One of the biggest frustrations of the old Duchess of Coburg (Maria Alexandrovna) was seeing Carl Eduard come into his Coburg inheritance after Duke Alfred had sacrificed and set the affairs (mainly financial) of the dual ducal throne in order.
Old Duke Ernst II had left a veritable financial wreck behind him at his death in 1893. For seven years Alfred and his ministers set affairs in order, cleaned the duchies' mess and replenished their coffers...then Alfred Jr dies, something that was really expected as he had been in deteriorating helath for some time, mainly the result of venereal disease and its ravages, compounded by alcoholism. Marie within a year or so witnessed the loss of her son and husband and the ducal thrones...she was not happy that after all their sacrifices someone else would reap the benefits...c'est la vie!
However, young Duke Carl Eduard was always highly respectful of his old aunt Marie and she continued t participate in official functions whenenver she was in town, which as the year's passed was less frequent, for after all she had several residences in and outside of Germany.
Carl Eduard was dethroned at the end of 1918. He fared extremely well during the settlement negotiations with the German republic and his life of privilege continued almost unaffected. In the late 1920's and early 1930's he was an enthusiastic supporter of this little movement that he thought offered such hope, National Socialism. By the time the maniac overtook Germany, Carl Eduard and his former brother-in-law, August Wilhelm of Prussia, were convinced supporters of Hitler and full members of the Nazi Party. Carl Eduard was responsible for giving Hitler legitimacy by publicly stating his support for Germany's new overlords, he was compensated with privileges, such as being able to award Coburg House Orders, retain full control of his property and leadership of the German Red Cross.
His demise was dreadful, such ignominy for a boy who was born with such great promise. In fact, raised as a "good" Englishman, he ended striving his entire life to become a "good" German and thus fit in with his role as ruler of Coburg and Gotha. He was a weakling, not the brightest light bulb in the store and a thoroughly sad man. During his interrogation after 1945 he denied their had been a holocaust, to the horror of his wife, who was present during the interrogations. Carl Eduard died in 1954 at the age of 70 years, wracked by cancer, his face disfigured, a son lost in the war, a daughter gone unconventional, another son married morganatically and yet his youngest son living abroad and completely uninterested in his Coburg inheritance. Sad indeed.
Arturo Beéche
