Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

Charles Edward was born on 19 July 1884 at Claremont House, Surrey, England. He was the fourth and last reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, two duchies in Germany, and the head of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 1900 until his death in 1954. He was also a male-line grandson of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and a Prince of the United Kingdom until 1919. He was also known as Prince Charles Edward, Duke of Albany. Charles Edward spent his childhood years in the United Kingdom but was sent to Germany in his mid-teens, after unexpectedly inheriting the throne of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1900, due to the early deaths of his cousin Alfred, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and his uncle Duke Alfred. He took full responsibility for the role in 1905. His style of governance was considered to be loyal to the emperor and somewhat autocratic. He also supported art, science and local industry. During the First World War, Charles Edward's support for his adoptive country led to him being viewed with increased hostility in Britain and ultimately losing his British titles. He was stripped of his British peerages by an act of Parliament in 1919. He also lost his constitutional position in Germany after the end of the Empire in 1918. He was forced to abdicate as Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha on 14 November 1918. After the war, Charles Edward became involved in right-wing politics. He joined the Nazi Party in 1935 and became a member of the Sturmabteilung (SA), where he reached the rank of Obergruppenführer. He also served as president of the German Red Cross from 1933 to 1945. He was closely allied with Adolf Hitler and supported the implementation of eugenic policies designed to improve German racial health. He was accused of war crimes for his role in the persecution of Jews and other victims of Nazi atrocities. After the Second World War, Charles Edward was arrested by the US Army and interned until 1946. He was tried by a denazification court in 1948 and fined heavily for his Nazi activities. He appealed against the verdict but lost. He spent his last years in poverty and ill health. He died on 6 March 1954 at Coburg, West Germany (now Germany), after suffering a stroke. He was buried near Schloss Callenberg, his former residence. Charles Edward was married to Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein in 1905. They had five children: Johann Leopold, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; Princess Sibylla, Duchess of Västerbotten; Hubertus, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; Princess Caroline Mathilde, Countess of Castell-Rüdenhausen; and Friedrich Josias, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. His daughter Sibylla was the mother of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. His son Friedrich Josias was the father of Andreas, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the current head of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.