MARK OF ROBERT SHARP, LONDON, 1792

PRINCE ERNEST AUSGUSTUS, DUKE OF CUMBERLAND, KING OF HANOVER
As the fifth son of King George III it would have seemed very unlikely to the young prince that he would ever rule, however, the failure of all of his brothers to bear a legitimate male heir led to him succeeding to the throne of Hanover, on the death of his elder brother King William IV in 1837. German Salic Law prevented his niece, Queen Victoria acceding to the throne of Hanover. Prince Ernest Augustus was born in London and spent the early years of his childhood at Kew Palace. His later education took place at the University of Göttingen. His wish was to serve in the Prussian army was denied him. At the insistence of King George III he joined the 9th Hanoverian Hussars as a lowly lieutenant. In 1793 he had been raised to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. It would have been at this time that he commissioned the present lot. On his accession to the throne of Hanover Ernest Augustus claimed title to a considerable quantity of the English and Hanoverian Royal silver, in addition to his own personal property. A claim by his niece, Queen Victoria, for the return of certain Royal plate was ignored and later the property was engraved with the initials E.A.Fs., for Ernest Augustus Fidekommiss, meaning his entailed estate. The Duke of Cumberland's silver remained in the family until large quantities were sold in 1923 to the London dealer, Crichton Brothers.