Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence
Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale, Earl of Athlone (January 8, 1864 - January 14, 1892) was born Albert Victor Christian Edward in Windsor, England, the eldest son of the Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII) and Alexandra of Denmark, and was therefore the second in line to the throne of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Born two months premature, he was of limited intellect, and when he reached young adulthood his dandyism earned him the nickname Prince Collar and Cuffs. He was known to his family as Eddy.
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2 Prospective royal brides 3 Engagement of Mary of Teck 4 Cleveland Street Scandal 5 Jack The Ripper rumors 6 Prince Eddy in fiction 7 References 8 External links |
Prince Eddy and his brother George served as Naval cadets on the HMS Bacchante until 1883, after which Eddy was sent to Trinity College, Cambridge. However, the Prince showed no ability as a student, and in 1885 he was sent to join the Army, in the Tenth Hussars Cavalry Regiment.
Three women were lined up as possible brides for the Prince. The first, in 1889, was Princess Alix of Hesse (future Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia), who did not return Eddy's affection. The second, in 1890, was Princess Helene of Orleans, whom Eddy also loved, but the engagement had to be cancelled when Helene (the great-granddaughter of the last King of the French) declined to give up her Roman Catholic faith.
Finally, Eddy became engaged to Princess Mary of Teck (also known as Princess May), but before the marriage could take place he died of pneumonia at Sandringham House in Norfolk. He was 28 years old and unmarried, and his death left his younger brother, Prince George, heir to the throne. George married Eddy's fiancée, with whom he was in love and had a long and happy marriage. Prince George succeeded to the throne as George V.
The official biography of Queen Mary by James Pope-Hennessy euphemistically stated that Prince Eddy's private life was "dissipated". The official biographer of George V, Harold Nicholson, stated in his diaries that it appeared that Prince Eddy had been involved in a major scandal and there had been a cover-up at the highest levels. What is now clear is that this concerned Prince Eddy's involvement in the "Cleveland Street Scandal" of 1889 - the exposure of a 'rentboy' brothel in central London's Cleveland Street patronised by gentlemen and aristocrats. The release of Public Record Office police papers in 1975 concerning the case, and more importantly, and the publication of the letters of one of the other participants in the scandal, Lord Arthur Somerset, (see Hyde, Aronson and Lees-Milne) have confirmed the Prince's involvement beyond reasonable doubt.
In recent times Prince Eddy has been the centre of rumors that he was, or associated with, Jack the Ripper. However, such theories have been comprehensively dismissed by reputable historians.
Through his connection to the above mentioned theories the Duke of Clarence has occasionally been portayed in fiction. His appearances in film include:
Military career
Prospective royal brides
Engagement of Mary of Teck
Cleveland Street Scandal
Jack The Ripper rumors
Prince Eddy in fiction
References
External links
