York House, St. James's Palace

York House is a historic wing of St James's Palace, London, built for Frederick, Prince of Wales, on his marriage in 1736. It is in the north-western part of the palace on the site of a former suttling-house (canteen) for the Guards; it overlooks Ambassadors' Court and Cleveland Row to the west of the old Chapel Royal. Prince Frederick occupied it for about a year, until his quarrel with his father drove him from Court. In 1795, Princess Caroline resided here before her marriage with the Prince of Wales, afterwards George IV. During early-to-mid 19th century, the apartments in the Palace which would later come to be known as York House were occupied by Prince Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland. Following the death of King William IV in 1837, his niece Princess Victoria of Kent succeeded as Queen of the United Kingdom, but due to the operation of the Salic Law in the Kingdom of Hanover the Duke of Cumberland succeeded as King of Hanover. Queen Victoria initially planned to give King Ernst Augustus' apartments to her mother, The Dowager Duchess of Kent, but Ernst August refused to relinquish the apartment. Following the death of King Ernest Augustus I of Hanover in 1851, his apartments at St James's Palace were granted to his widowed sister-in-law Augusta, Dowager Duchess of Cambridge in 1852; she continued to occupy the apartments until her death in 1889. Two years later the apartment was offered to Albert Edward, Prince of Wales' oldest son Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale upon his engagement to Princess Victoria Mary of Teck. They couple began to plan the redecoration of their future home in December 1891; however the Duke of Clarence died unexpectedly in 1892. Princess Victoria Mary of Teck later married her fiancee's younger brother Prince George, Duke of York in May 1893, and the couple were granted the apartments at St James's which had been intended for the Duke of Clarence. It was during Prince George's occupancy that this section of the…