
Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, was the brother of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband. He was also Queen Victoria's cousin and a close companion during childhood. Ernst died on August 22, 1893, at Reinhardsbrunn, in Thuringia, Germany. This paragraph introduces the topic of Ernst II's death and his relationship with Queen Victoria.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Prince Ernst of Saxe-Meiningen |
| Relationship to Queen Victoria | Brother-in-law |
| Date of Death | 29 December 1928 |
| Place of Death | Meiningen, Germany |
| Cause of Death | Natural causes (old age) |
| Age at Death | 85 years |
| Title at Death | Prince of Saxe-Meiningen |
| Spouse | Princess Katharina of Württemberg |
| Children | Stillborn son |
| Notable Events | Served in the Prussian Army, participated in the Franco-Prussian War |
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What You'll Learn

Ernst II's death and Queen Victoria's reaction
Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, died on 22 August 1893 at Reinhardsbrunn, Thuringia, Germany. He was the brother of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband, and the cousin of Queen Victoria. The two shared a close bond since Victoria was 17 years old.
Ernst and Albert were born 14 months apart and were raised as though they were twins. They became even closer following the separation and divorce of their parents and the eventual death of their mother. Ernst was also an early champion of the marriage of Victoria's third daughter, Helena, to Prince Christian of Holstein.
Despite their close relationship, Ernst's actions sometimes angered Queen Victoria. For instance, after Albert's death in 1861, Ernst published anonymous pamphlets against various members of the British royal family. Victoria also disliked the fact that Ernst was writing his memoirs, worrying about their contents in regard to her late husband.
Upon learning of Ernst's death, Queen Victoria wrote in her journal:
> "A wet morning. — Just as I was getting up got the telegram with the news that all was over, & that dear Ernest had passed away peacefully at ¼ to 12 last night. Though I had fully expected the news, I was a good deal upset when it came. I thought of the happy past, so long ago, when he was so much with us, of his frequent visits formerly, — of so many many things, of dear Coburg, & that my child, our son was now the reigning Duke, a foreign sovereign!!"
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Ernst's relationship with his brother, Prince Albert
Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, was the older brother of Prince Albert, who married Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. The brothers were born 14 months apart and were raised as though they were twins. They were first educated at home by a tutor, Johann Christoph Florschütz, who supervised them for the next 15 years and was their primary caregiver. The brothers had lessons in German, Latin, English, French, history, science, philosophy, and geography. Their father occasionally took them hunting, but he played a minor role in their education.
Ernst and Albert became closer upon the separation and divorce of their parents and the eventual death of their mother. Their relationship experienced phases of closeness as well as minor arguments as they grew older. In 1837, the brothers travelled to England, where Queen Victoria found Albert agreeable and soon proposed to him. Ernst was selected as the godfather for Albert's second daughter, Princess Alice, and gave her away at her wedding, only months after Albert's death.
Despite their close relationship, Ernst published anonymous pamphlets against various members of the British royal family after Albert's death in 1861. However, he accepted Albert's second son, Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, as his heir-presumptive. Ernst remained close to Queen Victoria, who loved him because he was her dear Albert's brother. In 1891, when Victoria and Ernst met in France, one of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting wrote, " [...] the Queen dislikes him particularly." Upon Ernst's death in 1893, Victoria wrote in her journal about her loss, reflecting on the happy past when Ernst was frequently with her family.
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The Duke's relationship with Queen Victoria
Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, was Queen Victoria's cousin and brother-in-law. He was the brother of her husband, Prince Albert, and the son of Ernest I and his first wife, Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. The Duke and Queen Victoria shared a close bond since she was 17, and he was her final living connection to Prince Albert.
The Duke and Prince Albert were born 14 months apart and were raised as twins. They became closer after their parents' separation and divorce, as well as their mother's death. The Duke and Queen Victoria were quite similar in temperament, both being lively and sociable with a love for dancing, gossip, and late nights. However, most people favoured Albert over the Duke as a possible husband for Queen Victoria. The Duke entered military training, and later studied law and philosophy at the University of Bonn. He also received a military education with the Royal Saxon Guards Cavalry in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony.
Despite their close relationship, Queen Victoria was often annoyed by the Duke. She was displeased by his writing of memoirs, worrying about their contents regarding her late husband. She also disliked him personally, as evidenced by her description of him as an "awful-looking man". However, she loved him because he was Prince Albert's brother. The Duke supported the marriage of Victoria's third daughter, Helena, to Prince Christian of Holstein.
The Duke fathered numerous children in various affairs but had no legitimate siblings with Prince Albert. He suffered from a venereal disease due to his promiscuity and was warned that continued affairs could leave him unable to father children. Despite this, he accepted Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, as his heir-pres presumptive. Upon the Duke's death, Prince Alfred succeeded to the ducal throne.
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The Duke's children and heirs
Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, died on 22 August 1893. He was the brother of Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria, and a cousin of the Queen. Although Queen Victoria loved Ernst II because he was her husband's brother, she was displeased by his actions, including writing his memoirs, which she worried would contain confidential information about her deceased husband.
Ernst II was born on 21 June 1818, in Coburg, Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Germany. He was the eldest son of Duke Ernest I and his first wife, Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. Ernst's father initially believed he would make a better husband to Queen Victoria than his younger brother, Albert, due to his sporting interests. However, most others, including Queen Victoria, favoured Albert. Despite not becoming the Queen's husband, Ernst II remained close to the royal family and was an early supporter of the marriage of Victoria's third daughter, Helena, to Prince Christian of Holstein.
Ernst II married Alexandrine of Baden in 1842 and succeeded to the dukedom upon his father's death in 1844. He did not have any legitimate children, and his title was passed on to his nephew, Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the second son of his younger brother, Albert.
Ernst II had a close relationship with his brother, Albert, despite their parents' tumultuous marriage, separation, and divorce. They became even closer following these events and the eventual death of their mother. As children, they were often described as behaving like twins, and their relationship continued into adulthood, with Albert urging Ernst to find a suitable bride. Ernst II's death in 1893 marked the end of Queen Victoria's final connection to her husband, as he was the only other person who truly knew him.
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Ernst's final years and death
Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, was the brother of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband, and a first cousin of Queen Victoria. He was born on June 21, 1818, in Coburg, Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Germany. Ernst and his brother Albert were close companions during childhood, becoming even closer following their parents' separation and divorce.
In 1842, Ernst married Alexandrine of Baden. He succeeded to the dukedom upon his father's death in 1844. During the reactionary period after the Revolutions of 1848, Ernst remained committed to liberal and national ideals, granting asylum to political exiles from Prussia and Saxony. In 1852, he gave Gotha a new constitution, which helped coordinate the administration of his two duchies. In 1861, Ernst signed a military pact with Prussia, agreeing to place his troops under Prussian command in the event of war.
Ernst's brother Albert died in 1861, and Ernst published anonymous pamphlets attacking various members of the British royal family. Despite this, he remained close to Queen Victoria and corresponded with her. In 1862, the British government suggested that Ernst become King of Greece, which would have allowed Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh (Queen Victoria's second son) to immediately take up his inheritance and succeed Ernst as duke. However, after Ernst's ineligibility was confirmed, the Greeks began considering other candidates.
Ernst accepted Prince Alfred as his heir-presumptive. He had no children of his own, and his title passed to Alfred upon his death. Ernst's memoirs, titled "Aus meinem Leben und aus meiner Zeit" ("From My Life and My Time"), were published in three volumes from 1887 to 1889. They included his thoughts on the formation of the modern German state and his interactions with Queen Victoria.
Ernst died on August 22, 1893, at Reinhardsbrunn, Thuringia, Germany. Queen Victoria received the news of his death via telegram and recorded her feelings of loss and memories of their shared past in her journal.
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