The name FitzGeorge may not be familiar to royal watchers who feast on the latest news about what the Duchess of Cambridge is wearing. Astute royal genealogists are aware of the name FitzGeorge and its connection to the British monarchy.
The engagement is announced between Victor, son of Mr and Mrs Robin FitzGeorge-Balfour, of Mayfield, East Sussex, and Amy, elder daughter of Mr and Mrs Alan Hardy, of Lewes, East Sussex.
The newly engaged Victor Theodore FitzGeorge-Balfour is a distant cousin of the Duke of Cambridge as both are descendants of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, seventh son of George III, and Princess Augusta of Hesse-Cassel.
The Duke of Cambridge descends from the couple's third and youngest child, Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, who married the Duke of Teck. Their only daughter, Mary (1867-1953) married George V.
Mr. FitzGeorge-Balfour is a descendant of Mary Adelaide's older brother, Prince George, 2nd Duke of Cambridge. His marriage to an actress, Sarah Fairbrother was in contravention of the Royal Marriages Act. Neither Louisa nor their three sons shared Prince George's rank and title. Nor did they have dynastic rights.
Two of the three sons were born before George and Sarah went through a form of marriage. The sons used the surname FitzGeorge. George (1843-1907) married Rosa Baring. Adolphus (1846-1922) was married twice to Sofia Holden and Margaret Watson, Augustus FitzGeorge (1846-1933) never married, and Adolphus had one daughter, Olga, by his first wife.
George married Rosa Frederica Baring (1854-1927) in Paris on November 25, 1855. They had three children, Mabel Iris (1886-1976), George Daphne (1889-1954), and George William Frederick (1892-1960).
Mabel was married twice. Her first marriage to Robert Shekelton Balfour took place in 1912. She married again in 1945 to Prince Vladimir Emmanuelovich Galitzine, but they had no issue.
Mabel gave birth to a son Robert George Victor on September 15, 1913, at Knightsbridge, London. He served in the British Army, rising to the rank of General. He received the KCB, CBE, DSO, and MC.
In 1922, Victor changed his surname to FitzGeorge-Balfour by Deed Poll. In 1943, he married Mary Diana Christian. They had two children: Diana Mary Christian (1946) and Robert (Robin)Victor (1951, who in 1976 married Patricia Anne Christiana Rowntree. General FitzGeorge-Balfour died on December 28, 1984.
Robin and Patricia have four children: Sophia Alexandra Mary (1977) George Augustus (1979), Charlotte Amaryllis (1981), and Victor Theodore, who was born on April 12, 1988, at Adventist Hospital in Hong Kong.
He attended Eton College and received a BS in Biochemistry from the University of Bristol. Amy is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Alan Hardy, who lives in Lewes, East Sussex. [I believe Alan is a business consultant, and his full name is Alan Ronald Geoffrey Hardy. His wife's name is Juliet Caroline. Alan is the manager of Southover Church in Lewes]
I have not yet been able to confirm Amy's profession, but she could be the Amy Hardy who is a Research Clinical Psychologist at King's College, London.
Victor and the Prince of Wales are fifth cousins, which means the present Duke of Cambridge and Mr. FitzGeorge-Balfour are fifth cousins once removed.
Other Royal Musings posts on this branch of the family
http://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2010/12/mrs-fitzgeorge-to-spend-winter-in-new.html
1 comment:
Love seeing news like those you post! Researching family histories are a big passion with me and as I found out more, I became more excited by it all. I do happen to be distantly related to them, through my father's side of the family as well as to most if not all of the Britain royals in some way, and to a lot of European royals too of course thanks to Queen Victoria and those who helped her with those alliances, so to speak. Many thanks for the all updates and the reminiscing posts you do though the years. :)Always look forward to your Blogs!
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