Despite the fact that Albert was poised to be the King of England one day, Princess Alix didnt share his crush and turned down his offer of engagement flat. Around this time, seedy scandal struck again. Yet even at that moment, he was hiding a huge secret. Prince Albert was the product of an unhappy marriage. Factinate is a fact website that is dedicated to finding and sharing fun facts about science, history, animals, films, people, and much more. Under police interrogation, the male prostitutes and pimps revealed the names of their clients, who included Lord Arthur Somerset, an Extra Equerry to the Prince of Wales. In Episode 4, Alberts brother Ernest began a series of treatments using mercury. A member of the Royal Family who was once suspected to be Jack the Ripper was driven to kill by a sexually transmitted disease that sent him mad, newly found letters claim. Although there is evidence that Prince Albert enjoyed the company of a hot male tutor or two, he also wasnt immune to feminine wilesits just that he had horrible luck when it came to women. [3] Dalton complained that Albert Victor's mind was "abnormally dormant". The conspiracy theories surrounding Albert Victor have led to his portrayal in film as somehow responsible for or involved in the Jack the Ripper murders. But two confidential letters sent by the prince - the Duke of Clarence and Avondale - to his surgeon show he was suffering badly from gonorrhoea, most likely caught from a prostitute. Maud told her that "he is buried with your little coin around his neck" and Louise said that he is "yours in death". I still continue to have this tiresome glete which comes on at times, although at present it has stopped', He added: 'It is very anoying (sic) as I really thought it had stopped for good. Almost immediately following his death, Stowell's sonDr. There's something about the family structure that encourages secrets. Based on other records from Buckingham Palace, it seemed likely that the prince had been with his family at Sandringham House on November 9, 1888, when another murder had occurred in London. The Prince of Mirrors by Alan Robert Clark is a historical novel which closely follows the factual trajectory of Albert Victor's documented life, and imaginatively interweaves how that life might have been emotionally. Prince Albert Victor, a grandson of Queen Victoria, was the eldest son of King Edward VII but predeceased his father at age 28 and so never became king. Cook, pp. His sudden death 150 years ago this week propelled his adoring wife, Queen Victoria, into life-long mourning. Their solution? Dusting for Prince: When Queen Victoria's Grandson Was Suspected of The Duke of Clarence's full style, as proclaimed at his funeral by Garter King of Arms, was: "[the] Most High, Mighty, and Illustrious Prince Albert Victor Christian Edward, Duke of Clarence and Avondale, Earl of Athlone, Duke of Saxony, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Knight of the Most Illustrious Order of Saint Patrick". Though Knights information had allegedly come from the grandson of Albert Victor and his anonymous wife, this theorymuch like Dr. Thomas Stowellsfailed to prove a single thing. [72] At first, Queen Victoria opposed any engagement because Hlne was Roman Catholic. Shortly after igniting their affair, Prince Albert and Lydia Miller crashed and burned in one tragic end; poor Lydia took her own life, taking her own life after she drank carbolic acid. The experience is nothing short of horrific. He sensationally claimed the STD drove the prince insane and compelled him to commit the murders. In Albert Victor's and other correspondence, his illness is only referred to as "fever" or "gout". Prince Albert Victor, who was Queen Victoria's grandson, was identified many years ago as potentially being the mystery man behind the Whitechapel murders. That was very much the end of that. The. [83] Although she was the nominal mistress of Lord Charles Montagu, who gave evidence at the inquest, it was alleged that he was merely a cover for the Prince, who had requested she give up her theatrical career on his behalf, and that the authorities sought to suppress the case by making the inquest private and refusing access to the depositions. [64], On his return from India, Albert Victor was created Duke of Clarence and Avondale and Earl of Athlone on 24 May 1890, Queen Victoria's 71st birthday.[66]. Heck no. Although Catherine's successor Queen Anne Boleyn suffered an infamously dark fate, Aragon's own life was somehow even more tragic. Day, Peter and Ungoed-Thomas, John (27 November 2005), "Letters to the King: Haddon bound over". Additionally, Prince Albert Victors death was also heavily scrutinised. However, one of the main reasons behind the theory and also providing the evidence that Stowell mentioned in his article was his health and mental condition. Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife, Venerable Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation, 10th (Prince of Wales' Own) Royal Hussars, 7th (City of London) Battalion, London Regiment, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Frederick William, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glcksburg, Prince Johann of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glcksburg, Dowager Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glcksburg, "Clarence and Avondale, H.R.H. In order to buff up on his subjects, his family selected a new tutor and companion for him, the handsome and sensitive poet James Kenneth Stephen. Jack the Ripper was released in 1988 with Marc Culwick as Prince Albert Victor. Sounds more like the stuff of a Stalinist people's republic. Anybody with a cursory knowledge of British royal family history knew of a prince who fit the bill: Queen Victorias grandson, Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale. In 1889, one of the most infamous scandals England had ever seen broke out, and Prince Albert was right in the middle. Prince Eddy on his death bed. 10:35 p.m. Although not directly related to their fling, the fateful event immediately triggered an inquest into her demiseand once more, Prince Albert was right in the center. This page was last edited on 18 April 2023, at 22:59. In his youth, Stowell was friends with Caroline Acland, the daughter of a royal family physician named Sir William Gull. And that wasnt all. The first letter was written while he was training to be an army officer in 1885 while the second was written on Sandringham-headed notepaper over a year later. 'I'm no legal expert, but a written document that would appear to back up a motive for a murder suspect would be worthy of closer scrutiny by investigating police officers today. Albert Edward. [123], With his dukedom, Albert Victor was granted a coat of arms, being the royal arms of the United Kingdom, differenced by an inescutcheon of the arms of Saxony and a label of three points argent, the centre point bearing a cross gules.[141]. As it turns out, the deceased Prince Albert left a wake of destruction and tragedy that rivaled any of the scandals he made when he was alive. ". In 1864, he came into the world in the royal residence of Frogmore House as the eldest son of Albert, Prince of Wales and his wife Princess Alexandra of Denmark. So did Prince Albert finally learn his lesson and spend a few months after this latest scandal underground? Historian Helen Rappaport investigates Published: January 7, 2020 at 10:11 am Enjoying HistoryExtra.com? It seems I'm not alone, STEPHEN POLLARD: It's often the self-proclaimed anti-racists who are the foulest of the lot. How Did Queen Victoria's Husband Prince Albert Die? Do you question the accuracy of a fact you just read? 213217; Cook, p. 10; McDonald pp. He died young and unexpectedly at the age of 42 in December 1861. Sinful Facts About Prince Albert Victor, The Royal Scandal-Maker Rumours in his time linked him with the Cleveland Street scandal, which involved a homosexual brothel; however, there is no conclusive evidence that he ever went there, or was indeed homosexual. His absence at sea, and on travels and duty with his regiment, kept him out of the general eye at times, there was a sallowness of hue, which much increased the grave aspect not only in the metropolis, but throughout the country, somehow, it was always said, 'He will never come to the throne.'[108]. [33] The prostitutes had not named Albert Victor, and it is suggested that Somerset's solicitor, Arthur Newton, fabricated and spread the rumours to take the heat off his client. While there, he kicked his feet up and let a series of maharajas entertain him lavishly and take his mind off the absolute dumpster fire he had left back home in England. Albert Victor writing to Lady Sybil Erskine, 21 June 1891, 28 June 1891 and 29 November 1891, quoted in Pope-Hennessy, pp. While this may not seem like a huge deal today, it was definitely a big deal back then. From petty paybacks to insane acts of karma, these bitter people somehow found the most ingenious ways. It is not known whether he had any sexual experiences at Cambridge, but partners of either sex would have been available. Pope-Hennessy, James; Vickers, Hugo (ed.) Prince Albert Victor Facts. [2] As a grandchild of the reigning British monarch in the male line and a son of the Prince of Wales, he was formally styled His Royal Highness Prince Albert Victor of Wales from birth. His death itself wasnt suspicioushe was in his late eighties at the timebut it did complicate matters. "[101] George took Albert Victor's place in the line of succession, eventually succeeding to the throne as George V in 1910. 1. Moreover, no attempts were made to restrain Prince Albert Victor until after the Double Event (the murders of Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes on the same night). The Prince's mental health deteriorated as a result of the fatal disease, eventually leading to him being insane. According to the report, "The Prince's sallow face turned scarlet and his eyes seemed to start from their orbits," and he had one of his companions upbraid the fellow for impertinence.[47]. The two princes were given a strict programme of study, which included games and military drills as well as academic subjects. Unfortunately for Prince Albert, Princess Helene was Roman Catholic. Were always looking for your input! Long-limbed and slim, he was strikingly handsome in a rakish way, and he had absolutely no problem using his good looks to charm people. One obituary, written by a journalist who claimed to have attended the majority of Albert Victor's public appearances, stated: He was little known personally to the English public. Now, mentor-mentee relationships can get tangled at the best of times, but Prince Albert and Stephen took it to the next level. After that, it wasnt long before society whispered that the prince was also a regular visitor; not a good look in the hetero-normative Victorian era. SIR . In short, it seemed like Albert was in for a life of comfort and joybut thats not at all what he got. The mystery has led to numerous theories as to the true identity of the killer and spawned countless books, TV documentaries and films, including the 2001 Johnny Depp movie 'From Hell' which implicated the prince. I have at no time associated His Royal Highness the late Duke of Clarence, with the Whitechapel murderer or suggested that the murderer was of royal blood, Stowell wrote to The Times. Queen Victoria's grandson and heir to the British throne, the handsome Prince Albert Victor - or 'Eddy' - had an illustrious future ahead of him. I am not prepared to discuss our grounds for doing so.. [39] Although there is no conclusive evidence for or against his involvement, or that he ever visited a homosexual club or brothel,[40] the rumours and cover-up have led some biographers to speculate that he did visit Cleveland Street,[41] and that he was "possibly bisexual, probably homosexual". However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. Into that world he refused to be initiated. [4], Though he learned to speak Danish, progress in other languages and subjects was slow. The comments below have not been moderated. There is much speculation surrounding Prince Albert Victors later life and final years not least because of his rumoured connection to Jack the Ripper and the Whitechapel Murders. Although some historians have blamed Alberts tutor John Dalton for being a shoddy instructor, others believe his schoolboy difficulties stemmed from genetic issues. Mary was the daughter of Queen Victoria's first cousin Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck. For days, he struggled to survive, and his family waited on tenterhooks. As one commenter put it, it was, a scandal of the first magnitudeon the lips of every clubman.. Queen Victoria's nephew Prince Albert Victor was identified as a suspect for the five unsolved Ripper murders of women in the East End of London in 1888. Get the scoop on the true history behind Victoria Season 2 Episode 4, and see images from the era of Her Majestys reign. Sounds great right? [36], In December 1889, it was reported that the Prince and Princess of Wales were "daily assailed with anonymous letters of the most outrageous character" bearing upon the scandal. . Oh Albert, keep it safe or keep it in your pants. To say their relationship was complicated would be an understatement. Except, uh, Gilbert was so obsessed with getting every detail right, he bankrupted himself before he could finish his masterpiece and had to flee the country. Published: October 30, 2017 10.23am EDT Updated: January 4, 2018 3.49am EST. [78] On 3 December 1891 Albert Victor, to Mary's "great surprise", proposed to her at Luton Hoo, the country residence of the Danish ambassador to Britain. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. According to Dr. Stowell, a syphilis outbreak occurred in the Caribbean. However, once again, no solid evidence to support this theory has ever come to light and it is probable that this theory is nothing more than purely fanciful speculation. Although this is almost certainly untrue, it did force the Princes lawyers to admit he had some relations with the woman, tarnishing his name even further. As attendants laid his body to rest, Mary of Teck made sure to put a bouquet of orange blossoms on the coffin as it lowered into the ground. Husbands hiding things from wives, mothers from children, and generation from generation. "[52] In fact, none of the lawyers in the case was convicted of perjury or struck off during the scandal, but Somerset's solicitor, Arthur Newton, was convicted of obstruction of justice for helping his clients escape abroad, and was sentenced to six weeks in prison. A pair of alternative history novels King and Joker (1976) and Skeleton in Waiting (1990), written by Peter Dickinson, are the adventures of a fictitious royal family descended from an Albert Victor who survived and reigned as King Victor I. He died before his father, whose reign lasted between 1901 and 1910, and grandmother Victoria. She had become an alcoholic and seemed deranged. Read more in MASTERPIECEs Fact or Fiction: Inside Episode 4. Firstly, the entire nation was shell shocked that he was really gone, and shops shuttered their windows and doors in mourning. His medical record looks strangely whitewashed and scrubbed. His father completely shut down the entire Cleveland Street investigation, forcing the prosecutors to drop their cases on all the houses clients and leaving all the claims against Prince Albert up in the air. And remember, there were many. Papers in The National Archives show that neither courtiers nor Margery had any proof to support the allegation. The Corn Laws were a system of importation restrictions in place during the time of the famine in Ireland. By 1964, one biographer called his end a merciful act of providence because it allowed the more responsible King George V to reign. The exact nature of his "dissipations" is not clear, but in 1994 Theo Aronson favoured the theory on "admittedly circumstantial" evidence that the "unspecified 'dissipations' were predominantly homosexual". Patients were. Earlier that year, right before the betrothal negotiations, Prince Albert had written to Lady Sybil St. Clair Erskine and proclaimed that he was in love again. He developed pneumonia and died at Sandringham House in Norfolk on 14 January 1892, less than a week after his 28th birthday. 205208; Harrison, pp. Then it really all blew up. Yep, our boy was getting it on, and getting more than he bargained for in the process. Blanche Beresford, Marchioness of Waterford to Reginald Brett, 2nd Viscount Esher, 31 December 1889, quoted in Aronson, p. 168 and Cook, pp. To be fair, despite his dismal school record and lack of encyclopedic knowledge, Prince Albert Victor had a lot of other things going for him besides his royal titles. In the former, he is the British monarch during the First World War. Mercury was regularly used in 19th-Century medicine, especially for the treatment of syphilis. He also claimed the Royal Family knew he was responsible for at least two of the murders. "[69] In 1894, she married Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, another of Albert Victor's cousins. In addition, it was confirmed thatPrince Albert Victor wasnt even in Londonwhen most of the Ripper murders took place! Meanwhile, although Prince Albert Victor was ostensibly Stephens student, he was also his devastatingly beautiful boss. Some tertiary syphilitics develop acute cardiovascular disease and succumb. Juliens bold theory linked Prince Albert Victor with the horrifying murders committed by Jack the Ripper. "[71] Nothing came of Queen Victoria's suggestion. Patients were treated using mercury as an elixir or in an ointment, often while enclosed in a metal chamber. Meghan Markle's father says he is 'open to any kind of conversation' to repair his Practising for Charles' big day! Queen Victoria's beloved husband, Prince Albert, died on 14 December 1861 at the age of 42. The royal, known as Eddy, was first implicated in the Ripper killings in 1970 by the British Physician Dr Thomas Stowell. Sign up to get the latest news on your favorite dramas and mysteries, as well as exclusive content, video, sweepstakes and more. [76] When Albert Victor died, his sisters Maud and Louise sympathized with Hlne and treated her, not his fiance Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, as his true love. There was no evidence and her claims were dismissed. Prince Albert Victor, the grandson of Queen Victoria, was second in line to the British throne.
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