The family decided that this was the right thing to do. Yet inside the royal family, things were even darker. It seems I'm not alone, STEPHEN POLLARD: It's often the self-proclaimed anti-racists who are the foulest of the lot. Howard, Philip (11 March 1975). *Disclaimer: The Jack the Ripper Tour contains graphic descriptions, stories and images that some people may find upsetting. . 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. Seriously, everybody calm the heck down. The. 212214. 1. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Blanche Beresford, Marchioness of Waterford to Reginald Brett, 2nd Viscount Esher, 31 December 1889, quoted in Aronson, p. 168 and Cook, pp. In 1933, he was charged with demanding money with menace and attempted extortion after writing to the King asking for hush money. 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. Although his family covered up so many of his secrets, in death his scandals came right back into the light. Sensible, sweet Mary was extremely excited to wed the prince, except she didnt exactly know all the information. 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. [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. Stowell never named a suspect in his article, but he didnt need to. The Prince's mental health deteriorated as a result of the fatal disease, eventually leading to him being insane. Prince Albert Victor apparently couldnt play coy to save his life, because chances are the person he was in love with was Lady Sybil herself. In the very same newspaper, it was mentioned that Prince Albert Victor had been at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 30. After all, even though Albert was supposed to be Englands most eligible bachelor, he was also dragging a helluva lot of baggage behind him. With such a short time frame to plan such a big event, the palace aides were likely rushing to get everything sorted. 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. 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. The marriage did not produce any issue, though Ernest apparently fathered at least three illegitimate children in later years. Could this intriguing figure have been the mystery man behind the horrific spate of murders that shook the East End all those years ago? Prince Albert Victor Christian Edward (known as "Eddy" to his friends) is one of the most famous suspects in the Jack the Ripper case, figuring in no less than three major theories. That was very much the end of that. [81] A week after the first letter, he asked Erskine, "I wonder if you really love me a little? 213217; Cook, p. 10; McDonald pp. The Prince of Wales wrote to Queen Victoria, "Gladly would I have given my life for his". "[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. Albert Victor Christian Edward, afterwards Duke of Clarence and Avondale (CLRN883AV)", "The monarchs we never had: Prince Albert Victor (18641892)", Albert Victor Hissed: Frenchmen Express Disapproval Of The English Prince, "Royal cover-up of illegitimate son revealed", Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence: Two letters on the delicate matter of his sexual health, "Agraciamentos Portugueses Aos Prncipes da Casa Saxe-Coburgo-Gota", Staatshandbcher fr das Herzogtum Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha, Staatshandbuch fr das Groherzogtum Sachsen / Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach, "Ritter-Orden: Kniglich-ungarischer St. Stephans-orden", "Albert Victor, Prince, duke of Clarence and Avondale (18641892)", Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh, Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn, Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh, Prince Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, Alfred, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Charles Edward, Duke of Albany and of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick, Alastair, 2nd Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, Johann Leopold, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Albert, Prince Consort of the United Kingdom, King Ferdinand II of Portugal and the Algarves, Prince William, Duke of Clarence and St Andrews, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prince_Albert_Victor,_Duke_of_Clarence_and_Avondale&oldid=1150579012, Burials at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (United Kingdom), Peers of the United Kingdom created by Queen Victoria, Freemasons of the United Grand Lodge of England, Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary, Grand Crosses of the Order of the Star of Romania, Recipients of the Order of the Netherlands Lion, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Honorary Colonel, Third City of London Rifle Volunteer Corps (. 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. She became queen consort on George's accession. [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". Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIIIs rejected queenbut few people know her even darker history. Prince Albert Victor got a funeral deserving of the eldest son of the British royal family. "The King Who Never Was". [a], When Albert Victor was just short of seventeen months old, his brother, Prince George of Wales, was born on 3 June 1865. 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. Now freshly discovered letters. In Episode 4, Prince Albert overhauled Buckingham Palace operations, beginning with the sewers. "[9] In 1877, the two boys were sent to the Royal Navy's training ship, HMS Britannia. While this may not seem like a huge deal today, it was definitely a big deal back then. "[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. The whispers caught on like wildfire, and soon The Cleveland Street Scandal became a matter of national concern. Once Albert Victor and Hlne confided their love to her, the Queen relented and supported the proposed marriage. Additionally, Prince Albert Victors death was also heavily scrutinised.