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Old 12-17-2013, 11:40 AM
steve B steve B is offline
Steve Birmingham
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: eastern Mass.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RGold View Post
Close, but no cigar.

El Principe de Gales was the Prince of Wales and future King Edward VII. He was granted the title in 1841 as heir apparent to Queen Victoria, and did not become King until 1901.

He was known internationally as the Playboy Prince, and the perfect representative for a cigar brand since he was also known to be a heavy smoker.

The brand name El Principe de Gales had been in use since the 1850's, pre-dating the future King George V who did not become Prince of Wales until 1901.

Upon King Edward's death in 1910, King George assumed the throne, and the brand name most likely lost its meaning as you theorized.
I had a feeling it was actually Edward. Sort of odd that they kept the brand going so long after he became king, but I suppose if sales stayed good there wasn't much reason to change. From the photos I've seen George had a similar look, so maybe it still made some sense until 1910.

I had a quick look at some stamp series, and the Canadian stamps of Georges reign are called the admirals, mostly because the depict him in his admiral of the fleet uniform, a theme that turns up in the ads. So the transition was probably an easy one.
Both Edward and George were admiral of the navy, a largely ceremonial title that could be held by more than one person, and was occasionally held by a foreign leader like Czar Nicholas. And of the royal family the only one holding the title without having naval service was Edward VII - Something I didn't know before looking it up.

This stuff can be a lot of fun, and not just for learning about baseball

Steve B
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