Duke of Gloucester
The death of the Duke of Gloucester — the last surviving son of George V — takes from the life of his country a man who, until his illness a few years ago, represented at its best the contribution which members of the present Royal Family make to the public weal. An active soldier — indeed, a man of remarkable physical capacity throughout most of his life — the Duke served his various sovereigns and his country in many other spheres, perhaps most notably as Governor-General of Australia. His conscientiousness, loyalty and acuity were everywhere remarked, as was the gentleness and probity of his nature. Since his stroke two years ago he had been partly deprived of the power of speech, and his illness over a longer period deprived him of most of the pleasures which he valued. In a sense, then, his death at seventy-four has been a release: but he will be mourned by many outside his devoted family as a great English gentleman, and the last immediate representative of a great era.
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