[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. Get the scoop on the true history behind Victoria Season 2 Episode 4, and see images from the era of Her Majestys reign. [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. Maud told her that "he is buried with your little coin around his neck" and Louise said that he is "yours in death". Despite this, his name will seemingly continue to be linked with enthusiasts for years to come. 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. Patients were treated using mercury as an elixir or in an ointment, often while enclosed in a metal chamber. The media took the idea and ran with it, and Stowell appeared on the BBC to discuss his theory. So when Stephen heard of the princes passing, he did not respond well. He wrote: 'I think I had better go on taking them for a bit. 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). 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. [107] The perfectionist Gilbert spent too much on the commission, went bankrupt, and left the country. 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. 42 Howard, Philip (11 March 1975). The theory says that the mother of his child was murdered, alongside all the other women who knew the Princes little secret. Prince Albert was quickly becoming the bad boy of Victorian England, and he and the rest of the royal family needed to come up with a Hail Mary idea fast. All Rights Reserved. There's something about the family structure that encourages secrets. He was the second son born to Ernest III, Duke . . This theory was then also taken up by Dr Thomas Stowell. In a statement to police, Albert Victor's lawyers admitted that there had been "some relations" between him and Mrs. Haddon, but denied the claim of fatherhood. 10 Terrible Diseases That Ravaged Historical Royalty - Listverse [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]. The sculptor Albert Gilbert created the princes effigy, a stunning piece of work that depicts Albert surrounded by angels. 213217; Cook, p. 10; McDonald pp. Many people believe the royal family set up a Lord Charles Montagu to take the fall as Lydias sole lover, taking the heat off their precious son in the inquest. [32], The resultant Cleveland Street scandal implicated other high-ranking figures in British society, and rumours swept upper-class London of the involvement of a member of the royal family, namely Prince Albert Victor. Unfortunately, thats not the first time youll hear me say that. "[113], Rumours that Prince Albert Victor may have committed, or been responsible for, the Jack the Ripper murders were first mentioned in print in 1962. 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. Over time, the disease progressed until it began to attack his brain. Whats more, Dr Stowell went on to claim that the Royal family were fully aware of both Prince Albert Victors deteriorating mental health and his secret identity as Jack the Ripper. Perhaps the biggest indicator of Albert's continued presence on Victoria is the timeline. 193199. While Juliens theory may be compelling, its main opposition came from the fact that Julien never provided any solid proof to substantiate his claim. Sinful Facts About Prince Albert Victor, The Royal Scandal-Maker What was mercury powder used for? The princes missives indicate he was taking regular medicine for gleet. Whats that, you ask? I still continue to have this tiresome glete which comes on at times, although at present it has stopped. Who was the "king who never was"? - History Toronto Maple Leafs defeat Tampa Bay Lightning 5-4 | CTV News I should be very pleased if you did just a little bit. Albert Victor's intellect, sexuality, and mental health have been the subject of speculation. Oh, and in case youre wondering, his grandmother was freaking Queen Victoria of England. Kneeling over him is an angel, holding a heavenly crown. Stowell never named a suspect in his article, but he didnt need to. At Factinate, were dedicated to getting things right. Do letters prove member of the royal family was Jack the Ripper? Hannah Betts' Better Not Younger. The dalliance came back to haunt him. Myth Busters: The Prince Albert - Rogue Piercing The solicitor was struck off the rolls for his offence, but was thereafter reinstated. Until suddenly, the prince caught a dubious break. He describes suffering from 'glete', a term used to describe the discharge caused by gonorrhoea, in the mornings. 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. [8], Separating the brothers for the remainder of their education was considered, but Dalton advised the Prince of Wales against splitting them up as "Prince Albert Victor requires the stimulus of Prince George's company to induce him to work at all. 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. Did Prince Albert have syphilis? As for the evidence. ADVERTISEMENT Seriously, everybody calm the heck down. Albert Victor was known to his family, and many later biographers, as "Eddy". However, a Jack the Ripper expert today rubbished the prospect that these letters proved Prince Albert Victor, who was known as Eddy, was the ripper. See e.g. 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. 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. In the first, Albert contracted syphilis from a prostitute during a trip to the West Indies. Before Prince Alberts renovations, the sewer waters would regularly flood the kitchen and release an odor through the entire palace. [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. 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. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Were always looking for your input! 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". Cook p. 103, quoting from correspondence in the Royal archives Z 474/63. Still, that doesnt mean it was an idyllic relationship. 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. The whispers caught on like wildfire, and soon The Cleveland Street Scandal became a matter of national concern. Its no wonder, then, that he tried to settle down and make an honest man of himself, even starting a romantic flirtation with Princess Helene of Orleans. Before joining the team, she worked as a course lecturer while completing her Ph.D. in English Literature. It was a date with destiny. And remember, there were many. Aronson, pp. Cook, pp. In fact, he even suggested that the Prince was the Ripper himself a shocking claim indeed. 221, 230. 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". They were designed to favor domestic grain farmers by heavily taxing imported graineven during times when food production was inhibited. William Rogers quoted in Bullock, Charles (1892). Harriet's own beloved husband had died earlier that year and they must have had a. Into that world he refused to be initiated. Lydia Manton was the petite amie of a certain young prince, and that, too, quite recently. The royal, known as Eddy, was first implicated in the Ripper killings in 1970 by the British Physician Dr Thomas Stowell. According to the people who stumped for this grisly theory, Prince Albert was the perfect suspect: He already had a (potential) history of visiting houses of ill repute, and he had enough royal clout to get coppers off his trail. When young, he travelled the world extensively as a naval cadet, and as an adult he joined the British Army but did not undertake any active military duties. 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. 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. Another theory suggested that one of the Ripper victims was pregnant with Prince Albert Victors unborn child. Perhaps conveniently for Julien, most of the key names in the original Ripper investigation had passed away by this time. In his next letter a week later, he casually mentions, I wonder if you really love me a little?I should be very pleased if you did just a little bit. God, poor Mary of Teck. [110] However, Queen Victoria referred to Albert Victor's "dissipated life" in private letters to her eldest daughter,[111] which were later published. The tomb is surrounded by an elaborate railing, with figures of saints. Although historians have worked hard to rehabilitate Prince Alberts image today, he can never seem to shake off all the controversies he courted. Like every good little royal, Alberts parents expected him to study at a prestigious college, and he was all set to go to Cambridge. His tutor John Neale Dalton couldnt seem to get anywhere with the young boy, and even once called his mind abnormally dormant, especially in comparison to his younger brother George. 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. 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. Copyright 2023 by Factinate.com. In the second letter, he asked his surgeon - named only as Roche - to send him more pills. 205208; Harrison, pp. [97] The Prince of Wales's chaplain, Canon Frederick Hervey, stood over Albert Victor reading prayers for the dying. See, just after he had completed his duties as tutor, Stephen suffered a traumatic head injury that left him more mentally imbalanced than before. Husbands hiding things from wives, mothers from children, and generation from generation. "Victorian Scandal Revealed". It is not known whether he had any sexual experiences at Cambridge, but partners of either sex would have been available. 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]. Take that, nerds. Mercury was regularly used in 19th-Century medicine, especially for the treatment of syphilis. Despite the bold nature of the theory and claims, the concrete evidence to support it was minimal at best. The thing is, Alberts bedroom life was just getting started. It is said that the fatal disease led to a decline in the Prince's mental health, eventually causing him to become insane. The article was published in The . [34][35] Letters exchanged between the Treasury Solicitor, Sir Augustus Stephenson, and his assistant, Hamilton Cuffe, make coded reference to Newton's threats to implicate Albert Victor. Did Prince Albert Have Syphilis? [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]. 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. 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. 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. Try his hand again at marriage to distract the public with a royal wedding. Well, he sure didnt forget about Prince Albertand that wasnt a good thing. Firstly, the entire nation was shell shocked that he was really gone, and shops shuttered their windows and doors in mourning. 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. His medical record looks strangely whitewashed and scrubbed. Could this intriguing figure have been the mystery man behind the horrific spate of murders that shook the East End all those years ago? A 2011 study found that about 30% of untreated syphilis becomes tertiary. Cook, pp. Perhaps suffering a psychotic breakand not helped by his emotions for the fallen princeStephen refused every single bit of food from the day of Alberts passing onward. But Eddy, as he was nicknamed, will go down . 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. After two unsuccessful courtships, he became engaged to be married to Princess Victoria Mary of Teck in late 1891. 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. 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 18891892. 52, 5657; Harrison, pp. But believe me when I say the controversy got dialed up to 11. This did not go his way. 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. He died from tercery STD in his 40's. STD's in Victorian England . Stowell theorized that Eddy, crazed by the effects of syphilis, committed the murders. 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. My mom never told me how her best friend died. It is said that the fatal disease led to a decline in the Prince's mental health, eventually causing him to become insane. 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. That December, with scandal still raging, Prince Alberts family showed their power in a disturbing way. The two princes were given a strict programme of study, which included games and military drills as well as academic subjects. Did Prince Albert have syphilis? [Fact Checked!] 142143; Hyde. In the fall of 1889, right in the midst of the Cleveland Street Scandal, Albert escaped away on a planned tour to British India. Prince Albert Victor Facts. According to Dr. Stowell, a syphilis outbreak occurred in the Caribbean. By the time they returned to Britain, Albert Victor was eighteen. This was actually an incredibly touching gesture: The bouquet just so happened to be her bridal wreath. His sudden death 150 years ago this week propelled his adoring wife, Queen Victoria, into life-long mourning. [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. [99] Princess Mary wrote to Queen Victoria of the Princess of Wales, "the despairing look on her face was the most heart-rending thing I have ever seen. All Rights Reserved. Years later, Margery traveled to England and claimed that she had given birth to Alberts son. "[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. Oh, you know, just a term for gonorrhea discharge. Oh, and then there was Alberts bride. The Truth About Jack The Ripper And Queen Victoria's Relationship It seems I'm not alone, STEPHEN POLLARD: It's often the self-proclaimed anti-racists who are the foulest of the lot. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group, with his doctor reveals side effects and his need for pills, He has always been suspected as perhaps being famous London killer, But repeatedly ruled out because he was never thought to have an STD. And that wasnt all. Sounds great right? The theory alleged the Prince -. See more Victoria Season 2 on Sundays through Feb. 25, 2018 at 9/8c! [54], The foreign press suggested that Albert Victor was sent on a seven-month tour of British India from October 1889 to avoid the gossip which swept London society in the wake of the scandal. [79] The wedding was set for 27 February 1892. 13 Biggest Mysteries Surrounding the British Royal Family [92] Some biographers have assumed he was suffering from "a mild form of venereal disease",[43] perhaps gonorrhea,[93] which he may have suffered from on an earlier occasion,[94] but the exact nature of his illness is unknown. In January 1892, just over a month before he was due to wed Mary of Teck, the young royal developed a horrific case of pneumonia. His tomb, by Alfred Gilbert, is "the finest single example of late 19th-century sculpture in the British Isles". Prince Albert's Death: Much Speculation, Few Answers Roskill, Mark (1968). Patients were. Cook, Andrew (1 November 2005) "The King Who Never Was". In Episode 4, Albert's brother Ernest began a series of treatments using mercury. Despite the palaces best efforts, everybody who was anybody knew about Prince Alberts involvement with the fallen Lydia Miller. Stephen was clearly emotionally attached to Prince Albert, and some experts even suggest he harbored intimate feelings toward the prince, which the royal heir may have even returned. 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 Prince's involvement in the murders has been routinely debunked due to a lack of evidence that showed he ever had the STD. Prince Albert Victor - JackTheRipper [64], In the 1920s, however, the son, Clarence, repeated the story and published a book in the United States, My Uncle George V, in which he claimed he was born in London in September 1890, about nine months after Albert Victor's meeting with Mrs. Haddon. 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. (May have died of GPI (syphilis) age 28 +6 days) . Haddon was found guilty and the judge, believing Haddon to be suffering from delusions, did not imprison him but bound him over for three years on the condition that he made no claim that he was Albert Victor's son. 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. Dr Jan Bonderson, a crime historian and author of the 2013 book 'The True History of Jack the Ripper', said: 'Prince Albert Victor was implicated in the Ripper murders and has been regarded as a suspect but that has been discarded. [62] In the style of the time, a great many animals were shot for sport. The Leafs complete the comeback and defeat the Lightning in overtime of Game 4 to take a 3-1 series lead. Mary later married his younger brother, who eventually became King George V in 1910. The mystery has led to numerous theories as to the true identity of the killer and spawned countless books, TV documentaries and films. [6] Albert Victor never excelled intellectually. 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. 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. Yet even at that moment, he was hiding a huge secret. In 1933, he was charged with demanding money with menace and attempted extortion after writing to the King asking for hush money. Though such claims have been repeated frequently, scholars have dismissed them as fantasies, and refer to indisputable proof of the Prince's innocence. With such a short time frame to plan such a big event, the palace aides were likely rushing to get everything sorted. He was given more public engagements, visited Ireland and Gibraltar, and opened the Hammersmith suspension bridge. [42] This is contested by other commentators, one of whom refers to him as "ardently heterosexual" and his involvement in the rumours as "somewhat unfair". Hitchens, Christopher (8 November 1990). Prince Albert Victor, the grandson of Queen Victoria, was second in line to the British throne. Yep, he took Alberts bride from his cold, dead hands. [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. Over the years, different versions of his personality, mental stability, and manner of death have appeared. (2018). He developed pneumonia and died at Sandringham House in Norfolk on 14 January 1892, less than a week after his 28th birthday. While one day she was planning her fairy tale royal wedding, now she was planning her fiancs funeral. Its hard to imagine, but the reality was even more grotesque. Albert Victor's intellect, sexuality, and mental health have been the subject of speculation. 'He didn't fit the description for Jack who was meant to have been an ordinary Joe, not a member of the aristocracy. 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]. But Albert and Helene were young, in love, and willing to do anything for passionso they came up with a daring plan. [114][115] It was later alleged, among others by Stephen Knight in Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution, that Albert Victor fathered a child with a woman in the Whitechapel district of London, and either he or several high-ranking men committed the murders in an effort to cover up his indiscretion. The Corn Laws were a system of importation restrictions in place during the time of the famine in Ireland. Yeah, not a good lookand it didnt even work. [37] The Prince of Wales intervened in the investigation; no clients were ever prosecuted and nothing against Albert Victor was proven. Eventually, Prince Albert succumbed to his illness, passing in Sandringham House on January 14, 1892. 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. Investigating The Theory That Prince Albert Victor Was Jack The Ripper The trouble with Prince Eddy: Britain's fascinating 'lost' king. Prince Albert and Mary had a whirlwind courtship, even by royal standards. [67][68] He persisted in trying to convince Alix to marry him, but he finally gave up in 1890 when she sent him a letter in which she told him "how it grieves her to pain him, but that she cannot marry him, much as she likes him as a Cousin. [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]. [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. 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. Furthermore, Prince Albert Victor had an alibi for a few of the murders. 14 Royal Facts About Prince Albert | Mental Floss To this day, no one can say for sure what went on behind those closed study room doors, but historians have a few scandalous ideas. ". Following his grandmother Queen Victoria's wishes, he was named Albert Victor, after herself and her late husband, Albert. If Stowell had any concrete evidence from Gulls journals or elsewhere, he took it to the grave. Want to tell us to write facts on a topic? '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. According to Dr Stowell, Prince Albert Victor contracted syphilis in the West Indies. He sensationally claimed the STD drove the prince insane and compelled him to commit the murders. Most of us can only dream of the life Prince Albert Victor was born into. Our credibility is the turbo-charged engine of our success. Although Prince Albert got some warm, fluttery feelings when he thought about his pretty cousin (ew), her response was ice cold.