Charles was born on 22 October 1660, as the first child of James, Duke of York (later King
James VII & II), and his wife
Anne Hyde. Charles was styled as
Duke of Cambridge, a title that had never been granted until his birth. Charles was conceived seven months before his parents' marriage and if royal advisors and his paternal grandmother, Queen
Henrietta Maria, had had their way, he could have been declared illegitimate. King
Charles II, James's older brother, approved of the marriage and the wedding between James and Anne was held on 3 September 1660 in
London. Charles was baptized on 1 January 1661 at
Worcester House. Although Cambridge's father James was
heir presumptive, it seemed unlikely that he'd inherit the Crown, as Cambridge's uncle, the reigning Charles II, was still a young man who was capable of fathering children of his own. And though Charles II didn't end up having any
legitimate children, Charles, Duke of Cambridge never ended up becoming King himself, as he died on 5 May 1661, before reaching the age of one, after becoming ill with
smallpox. He was buried in
Westminster Abbey the following day. The duke's death would be the first in a series of most of King James VII & II's
legitimate children dying young. Three of his younger brothers, likewise short-lived, were also called Duke of Cambridge:
James,
Edgar, and
Charles. His younger sisters,
Mary II and
Anne, became Queens respectively. ==Arms==