Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
Prince Alexander of Teck was born in 1874. The third son of Francis, Duke of Teck, and Princess Mary, Duchess of Teck (a granddaughter of George III and first cousin of Queen Victoria). Alexander's elder sister, Mary, was later Queen consort to George V. Prince Alexander was educated at Eton College and Sandhurst, before serving in the army in India and South Africa. He married Princess Alice of Albany (Queen Victoria's granddaughter) in 1904. The British Royal Family decided to discard German-sounding names during the First World War, so in July 1917, the Tecks adopted the surname Cambridge; Prince Alexander was created Earl of Athlone shortly afterwards. Athlone served as Governor-General of South Africa between 1923 and 1931 and of Canada between 1940 and 1946. He was also Chancellor of the University of London from 1932 until 1955. Both his sons predeceased him and the peerage became extinct when he died.