British Security Services reported the two men were parading the London streets dressed as women, but love letters between them were stolen from Coward’s house in 1942. George was also close to Prince of Prussia Louis Ferdinand and art historian-Soviet spy Anthony Blunt.
And George had a 19-year affair with actor-composer Noël Coward. British Security Services reported the two men were parading the London streets dressed as women, but love letters between them were stolen from Coward’s house in 1942. George was also close to Prince of Prussia Louis Ferdinand and art historian-Soviet spy Anthony Blunt.
When WW2 started, Rear Admiral Prince George re-joined the Navy, unhappily serving in Admiralty Intelligence. He had once been a keen pilot so in Apr 1940 he moved to the RAF, working in their Training Command
In Aug 1942, an aircraft from 228 Squadron left RAF Oban, the crew assigned to transport the Prince to RAF Reykjavik Iceland for a regular visit to RAF personnel. Prince George and his crew were killed when the flying boat veered off course, crashing into a mountain in Nth Scotland Rescue crews arrived but only the rear gunner, Flight Sarg Andrew Jack, survived because he worked in the aircraft’s tail end that separated. He was hospitalised with severe burns for weeks, deeply traumatised.
The police and Special Branch sealed the area and warned the press off. A Board of Inquiry was convened but Jack’s refusal to speak was problematic. The Investigation quickly concluded that Flight Lieut Frank Goyen’s pilot error was to blame. Why are the official papers still embargoed?
Conspiracy theories quickly flourished. Why did the plane crash, despite sunny weather? Why did the pilot descend to c650’ when he was flying over highland? Was there a problem on the plane or engine? Why did the pilot manoeuvre the plane over land when it was a boat bomber that was supposed to fly over the water? They noted that Goyen’s flight plan, filed before take-off, totally disappeared! Capt Goyen was an expert flying boat pilot, as was the co-pilot. Who was at the controls? These questions were either not investigated or were not shared publicly.
Andrew Jack's niece later claimed Jack told them Prince George had been at the plane’s controls; that Jack dragged him from the pilot's seat post-crash; and that there was another unidentified person aboard the plane. Princess Marina certainly contacted Andrew Jack a few times, but their conversations were never divulged.
The Prince had a wrist-bag holding 100 Swedish kroner notes. Why did he bring notes invalid in his country of destination? Was George's death caused because he was heading on a special war-time mission in Iceland, and if so, what was his mission? Did George share the pro-Nazi sentiments of his brother, Duke of Windsor? Was he really friendly with Joachim von Ribbentrop, German ambassador in London? George was often with the Duke of Hamilton, so could he have been the real target of Nazi deputy Fuhrer Rudolf Hess on a flight to Scotland? Could British intelligence, on Winston Churchill’s orders, have caused the crash?
Prince George was buried in the Royal Burial Ground in the Frogmore Estate, alongside Queen Victoria. He left his widow Marina with 3 small children: Edward b1935, the current Duke of Kent; Princess Alexandra b1936, who married businessman Angus Ogilvy; and Prince Michael b1942, still working royals.
The Rake
Princess Marina, only 35, continued to perform official royal duties, including attending the wedding of cousin Prince Philip to her husband's niece Princess Elizabeth, in 1947. Her funeral was in 1968, attended by the royals, but the royal family have NEVER spoken publicly about the Duke.
P.M Winston Churchill honoured the prince in the House of Commons. So a blitz of media coverage was expected, but the Government used its wartime powers to block enquiries. Was the plane crash an accident, suicide, or punishment for Nazi-support, bi-sexuality, promiscuity or drug usage?
See British documentary, The Queen’s Lost Uncle, 2003.
See British documentary, The Queen’s Lost Uncle, 2003.
Daily Express, published in 2017