Person

Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

1844-1900

Prince Alfred was the fourth child and second son of Queen Victoria and Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the Prince Consort. He joined the navy in August 1858, and was appointed as midshipman on HMS Euryalus at the age of fourteen. Upon the abdication of King Otto of Greece, in 1862, Prince Alfred was selected to succeed him, but the British government blocked plans for him to ascend the Greek throne, largely due to the fact that the Queen strongly opposed the idea. He therefore remained in the navy, and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant on 24 February 1863, serving under Count Gleichen on HMS Racoon, and captain on 23 February 1866, being then appointed to the command of the frigate HMS Galatea. On 24 May 1866, Alfred was created Duke of Edinburgh and Earl of Ulster and Earl of Kent by his mother, Queen Victoria. He was the first member of the British royal family to visit Australia and liked to travel.
On 12 March 1868, he survived an attempted assasination was carried out by Henry James O'Farrell, but was shot in the back by a revolver, which wounded him just to the right of his spine.
In 1874, he married the Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia. They had 6 children: Prince Alfred of Edinburgh, Princess Marie Alexandra Victoria, Princess Victoria Melita, Princess Alexandra, a stillborn son and Princess Beatrice.
On the death without an heir of his uncle, Prince Albert's elder brother, Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha on 22 August 1893, Alfred inherited the duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, after his older brother renounced the right.

Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh. Retrieved from http://www.englishmonarchs.co.uk/saxe_coburg_gotha_7.html