Alexander Cambridge

Alexander Cambridge

1st Earl of Athlone, Major General, sixteenth Governor General of Canada from 1940 to 1946
Date of Birth: 14.04.1874
Country: Great Britain

Content:
  1. Early Life
  2. Royal Lineage and Titles
  3. - His Serene Highness Prince Alexander of Teck (1874–1917)
  4. Governorship and Vice-Royalty
  5. - Fourth Governor-General of the Union of South Africa (1924–1931)

Early Life

Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone, was born as Prince Alexander Tecksky in 1874. As the brother of Queen Mary, wife of King George V, he was an uncle to Kings Edward VIII and George VI and a great-uncle to Queen Elizabeth II. He married Princess Alice of Albany, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria.

Royal Lineage and Titles

Alexander was a relative of the British royal family, the House of Windsor. He held several titles throughout his life:

- His Serene Highness Prince Alexander of Teck (1874–1917)

- Sir Alexander Cambridge (1917)
- The Right Honorable The Earl of Athlone (1924–1957)
Military Career

Alexander served as a British Army general and fought in the Boer War. He was promoted to the rank of major general.

Governorship and Vice-Royalty

Alexander held several gubernatorial and vice-regal positions in the British Empire:

- Fourth Governor-General of the Union of South Africa (1924–1931)

- Sixteenth Governor-General of Canada (1940–1946)
Later Life

In 1915, Alexander gave up his German titles and adopted the surname Cambridge, maintaining his status as a prince of the blood. In 1917, he was created Earl of Athlone, and his son became Viscount Trematon. Tragically, Viscount Trematon died in a car accident in 1928. Since peerage titles are usually passed down only through the male line, the earldom of Athlone became extinct upon Alexander's death in 1957.

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