Lot 374: Attributed to George Lethbridge Saunders (British, 1807-1863) Ernest Augustus I (1771–1851), King of Hanover (1837-1851), in profile to the right, wearing red coat with heavy gold lace and standing collar, his black cloak with fur standing collar and

Ernest Augustus I (1771–1851), King of Hanover (1837-1851), in profile to the right, wearing red coat with heavy gold lace and standing collar, his black cloak with fur standing collar and trim, the breast star of the Order of the Garter and three medals pinned to the gold lace of his cloak which hangs at his left by gold braid strapped across his chest, black stock, the badge of the Order of the Bath suspended from a red sash ribbon hanging from his neck.
Gilt-mounted on wood panel.
Rectangular, 108mm (4 1/4in) high

Ernest Augustus I was the fifth son and eighth child of George III who reigned in both the United Kingdom and Hanover. Ernest was born in England, but was sent to Hanover in his adolescence for his education and military training.

By 1817, King George III had only one legitimate grandchild, Princess Charlotte of Wales, and when she died in childbirth, of George III's sons living happily with their wives, Ernest was the eldest. This gave him some prospect of succeeding to the British throne. However, both of his unmarried older brothers married quickly.

Since none of his older brothers had legitimate male issue and since female succession was not possible in Hanover under Salic Law, Ernest ascended the Hanoverian throne when his brother William IV died on the 20th June 1837 and his neice, Princess Victoria of Kent, the daughter of his older brother Edward, became Queen of the United Kingdom. Their coronations in the same year terminated the union that had existed between Britain and Hanover since 1714.