Carl Eduard of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha is the 4th and current ruler of the Thuringian Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, one of the constituent states of the German Empire, succeeding his uncle Alfred on 30th July 1900. He is distantly related to Tsar Ferdinand of Bulgaria and the now deposed Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, former King of the Belgians. His cousins include George V of the United Kingdom, German Emperor Wilhelm II, Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse, and Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, making him one of the most well-connected aristocrats in Europe.
Carl Eduard, despite British by birth and only moving to Germany at age 15, is known for his staunchly nationalist attitude and conservative-authoritarian ruling style, vehemently opposing liberal concessions to his people in more recent years. For a few years, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha has been one of the most important strongholds of the right-wing nationalist German Fatherland Party, which is a coalition partner in the Duchy's local government under State Minister Richard Leutheußer. As a result, Carl Eduard is one of the few openly political monarchs in Germany, often to be seen with leading DVLP figures.
The Duke also maintains close ties to British monarchist and right-wing emigre groups, most importantly the Anglo-German Fellowship and the Committee for the Restoration of Great Britain" (CRGB), even though all of his English noble titles were revoked during the war. By more fringe groups, he has been taken into consideration as a potential King of a hypothetically German-restored United Kingdom by British Restorationist circles, most importantly Anthony Ludovici's Restoration League. As these groups remain powerless and socialist authority over Britain is stronger than ever, the chance of this happening remains very low.