Please reach out to us to let us know what youre interested in reading. 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. The allegations were reported to Buckingham Palace and the head of the police Special Branch investigated. Just as plans for both his marriage to Mary and his appointment as Viceroy of Ireland were under discussion, Albert Victor fell ill with influenza in the pandemic of 1889-1892. In the late 1800s, an influenza epidemic was sweeping through Europe, and Prince Albert got supremely and tragically unlucky. "[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. [80], In 1891, Albert Victor wrote to Lady Sybil St Clair Erskine that he was in love once again, though he does not say with whom. The fact that such a senior member of the Royal Family had an STD would be regarded as a scandal today - but the Jack the Ripper connection makes this tale even more salacious. They were designed to favor domestic grain farmers by heavily taxing imported graineven during times when food production was inhibited. Who was the real Robert Traill? However, while sifting through the list of suspects, one of the most shocking names you might encounter is that of Prince Albert Victor. In the former, he is the British monarch during the First World War. [86], Rumours also surfaced in 1900, after Albert Victor's death, of his association with another former Gaiety girl, Maude Richardson (birth name: Louisa Lancey),[87] and that the royal family had attempted to pay her off. Years later, I was using her phone when I made an utterly chilling discovery. 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. My mom never told me how her best friend died. Yet, despite the wide array of suspects and the best efforts of amateur sleuths around the world, the identity of this elusive criminal remains a mystery. Sounds more like the stuff of a Stalinist people's republic. The two letters have been owned by a British collector of royal correspondence for over 20 years and are now being sold by International Autograph Auctions with a pre-sale estimate of 3,000. 10:35 p.m. Now, Albert wasnt the first royal to show lax academic prowess, but there were signs something much worse was going on. 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. Our credibility is the turbo-charged engine of our success. All Rights Reserved. [24], One of Albert Victor's instructors said he learnt by listening rather than reading or writing and had no difficulty remembering information,[25] but Prince George, Duke of Cambridge, had a less favourable opinion of him, calling him "an inveterate and incurable dawdler". Prince Albert Victor died aged 28 and was the son of the then-Prince of Wales Edward VII. In November 1970, The Criminologist published an article by Dr. Thomas Stowell, an octogenarian surgeon with some thoughts about the identity of Jack the Ripper. They began their studies there two months behind the other cadets as Albert Victor contracted typhoid fever, for which he was treated by Sir William Gull. The Prince of Wales wrote to Queen Victoria, "Gladly would I have given my life for his". 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. Subscribe to the MASTERPIECE email newsletter for weekly show news, schedule updates, and features on shows including Tom Jones. They acquired tattoos in Japan. I knew that she was going to take it badly, but I had no idea about the insane lengths she would go to just to get revenge and mess with my life. In the late months of 1891, people started gossiping that the young prince was having yet another affair. Cook, Andrew (2005). 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. Cmon now. [79] The wedding was set for 27 February 1892. She became queen consort on George's accession. 'OK, so he had gonorrhoea at the time but so did most men who visited prostitutes. [55] This is not true;[56] the trip had actually been planned since the spring. Prince Albert Victor had always been close to his mother Alexandra, and her reaction to his passing was harrowing. She was suddenly in the lurch, having lost both a husband and a potential crownand she came up with a heartbreaking tribute. The cause of his death has long been attributed to typhoid fever - but was this really what killed him? Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (Albert Victor Christian Edward; 8 January 1864 14 January 1892) was the eldest child of the Prince and Princess of Wales (later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra) and grandson of the reigning British monarch, Queen Victoria. Today, there may be no English prince as controversial, scandalous, or ultimately as tragic as Prince Albert Victor. As All Thats Interesting reports, Stephen Knight put forth a new theory in his 1976 book Jack the Ripper: Final Solution. Sadly, the Holy Father was on Team Dad too, and told her he would never condone her defection or marriage. . Eventually, Prince Albert succumbed to his illness, passing in Sandringham House on January 14, 1892. He published an article which accused Prince Albert Victor of being Jack the Ripper, based mainly on the findings of the Princes physician, Sir William Gull. 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. . He spent Christmas at Mandalay and the New Year at Calcutta. [38] Sir Charles Russell was retained to watch the proceedings in the case on behalf of Albert Victor. ADVERTISEMENT [53] In 1913, Newton was struck off indefinitely and sentenced to three years' imprisonment for obtaining money by false pretences. Day, Peter and Ungoed-Thomas, John (27 November 2005), "Letters to the King: Haddon bound over". Mary of Teck writing to Queen Victoria, quoted in Pope-Hennessy, p. 226. Parental guidance is advised. [120] Biographer Andrew Cook continued attempts to rehabilitate Albert Victor's reputation, arguing that his lack of academic progress was partly due to the incompetence of his tutor, Dalton; that he was a warm and charming man; that there is no tangible evidence that he was homosexual or bisexual; that he held liberal views, particularly on Irish Home Rule; and that his reputation was diminished by biographers eager to improve the image of his brother, George.[121]. He describes suffering from 'glete', a term used to describe the discharge caused by gonorrhoea, in the mornings. 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. Now freshly discovered letters claim he turned to killing after contracting syphilis from a prostitute and going insane. While one day she was planning her fairy tale royal wedding, now she was planning her fiancs funeral. Yet there was one huge problem. The distraught queen forbade an autopsy, which could have determined the caused of the royal consort's death with more certainty.Something needed to take the blame, and for the last 150 years, typhoid got the stick. Historically, as the famine of 1845-1921 devastated Ireland, real-life rector Robert Traill led efforts to fundraise and feed the hungry. HmmMaybe Mary of Teck did the right thing after all. In the very same newspaper, it was mentioned that Prince Albert Victor had been at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 30. Stowell never named a suspect in his article, but he didnt need to. According to Dr Stowell, Prince Albert Victor contracted syphilis in the West Indies. Prince Albert Victor, who was Queen Victoria's grandson, was identified many years ago as potentially being the mystery man behind the Whitechapel murders. I am perfectly well in every other respect, and really do not see why this should go on as it does'. Letter from Dalton in the Royal Archives, 6 April 1879, quoted in Cook, p. 52. 'This would today be regarded as a scandal worthy of tabloid newspaper coverage. By 1964, one biographer called his end a merciful act of providence because it allowed the more responsible King George V to reign. Almost all of Prince Eddy's archival record has been destroyed. Kneeling over him is an angel, holding a heavenly crown. Harriet's own beloved husband had died earlier that year and they must have had a. Despite this, his name will seemingly continue to be linked with enthusiasts for years to come. [91], In mid-1890, Albert Victor was attended by several doctors. 7,000 troops from 40 countries hold full-scale rehearsal as RAF base is Latin translation of 'long live Queen Camilla, long live King Charles' will greet royal couple as they enter Rare 12th century coin that depicts Malcolm IV of Scotland will go on show in Dunfermline to mark the King's Do not sell or share my personal information. [73][74] Hlne offered to convert to the Church of England,[75] and Albert Victor offered to renounce his succession rights to marry her.[73]. A stagnant military career, apathetic personality, and rumoured homosexuality all contributed to the fact that he was largely seen as a disappointment to the Royal family, before his premature death in 1892 at the age of just 28. [72] At first, Queen Victoria opposed any engagement because Hlne was Roman Catholic. Now, this would have been enough for the rumor mill to churn on for weeksbut it also took an incredibly dark turn. "Prince Edward: A Memory", p. 53, quoted by Aronson, pp. Cook, pp. Yet by the time of his premature death in 1892, he had disappointed his family and been linked to a sexual scandal. And remember, there were many. [84] Similarly to the Cleveland Street scandal, only overseas newspapers printed Albert Victor's name, but regional British newspapers did quote the radical London newspaper The Star[85] which published: "It is a fact so well known that the blind denials of it given in some quarters are childishly futile. But compared to other mourners, Alexandra got off incredibly easy. He wrote, I can quite understand the Prince of Wales being much annoyed at his son's name being coupled with the thing but that was the case before I left it we were both accused of going to this place but not together they will end by having out in open court exactly what they are all trying to keep quiet. It is said that the fatal disease led to a decline in the Princes mental health, eventually causing him to become insane. She had become an alcoholic and seemed deranged. In Gary Lovisi's parallel universe Sherlock Holmes pastiche, "The Adventure of the Missing Detective" in Sherlock Holmes: The Hidden Years, Albert Victor is portrayed as a tyrannical king, who rules after the deaths (in suspicious circumstances) of both his grandmother and father. During his life, the bulk of the British press treated Albert Victor with nothing but respect and the eulogies that immediately followed his death were full of praise. Please submit feedback to contribute@factinate.com. Albert Victor writing to Lady Sybil Erskine 28 June 1891, quoted in Pope-Hennessy, p. 200. 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. To say their relationship was complicated would be an understatement. Lydia Manton was the petite amie of a certain young prince, and that, too, quite recently. "[83] It was labelled "a scandal of the first magnitude on the lips of every clubman",[83] and compared to the Tranby Croft affair, in which his father was called to give evidence at a trial for slander. After several failed marriages and Albert Victor's death, Margery came to England and claimed the Prince was the father of her son, Clarence Haddon. In Episode 4, Alberts brother Ernest began a series of treatments using mercury. 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]. Making distraction rewarding since 2017. 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". 199200 and Hyde. All I can say is: live fast, die young, and leave one bad reputation. This page was last edited on 18 April 2023, at 22:59. [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. Stowell theorized that Eddy, crazed by the effects of syphilis, committed the murders. The Prince's involvement in the murders has been routinely debunked due to a lack of evidence that showed he ever had the STD. [88] In 2002, letters purported to have been sent by Albert Victor to his solicitor referring to a payoff made to Richardson of 200 were sold at Bonhams auction house in London. Prince Albert Victor, who was Queen Victoria's grandson, was identified many years ago as potentially being the mystery man behind the Whitechapel murders. In addition, it was confirmed thatPrince Albert Victor wasnt even in Londonwhen most of the Ripper murders took place! 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. Do you question the accuracy of a fact you just read? 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. (2018). There's something about the family structure that encourages secrets. And some storm clouds still linger. Now freshly discovered letters. Within weeks, Stowell was dead. Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIIIs rejected queenbut few people know her even darker history. Blanche Beresford, Marchioness of Waterford to Reginald Brett, 2nd Viscount Esher, 31 December 1889, quoted in Aronson, p. 168 and Cook, pp. "Alfred Gilbert's Monument to the Duke of Clarence: A Study in the Sources of Later Victorian Sculpture.". Wrong. Had they been wise, hearing what I knew and therefore what others knew, they ought to have hushed the matter up, instead of stirring it up as they did, with all the authorities. Yet even so, there was a strange energy about him that, as one commenter put it, made people whisper, He will never come to the throne. Well, he never didand the reasons why are tragic. Prince Albert Victor wasnt even in London. And then Albert sent poor Mary a cruel message from beyond the grave. 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. Despite Prince Alberts shady dealings in his private messages, the royals set a date for his wedding just months away on February 27, 1892. [19], At the start of the new term in October, Albert Victor, Dalton, and Lieutenant Henderson from Bacchante moved to Nevile's Court at Trinity College, which was generally reserved for accommodating dons rather than students. Then suddenly, it all went so wrong. That December, with scandal still raging, Prince Alberts family showed their power in a disturbing way. Possible physical explanations for Albert Victor's inattention or indolence in class include absence seizures or his premature birth, which can be associated with learning difficulties,[7] but Lady Geraldine Somerset blamed Albert Victor's poor education on Dalton, whom she considered uninspiring. Aronson, p. 197 and Cook, pp. 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. When he succumbed to his illness, the rights of succession naturally passed to his younger brother George, who eventually became King George V. But that wasnt all George took from him: Just a year after his brothers passing, George also wed Mary of Teck. Dr Stowell also said that it was this insanity that compelled him to become Jack the Ripper and murder a string of vulnerable women in the East End. Citizens inundated Prince Alberts parents with anonymous, frantic letters decrying their sons possible role in the mess, and the authorities even started pricking their ears up at the accusations. 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. As the most commanding mistress in the French court, she bettered the lives of many and became a beloved figure. Although Catherine's successor Queen Anne Boleyn suffered an infamously dark fate, Aragon's own life was somehow even more tragic. Henry Broadhurst, 1901, quoted in Cook, p. 100. In the second letter, he asked his surgeon - named only as Roche - to send him more pills. 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. Over twenty years later in 1910, Newton was struck off for twelve months for professional misconduct after falsifying letters from another of his clients, the notorious murderer Dr Crippen. The radical politician Henry Broadhurst, who had met both Albert Victor and his brother George, noted that they had "a total absence of affectation or haughtiness". Cook, pp. 196, 200. Yeahthis went weird (and steamy) places. 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. He developed pneumonia and died at Sandringham House in Norfolk on 14 January 1892, less than a week after his 28th birthday. Seriously, everybody calm the heck down. Queen Victoria's beloved husband, Prince Albert, died on 14 December 1861 at the age of 42. To distinguish the young royal from all the other Alberts multiplying in his family, everyone just affectionately called him Eddy. Man, you think you know somebody. Not only had rumors circulated about the prince's sexuality, but he also died of illness (influenza, not syphilis) in 1892, at just 28 years old. We want our readers to trust us. Prince Eddy on his death bed. Lord Arthur Somerset to Reginald Brett, 2nd Viscount Esher, 10 December 1889, quoted in Cook, p. 197. Yet just six weeks after Prince Albert and Marys betrothal, catastrophe struck. Shops put up their shutters. [58] He was entertained sumptuously in Hyderabad by the Nizam,[59] and elsewhere by many other maharajahs. Here's a recap of the most dramatic moments from Monday night's game. Stephen, a cousin of the writer Virginia Woolf, suffered from the bi-polar disorder that ran through their family and was often in a mentally fragile state. Lets just, Entrancing Facts About Madame de Pompadour, France's Most Powerful Mistress, Tragic Facts About Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIIIs First Wife, Revealing Facts About Joi Lansing, The Forgotten Glamour Goddess, Funny Facts About Rodney Dangerfield, The King Who Got No Respect, Gaudy Facts About Alva Vanderbilt, The Gilded Age Queen, Cunning Facts About Bess of Hardwick, The Tudor Secret-Keeper. What really killed Prince Albert? The Prince, who was the son of King Edward VII and was once second in line to the throne, wrote to the surgeon: 'I have taken those capsules regularly, four a day. Like every good little royal, Alberts parents expected him to study at a prestigious college, and he was all set to go to Cambridge. (May have died of GPI (syphilis) age 28 +6 days) . "Victorian Scandal Revealed". Despite unreliable evidence and wild theories, no concrete proof has been uncovered to firmly link Prince Albert Victor to Jack the Ripper. Prince Alberts parents were on board, and he even wrote to his brother confessing, You have no idea how I love this sweet girl now, and I feel I could never be happy without her. But then it took a tragic turn. Your suggestions can be as general or specific as you like, from Life to Compact Cars and Trucks to A Subspecies of Capybara Called Hydrochoerus Isthmius. Well get our writers on it because we want to create articles on the topics youre interested in. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. Historian Helen Rappaport investigates Published: January 7, 2020 at 10:11 am Enjoying HistoryExtra.com? That summer, officers raided a male night house in Cleveland Street, and the workers inside named one of Prince Alberts equerries as a regular client. Into that world he refused to be initiated. 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. Yep, our boy was getting it on, and getting more than he bargained for in the process. 212214. 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. Some tertiary syphilitics develop acute cardiovascular disease and succumb. 133135; Harrison, pp. The solicitor was struck off the rolls for his offence, but was thereafter reinstated. He hardly knows the meaning of the words to read". Historys most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. 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). He died before his father, whose reign lasted between 1901 and 1910, and grandmother Victoria. In the days following Prince Albert Victors passing, his sisters revealed his deepest secret. 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. Although Prince Albert got some warm, fluttery feelings when he thought about his pretty cousin (ew), her response was ice cold. [106] A recumbent effigy of the Prince in a Hussar uniform (almost impossible to see properly in situ) lies above the tomb. Although we may never know the Rippers identity for certain, the vast majority of evidence suggests that Prince Albert Victor was not the man who detectives were searching for. So when Stephen heard of the princes passing, he did not respond well. "The King Who Never Was". A Buckingham Palace official unearthed an issue of The Times from October 1, 1888, which reported that two women had been murdered in London the previous night. However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. The media took the idea and ran with it, and Stowell appeared on the BBC to discuss his theory. If Stowell had any concrete evidence from Gulls journals or elsewhere, he took it to the grave. 52, 5657; Harrison, pp. "[69] In 1894, she married Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, another of Albert Victor's cousins. Around this time, seedy scandal struck again. Published: October 30, 2017 10.23am EDT Updated: January 4, 2018 3.49am EST. 2023 Secret Chamber Tours LTD. After all, even though Albert was supposed to be Englands most eligible bachelor, he was also dragging a helluva lot of baggage behind him. This theory first came to light in 1962, in a book written by Phillippe Julien. [15] At Bachelor's Cottage, Sandringham, Albert Victor was expected to cram before arriving at university in the company of Dalton, French instructor Monsieur Hua, and a newly chosen tutor/companion, James Kenneth Stephen.

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