William, Duke of Gloucester (1689 -1700)

Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, was the eldest son and heir apparent of Princess, afterwards Queen, Anne and Prince George of Denmark. He was declared Duke of Gloucester by his grandfather and godfather, William III, at the time of his baptism on 27 July 1689, though the creation was never confirmed by patent. He suffered from hydrocephalus and was unable to walk unaided at the age of five. In 1696 he was made a Knight of the Garter and in 1698 Colonel of a Dutch Regiment of Foot Guards. He died at the age of eleven of scarlet fever, some say as the result of excessive bleeding by his physicians, and was buried in Westminster Abbey.