Augustus d'Este (1794-1848), multiple sclerosis sufferer and peerage claimant

Autograph letter signed by 'Sir Augustus d'Este' to The Rt Honorable The Earl Spencer Lord High Chamberlain stating his apologies for not being able to attend a royal ball at Buckingham Palace due to his debilitating condition.

18 May 1848

1 bifolium 1 bifolium

Purchased from Maggs Bros. Ltd, March 2015.

Augustus d'Este, son of Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, and Lady Augusta Murray, and the grandson of George III, is the earliest recorded person for whom a definite diagnosis of multiple sclerosis can be made. His parents' marriage being in contravention of the Royal Marriages Act 1772 was therefore legally null and void and d'Este was illegitimate under British law. He was born Augustus Frederick Hanover, but the last name was later legally changed to d'Este.