Card of the Day: The Duke of Gloucester

Ah, the Duke of Gloucester. He was the third son of King George V and Queen Mary. He didn’t have the Prince Edward’s (the Prince of Wales) looks, nor did he have Prince Albert’s (The Duke of York) quiet charm. He was Henry—known as “Harry.” He was steady and he didn’t give his parents a lot of trouble. He joined the Army, married and liked to drink—a lot, but that was okay.

While Henry’s brothers (including fourth son George, the Duke of Kent) tended to take center stage with their Royal parents and Mary, the Princess Royal was ever-present, the Duke of Gloucester seemed to want to go on about his business, do what was asked of him and have a nice, bracing drink or two.

In Queen Mary’s journals, she often mentions her other children. Edward (known as “David”) was a frequent subject—especially during and after the abdication crisis when the Queen was so frustrated that she actually exclaimed in Cockney slang, “THIS is a pretty kettle of fish!” The Duke of York, “Bertie,” and his lovely wife, Elizabeth, were also mentioned often as they were so pleasant and always available. Princess Mary often made appearances in her mother’s diaries inasmuch as “Mary joined us for dinner.” Or “Mary motored with me to the Victoria & Albert.” Even the Duke of Kent was mentioned with regularity—mostly in phrases such as “When will Georgie marry?!” But, good old Henry was barely spoken of—not because there was something wrong with him (like Prince John who died at the age of thirteen), but because he was—well—just not that interesting.

And, so, here’s good old Henry, The Duke of Gloucester, looking rather dull. I wonder if he was popular with the collectors of these cigarette cards during the 1935 Silver Jubilee. “Here, I’ll trade you my Prince Edward for two of your Dukes of Gloucester, what.” No, I doubt it. He doesn’t even look like his brothers. He looks, for all the world, like his maternal grandfather, the Duke of Teck. He just seems to lack the Duke of Teck’s disagreeable personality. So, that’s something at least.