Prince Edward Duke of Kent & Strathearn

Address panel of correspondence to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales (then George Augustus Frederick, who became king in 1820); from and signed by Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, dated October 16, 1806, with black wax royal seal. Court etiquette at the time dictated the use of black sealing wax for the death of royal personages and certain others of lower nobility. Since the Prince of Wales's close friend and political ally Charles James Fox had died weeks before, the use of black wax by Edward was likely in respect for the Prince's loss. Typical folds with common tear at point of seal adhesion.

Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn (1767-1820) was the fourth son and fifth child of King George III of the United Kingdom and the father of Queen Victoria. He was the first member of the royal family to live in North America for more than a short visit (1791-1800) and, in 1794, the first prince to enter the United States after independence. 

 
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