[31] At the time, all homosexual acts between men were illegal, and the clients faced social ostracism, prosecution, and at worst, two years' imprisonment with hard labour. 42 Right, thats not suspicious at all. 212214. Additionally, Prince Albert Victor's death was also heavily scrutinised. [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. All Rights Reserved. [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. Except, well, there might be a scandalous reason for the lack of dirt: He had something to hide. Seriously, everybody calm the heck down. Lord Arthur Somerset to Reginald Brett, 2nd Viscount Esher, 10 December 1889, quoted in Aronson, p. 170, Cook, pp. He wrote: 'I think I had better go on taking them for a bit. Sign up to get the latest news on your favorite dramas and mysteries, as well as exclusive content, video, sweepstakes and more. 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. William Rogers quoted in Bullock, Charles (1892). However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. Although he didnt say with whom, his next letter made it very clear. The story, based largely on the same sources as Murder by Decree, is also the basis for the play Force and Hypocrisy by Doug Lucie.[122]. After Albert's death, Victoria spent the first weeks of her widowhood with the Duchess as her only companion. And that wasnt all. Jack The Ripper suspect Prince Albert Victor is revealed to have had T. Eldon Stowellburned all documents related to his father's research on Jack the Ripper. 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. [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. Eventually, Prince Albert succumbed to his illness, passing in Sandringham House on January 14, 1892. Meghan Markle's father says he is 'open to any kind of conversation' to repair his Practising for Charles' big day! 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. The theory says that the mother of his child was murdered, alongside all the other women who knew the Princes little secret. Still, that doesnt mean it was an idyllic relationship. 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. By 1891, another potential bride, Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, was under consideration. Prince Albert was the product of an unhappy marriage. [98], The nation was shocked. Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale - Wikipedia HmmMaybe Mary of Teck did the right thing after all. Now, this would have been enough for the rumor mill to churn on for weeksbut it also took an incredibly dark turn. It was a date with destiny. Patients were. Albert Victor's intellect, sexuality, and mental health have been the subject of speculation. Except when it comes to this dark twist, thats just the beginning. He also claimed the Royal Family knew he was responsible for at least two of the murders. In the second letter, he asked his surgeon - named only as Roche - to send him more pills. Albert Victor writing to Lady Sybil Erskine 28 June 1891, quoted in Pope-Hennessy, p. 200. [105] The Prince is buried in the Albert Memorial Chapel close to St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. Yet there was one huge problem. When we do, we depend on our loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can do better. Were always looking for your input! "[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. In the fall of 1889, right in the midst of the Cleveland Street Scandal, Albert escaped away on a planned tour to British India. 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. Making distraction rewarding since 2017. 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. Within weeks, Stowell was dead. Please reach out to us to let us know what youre interested in reading. 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. Sounds great right? Queen Victoria's grandson and heir to the British throne, the handsome Prince Albert Victor - or 'Eddy' - had an illustrious future ahead of him. [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. From 1989 to 1998 Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell published the graphic novel From Hell in serialized form, which is based on Stephen Knight's theory. Mark Dexter portrayed both "Prince Edward" and "Albert Sickert". I tried to get my ex-wife served with divorce papers. Eddy, as he was affectionately known, was rumored to have contracted syphilis from a prostitute in the West Indies. The solicitor was struck off the rolls for his offence, but was thereafter reinstated. Aronson, p. 197 and Cook, pp. [3] Dalton complained that Albert Victor's mind was "abnormally dormant". In 1889, Albert Victor's grandmother Queen Victoria expressed her wish that he marry his paternal cousin Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, who was one of her favorite granddaughters. 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]. From the moment Prince Albert passed, Stephen committed himself to one disturbing act. Aronson, p. 110; Cook, p. 9; Cornwell, pp. Firstly, the entire nation was shell shocked that he was really gone, and shops shuttered their windows and doors in mourning. Albert Edward. STDs were rife and there was no easy cure. 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. "[71] Nothing came of Queen Victoria's suggestion. The allegations were reported to Buckingham Palace and the head of the police Special Branch investigated. "[30], In July 1889, the Metropolitan Police uncovered a male brothel operated by Charles Hammond in London's Cleveland Street. By the time they returned to Britain, Albert Victor was eighteen. . They were designed to favor domestic grain farmers by heavily taxing imported graineven during times when food production was inhibited. As All Thats Interesting reports, Stephen Knight put forth a new theory in his 1976 book Jack the Ripper: Final Solution. [1] In fact, he even suggested that the Prince was the Ripper himself a shocking claim indeed. Parental guidance is advised. 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. [28] He passed his examinations, and in March 1887, he was posted to Hounslow where he was promoted to captain. Its hard to really express just how bad Prince Albert Victors reputation was in England in the late 1800s, and how much it worsened as the years wore on. 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. 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". In the late months of 1891, people started gossiping that the young prince was having yet another affair. The prince who was almost assassinated on a trip to Australia Yet inside the royal family, things were even darker. That was very much the end of that. 'OK, so he had gonorrhoea at the time but so did most men who visited prostitutes. She was suddenly in the lurch, having lost both a husband and a potential crownand she came up with a heartbreaking tribute. The screen for King Charles' coronation anointing is revealed, Biden jokes about key political figures at WH Correspondence Dinner, Braverman: People crossing Channel are 'at odds with British values', Hundreds of Household Division members rehearse for coronation, Women's rights activists and pro-trans campaigners separated, Terrifying moment bird strikes plane carrying 184 passengers onboard, Ukraine drone strike hits major fuel depot in port Sevastopol, Jerry Springer hosts record-setting porn star Annabel Chong in 1995, Doctor slams Laurence Fox for 'spewing out biased views', 'You motherf***ers don't understand': Bam Margera details 'turmoil', Australian tourist allegedly spits in the face of a Java Imam, Moment large saltwater crocodile snatches pet dog off beach in QLD. He was given more public engagements, visited Ireland and Gibraltar, and opened the Hammersmith suspension bridge. The royal, known as Eddy, was first implicated in the Ripper killings in 1970 by the British Physician Dr Thomas Stowell. 13 Biggest Mysteries Surrounding the British Royal Family 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. Throughout this total and complete chaos, poor Mary of Tecks life had unraveled before her eyes. To say their relationship was complicated would be an understatement. "The King Who Never Was". I read just sufficiently to make certain that there was nothing of importance, Dr. Stowell told the press at the time. *Disclaimer: The Jack the Ripper Tour contains graphic descriptions, stories and images that some people may find upsetting. 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. The dalliance came back to haunt him. [104] James Kenneth Stephen, Albert Victor's former tutor, refused all food from the day of Albert Victor's death and died 20 days later; he had suffered a head injury in 1886 which left him suffering from psychosis. Oh, you know, just a term for gonorrhea discharge. Prince Albert Victor, the grandson of Queen Victoria, was second in line to the British throne. His medical record looks strangely whitewashed and scrubbed. See e.g. Please let us know if a fact weve published is inaccurate (or even if you just suspect its inaccurate) by reaching out to us at contribute@factinate.com. 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. Prince Albert Victor died aged 28 and was the son of the then-Prince of Wales Edward VII. Sinful Facts About Prince Albert Victor, The Royal Scandal-Maker [37] The Prince of Wales intervened in the investigation; no clients were ever prosecuted and nothing against Albert Victor was proven. 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. But believe me when I say the controversy got dialed up to 11. I am perfectly well in every other respect, and really do not see why this should go on as it does.'. Despite the bold nature of the theory and claims, the concrete evidence to support it was minimal at best.