Hannah Betts' Better Not Younger. He hardly knows the meaning of the words to read". For days, he struggled to survive, and his family waited on tenterhooks. In 1889, the royal family started looking for potential brides for their son and heir, and landed on Prince Alberts sweet, beautiful cousin Princess Alix of Hesse. The Leafs complete the comeback and defeat the Lightning in overtime of Game 4 to take a 3-1 series lead. Major Miles quoted in Aronson, p. 81, Cook, p. 123 and Harrison, p. 92. The whispers caught on like wildfire, and soon The Cleveland Street Scandal became a matter of national concern. That was very much the end of that. 'But when you add in the mystery and intrigue surrounding Prince Albert Victor's connection with the Jack the Ripper enquiry then these letters become even more significant and interesting. 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. Published: 13:09 BST, 25 February 2016 | Updated: 01:29 BST, 26 February 2016, Prince Albert Victor (pictured), who was Queen Victoria's grandson, was identified many years ago as potentially being the mystery man behind the Whitechapel murders. Albert Edward. Here's a recap of the most dramatic moments from Monday night's game. Well, he sure didnt forget about Prince Albertand that wasnt a good thing. "[71] Nothing came of Queen Victoria's suggestion. He became a special friend of the don Oscar Browning, who was notorious around campus for his wild parties and his habit of making pets of those undergraduates who were handsome and attractive. Ooh, spicy. Day, Peter and Ungoed-Thomas, John (27 November 2005), "Letters to the King: Haddon bound over". Even though he had an illustrious future to look forward to, things quickly went awry for the Prince. Traill is also the ancestor of Victoria writer Daisy Goodwin! After her proposed match with Alix fell through, Victoria suggested to Albert Victor that he marry another first cousin, Princess Margaret of Prussia. In 1889, one of the most infamous scandals England had ever seen broke out, and Prince Albert was right in the middle. Another theory suggested that one of the Ripper victims was pregnant with Prince Albert Victors unborn child. He died young and unexpectedly at the age of 42 in December 1861. [117] Other fanciful conspiracy theories are that he died of syphilis or poison, that he was pushed off a cliff on the instructions of Lord Randolph Churchill, or that his death was faked to remove him from the line of succession. The British royal family was staunchly Protestant, and many of Alberts relations would be aghast at the thought of him entertaining the possibility of loving a Catholic. [12] Albert Victor was rated midshipman on his sixteenth birthday. The tomb is surrounded by an elaborate railing, with figures of saints. His tomb, by Alfred Gilbert, is "the finest single example of late 19th-century sculpture in the British Isles". The mystery has led to numerous theories as to the true identity of the killer and spawned countless books, TV documentaries and films. According to the official Court Circular, family journals and letters, newspaper reports and other sources, he could not have been near any of the murders. To this day, conspiracy theories abound that Albert actually succumbed to that recurrent venereal disease, oreven more absurdlythat the politician Lord Randolph Churchill had him shoved off a cliff to remove him from the succession. 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. 133135; Harrison, pp. Lord Arthur Somerset to Reginald Brett, 2nd Viscount Esher, 10 December 1889, quoted in Cook, p. 197. So before the year 1891 was up, Albert proposed, surprising Mary out of her socks. 1. 6869. Albert's brother sadly did not marry had looser morals with married and unmarried women spreading syphilis through aristocratic circles. 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. Prince Albert and Mary had a whirlwind courtship, even by royal standards. Some suggest Albert may have suffered from the deafness that also afflicted his mother, or even petit mal seizures that delayed his intellectwhich makes the next part of his life more than a little ironic. His parents the Prince and Princess of Wales, his sisters Princesses Maud and Victoria, his brother Prince George, his fiance Princess Mary, her parents the Duke and Duchess of Teck, three physicians (Alan Reeve Manby, Francis Laking and William Broadbent) and three nurses were present. Albert Victor writing to Lady Sybil Erskine, 21 June 1891, 28 June 1891 and 29 November 1891, quoted in Pope-Hennessy, pp. 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. Historys most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. Living in an age before penicillin was a bad time to be sexually irresponsible. 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. Today, there may be no English prince as controversial, scandalous, or ultimately as tragic as Prince Albert Victor. Despite Stephens doubts, Prince Albert and his entourage went to Cambridge anywayand he received a shocking education. Sure, the prince floundered in his studies like everyone predicted, but he proved very successful in society. HmmMaybe Mary of Teck did the right thing after all. The cause of his death has long been attributed to typhoid fever - but was this really what killed him? Over the years, different versions of his personality, mental stability, and manner of death have appeared. Yet even at that moment, he was hiding a huge secret. Who was the real Robert Traill? I am perfectly well in every other respect, and really do not see why this should go on as it does'. Our credibility is the turbo-charged engine of our success. "[48] Lady Waterford also believed Somerset's protestations of his own innocence. (2018). It is said that the fatal disease led to a decline in the Prince's mental health, eventually causing him to become insane. The prince, Knight claimed, had wed a Catholic woman from Whitechapel and fathered a secret child. [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]. Unfortunately for Prince Albert, Princess Helene was Roman Catholic. In the end, even though the prince was healthy, strapping, and had just turned 28 years old, the writing was on the wall. Cmon now. T. Eldon Stowellburned all documents related to his father's research on Jack the Ripper. I read just sufficiently to make certain that there was nothing of importance, Dr. Stowell told the press at the time. In Albert Victor's and other correspondence, his illness is only referred to as "fever" or "gout". Prince Albert was born on August 26, 1819 at Schloss Rosenau castle, near Coburg, Germany. 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. [43] The historian H. Montgomery Hyde wrote, "There is no evidence that he was homosexual, or even bisexual. Juliens bold theory linked Prince Albert Victor with the horrifying murders committed by Jack the Ripper. [62] In the style of the time, a great many animals were shot for sport. "[82], In late 1891, the Prince was implicated as having been involved with a former Gaiety Theatre chorus girl, Lydia Miller (stage name Lydia Manton), who committed suicide by drinking carbolic acid. In the second letter, he asked his surgeon - named only as Roche - to send him more pills. In order to keep this shameful offense under wraps, the royal family had conspired to kill any person who knew about it. From petty paybacks to insane acts of karma, these bitter people somehow found the most ingenious ways. In the season three finale, viewers were treated to the opening day of the . Prince Albert Victor, the grandson of Queen Victoria, was second in line to the British throne. The marriage did not produce any issue, though Ernest apparently fathered at least three illegitimate children in later years. Prince Albert Victors college years are shrouded in some mystery, with many historians bemoaning how little information we have about his personal life at the timeso much so that some claim he spent these years completely chaste. I tried to get my ex-wife served with divorce papers. In Episode 4, Prince Albert overhauled Buckingham Palace operations, beginning with the sewers. Even more scandalously, the apple of his eye was reportedly none other than the commoner chorus girl Lydia Miller. Cook, Andrew (2005). And until now it had always been thought that Prince Albert's unexpected passing on. In Episode 4, Albert's brother Ernest began a series of treatments using mercury. Now freshly discovered letters claim he turned to killing after contracting syphilis from a prostitute and going insane. Prince Eddy died of "pneumonia" at age 28 in 1892, suggesting he may have had a compromised immune system, including exposure to syphilis at age 16. She was suddenly in the lurch, having lost both a husband and a potential crownand she came up with a heartbreaking tribute. Dr Stowell suggested he had either possessed or had seen evidence to back up this theory 80 years before and appeared on a BBC current affairs programme discussing it. And some storm clouds still linger. Prince Albert Victor got a funeral deserving of the eldest son of the British royal family. While some have hypothesized various forms of abdominal cancer (his mother died of stomach cancer at the age of 30), some physicians and historians have argued that Albert may have suffered. Now, mentor-mentee relationships can get tangled at the best of times, but Prince Albert and Stephen took it to the next level. [23] In 1888, he was awarded an honorary degree by the university. In the late 1800s, an influenza epidemic was sweeping through Europe, and Prince Albert got supremely and tragically unlucky. But Albert and Helene were young, in love, and willing to do anything for passionso they came up with a daring plan. Instead of lavishing the forlorn Mary of Teck with sympathies, Princesses Maud and Louise made it very clear that they thought Alberts not-so-old flame Princess Helene of Orleans was his one true love, and the most deserving of their empathy. [65] Haddon breached the conditions and was incarcerated for a year. [29] Of his private life, a childhood friend of Albert Victor later recalled that it was uneventful: "his brother officers had said that they would like to make a man of the world of him. St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle (2008). 142143; Hyde. Then suddenly, it all went so wrong. Almost all of Prince Eddy's archival record has been destroyed. 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]. The royal, known as Eddy, was first implicated in the Ripper killings in 1970 by the British Physician Dr Thomas Stowell. Cook, Andrew (1 November 2005) "The King Who Never Was". What was mercury powder used for? In his 1972 book that explored the prospect of Prince Albert being the Ripper, the crime writer Michael Harrison stated there was not 'the slightest evidence' the royal had had syphilis. Once Albert Victor and Hlne confided their love to her, the Queen relented and supported the proposed marriage. By this time however, Albert Victor was falling in love with Princess Hlne of Orlans, a daughter of Prince Philippe, Count of Paris, a pretender to the French throne who was living in England after being banished from France in 1886. I still continue to have this tiresome glete which comes on at times, although at present it has stopped. In the late months of 1891, people started gossiping that the young prince was having yet another affair. Despite Prince Alberts shady dealings in his private messages, the royals set a date for his wedding just months away on February 27, 1892. Husbands hiding things from wives, mothers from children, and generation from generation. Lydia Manton was the petite amie of a certain young prince, and that, too, quite recently. For starters, although Dr Stowell claimed to have used Sir William Gulls medical notes as a basis for his article, this was never proven. All Rights Reserved. Not in the slightest. Blanche Beresford, Marchioness of Waterford to Reginald Brett, 2nd Viscount Esher, 31 December 1889, quoted in Aronson, p. 168 and Cook, pp. In his youth, Stowell was friends with Caroline Acland, the daughter of a royal family physician named Sir William Gull. Dismissed as a crank, he died a broken man. The family decided that this was the right thing to do. [98], The nation was shocked. Madame de Pompadour was the alluring chief mistress of King Louis XV, but few people know her dark historyor the chilling secret shared by her and Louis. In short, it seemed like Albert was in for a life of comfort and joybut thats not at all what he got. 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. 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. And then Albert sent poor Mary a cruel message from beyond the grave. People were so certain of this, it took years of serious historical research to completely disprove these rumorsafter all, Albert wasnt even in London when some of the killings took place. Princess Helene went over her fathers head and went right to the top, securing an audience with Pope Leo XIII himself to beg him to let her convert. Oh Albert, keep it safe or keep it in your pants. As the syphilis worsened, the Princes mental state continued to go downhill, until eventually, he was confined to an asylum where he spent the remainder of his days. Call for millions to take part in 'Homage of the People' to King Charles at the coronation sparks backlash NANA AKUA: Why I'm thrilled by the invitation to pledge my 'true allegiance' to King Charles III, MICK HUME: An oath of allegiance to the King? Once more, Prince Alberts dreams of happiness went right out the window, and he went right on the rebound. Helenes piously Catholic father put the kibosh on the whole thing, refusing to allow her to leave the faith. In the mid-20th century, the official biographers of Queen Mary and King George V, James Pope-Hennessy and Harold Nicolson respectively, promoted hostile assessments of Albert Victor's life, portraying him as lazy, ill-educated and physically feeble. Yep, he took Alberts bride from his cold, dead hands. He was christened Albert Victor Christian Edward in the private chapel of Buckingham Palace on 10 March 1864 by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Charles Longley, but was known informally as "Eddy". How old was Bertie when Prince Albert died? Unfortunately, thats not the first time youll hear me say that. She wrote, "I am sure the boy is as straight as a line Arthur does not the least know how or where the boy spends his time he believes the boy to be perfectly innocent. [102], Albert Victor's mother, Alexandra, never fully recovered from her son's death and kept the room in which he died as a shrine. Lord Arthur Somerset to Reginald Brett, 2nd Viscount Esher, 10 December 1889, quoted in Aronson, p. 170, Cook, pp. The Prince's involvement in the murders has been routinely debunked due to a lack of evidence that showed he ever had the STD. Henry Broadhurst, 1901, quoted in Cook, p. 100. [a], When Albert Victor was just short of seventeen months old, his brother, Prince George of Wales, was born on 3 June 1865. [51], The rumours persisted; sixty years later the official biographer of George V, Harold Nicolson, was told by Lord Goddard, who was a twelve-year-old schoolboy at the time of the scandal, that Albert Victor "had been involved in a male brothel scene, and that a solicitor had to commit perjury to clear him. Except when it comes to this dark twist, thats just the beginning. I am not prepared to discuss our grounds for doing so.. Five of the smaller figures were only completed with "a greater roughness and pittedness of texture" after his return to Britain in the 1920s.[106]. Subscribe to the MASTERPIECE email newsletter for weekly show news, schedule updates, and features on shows including Tom Jones. The comments below have not been moderated. He was the second son born to Ernest III, Duke . The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Prince Eddy on his death bed. 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. Queen Victoria writing to Victoria, Princess Royal, 12 November 1891 and 19 November 1891, quoted in Pope-Hennessy, p. 207. [109] On the day of Albert Victor's death, the leading Liberal politician, William Ewart Gladstone, wrote in his personal private diary "a great loss to our party". Gull passed away in 1890 two years after the Ripper murders, yet two years before Prince Albert Victors death. [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. Harriet's own beloved husband had died earlier that year and they must have had a. Ernest had suffered from a venereal disease in his late teens and early twenties, most likely as the consequence of living a wild, promiscuous lifestyle. [40] Aronson's judgement was based on Albert Victor's "adoration of his elegant and possessive mother; his 'want of manliness'; his 'shrinking from horseplay'; [and] his 'sweet, gentle, quiet and charming' nature",[40] as well as the Cleveland Street rumours and his opinion that there is "a certain amount of homosexuality in all men". In his 1972 book that explored the prospect of Prince Albert being the Ripper, the crime writer Michael Harrison stated there was not 'the slightest evidence' the royal had had syphilis. Cook p. 103, quoting from correspondence in the Royal archives Z 474/63. "The King Who Never Was". Mary was the daughter of Queen Victoria's first cousin Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck. 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. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. 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. 212214. Helene was beautiful, had a great pedigree, andbest of allshe actually returned his feelings. [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. Albert Victor's intellect, sexuality, and mental health have been the subject of speculation. 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. No clan is left untouched, and even families that seem happy and normal on. [49] In surviving private letters to his friend Lord Esher, Somerset denies knowing anything directly about Albert Victor, but confirms that he has heard the rumours, and hopes that they will help quash any prosecution. 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". But despite his privileged upbringing, was a life of wealth and luxury not enough to satisfy Prince Albert Victors bloodlust? Mercury was regularly used in 19th-Century medicine, especially for the treatment of syphilis. 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. 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.