His Royal Highness Prince Alfred of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was a member of the British Royal Family. He was born on October 15, 1874 at Buckingham Palace, London.
His father was His Royal Highness Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, second eldest son of Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. His mother was Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia, a daughter of Alexander II of Russia and Marie of Hesse and by Rhine.
In 1893, his great-uncle, Ernst II of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, brother of his paternal grandfather, died without heirs. The Prince of Wales had renounced his claim to the ducal throne of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, therefore the vacant duchy fell to Alfred's father, the Duke of Edinburgh. Alfred therefore became styled HRH The Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Prince Alfred lived in Clarence House in the early years of his life with his parents and sisters. After his father's accession to the ducal throne of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, he moved to Schloss Rosenau at Coburg.
On 12 March 1868 , during the first-ever royal visit to Australia, Alfred was the victim of Australia's first attempted political assassination. While attending a public picnic in the Sydney harbourside suburb of Clontarf he was wounded in the back by a revolver fired by alleged Fenian sympathiser Henry James O'Farrell . Alfred soon recovered from his minor injuries and left Australia in early April. O'Farrell was arrested at the scene. He was quickly tried and convicted and was hanged on 21 April 1868 .
In 1899, Alfred became involved in a scandal with a mistress greatly upsetting his parents. He later attempted suicide during their 25th wedding anniversary celebrations by shooting himself. He failed however and was exiled to Meran to recover. However he died two weeks later on July 6, 1899. He was burried at Friedenstein, near Gotha.
His death meant the dukedom of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha would pass to his cousin, His Royal Highness Prince Leopold Charles, Duke of Albany.
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