Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale

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). From birth, he was second in the line of succession to the British throne, but did not become king or Prince of Wales because he died before both his father and paternal grandmother Queen Victoria.

Albert Victor was known to his family, and to many later biographers, as "Eddy". As a young man he travelled widely as a Royal Navy cadet, and as an adult he joined the British Army, though he undertook no active military duties. After two unsuccessful courtships, he became engaged in late 1891 to his second cousin once removed Princess Victoria Mary of Teck. A few weeks later, he died during a major influenza pandemic. Mary later married his younger brother, the future King George V.

Albert Victor's intellect, sexual orientation, and mental health have been the subject of speculation. Rumours in his lifetime linked him with the Cleveland Street scandal, which involved a homosexual brothel, but there is no conclusive evidence that he ever visited it or that he was homosexual. Some authors have theorised that he was the serial killer known as Jack the Ripper, or that he was otherwise involved in the murders, but contemporaneous documents show that Albert Victor could not have been in London at the time, and the claim is widely dismissed.

Early life

Albert Victor was born two months prematurely at 8:58 pm on 8 January 1864 at Frogmore House, Windsor, Berkshire. He was the first child of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, and his wife, Alexandra of Denmark. At Queen Victoria's wish, he was named Albert Victor after the Queen and her late husband, Prince Albert.Cook, pp. 28–29. As a grandson of the reigning British monarch in the male line and the son of the Prince of Wales, he was styled "His Royal Highness Prince Albert Victor of Wales" from birth. He was christened Albert Victor Christian Edward in the private chapel at Buckingham Palace on 10 March by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Charles Longley, and became known informally as "Eddy".

Education In June 1865, when Albert Victor was just under 17 months old, his brother, Prince George (later George V), was born. Because of their closeness in age, the boys were educated together. In 1871, Queen Victoria appointed John Neale Dalton as their tutor. Dalton set a strict programme of study that combined academic subjects with games and military drills.Nicolson, pp. 7–9. Dalton complained that Albert Victor's mind was "abnormally dormant".Letter from Dalton in the Royal Archives, 6 April 1879, quoted in Cook, p. 52.

Although Albert Victor learnt to speak his mother's native Danish, his progress in other languages and subjects was slow.Cook, pp. 52, 56–57; Harrison, pp. 68–69. Sir Henry Ponsonby suspected that Albert Victor might have inherited Alexandra's partial deafness.Aronson, p. 54; Harrison, p. 34. He never excelled academically. Possible physical explanations for his inattention include absence seizures or the effects of premature birth, both of which can be associated with learning difficulties,Aronson, pp. 53–54; Harrison, p. 35. though blamed Albert Victor's poor education on Dalton, whom she considered uninspiring.Aronson, p. 74.

Separating the brothers for the remainder of their education was considered, but Dalton advised against it, arguing that "Prince Albert Victor requires the stimulus of Prince George's company to induce him to work at all."Nicolson, pp. 12–13. In 1877, the boys were sent to the Royal Navy's training ship, HMS Britannia. They began their studies there two months behind the other cadets because Albert Victor contracted typhoid fever, for which he was treated by Sir William Gull.Cook, p. 62; Harrison, p. 37. Dalton accompanied them as chaplain to the ship.Cook, pp. 70–72.

In 1879, after discussion between the Queen, the Prince of Wales, their households, and the Government, the brothers were sent as naval cadets on a three-year world tour aboard HMS Bacchante. Albert Victor was rated midshipman on his 16th birthday.Cook, p. 79. They toured the British Empire, accompanied by Dalton, visiting the Americas, the Falkland Islands, South Africa, Australia, Fiji, the Far East, Singapore, Ceylon, Aden, Egypt, the Holy Land, and Greece.Cook, pp. 79–94; Harrison, pp. 41–56. They acquired tattoos in Japan.Cook, pp. 79–94; Harrison, pp. 41–56; By the time they returned to Britain, Albert Victor was 18.

The brothers were separated in 1883: George remained in the navy, while Albert Victor entered Trinity College, Cambridge.Cook, p. 98; Harrison, p. 72; Before arriving at the university, he was expected to cram at Bachelor's Cottage, Sandringham, under the supervision of Dalton, a French instructor, Monsieur Hua, and a newly appointed tutor and companion, James Kenneth Stephen.Aronson, pp. 64–67; Cook, pp. 101–104. Some biographers have described Stephen as a misogynist, though this has been questioned,McDonald, pp. 130, 183, 204. and he may have felt emotionally attached to Albert Victor; whether his feelings were overtly homosexual is uncertain.Aronson, pp. 66–67. Stephen was initially optimistic about tutoring the prince, but by the time the party was due to move to Cambridge he had concluded, "I do not think he can possibly derive much benefit from attending lectures at Cambridge ... He hardly knows the meaning of the words to read".Cook p. 103, quoting from correspondence in the Royal archives Z 474/63.

At the start of the new term in October, Albert Victor, Dalton, and Lieutenant Henderson from Bacchante moved into Nevile's Court at Trinity College, accommodation usually reserved for dons. Albert Victor showed little interest in the intellectual life of the university and was excused from examinations, though he did take part in undergraduate society.Cook, pp. 104–111. He was introduced to Oscar Browning, a noted don who hosted parties and "made pets of those undergraduates who were handsome and attractive",Cook p. 107. and became friendly with Dalton's godson, Alfred Fripp, who later served as his doctor and royal surgeon. It is not known whether he had any sexual experiences at Cambridge, though partners of either sex would have been available.Aronson, p. 73. In August 1884, he spent time at Heidelberg University studying German before returning to Cambridge. He left the university in 1885, having already served as a cadet in the 2nd Cambridge University Battalion, and was gazetted as an officer in the 10th Hussars.Cook, pp. 119–120. In 1888, he received an honorary degree from the university.Cook p. 140.

One of his instructors observed that Albert Victor learnt best by listening rather than reading or writing and had no difficulty retaining information,Major Miles quoted in Aronson, p. 81, Cook, p. 123 and Harrison, p. 92. but Prince George, Duke of Cambridge, was less charitable, calling him "an inveterate and incurable dawdler".Harrison, p. 90. Princess Augusta of Cambridge was similarly dismissive, describing him as ("such a small thing").Hitchens, Christopher (8 November 1990). "How's The Vampire". London Review of Books. Volume 12, issue 21, p. 12.

Much of Albert Victor's time at Aldershot was spent drilling, which he disliked, though he enjoyed playing polo.Pope-Hennessy, p. 192. In October 1886, while in Burnley to open a new hospital, he attended a match between Burnley F.C. and Bolton Wanderers at Turf Moorthe first visit to a professional football ground by a member of the royal family. To mark the occasion, Burnley received a set of kits embellished with the royal coat of arms. He passed his examinations and, in March 1887, was posted to Hounslow, where he was promoted to captain. He undertook more public engagements, visited Ireland and Gibraltar, and opened the Hammersmith suspension bridge in June 1887.Cook, p. 135. A childhood friend later recalled that his private life was uneventful: "his brother officers had said that they would like to make a man of the world of him. Into that world he refused to be initiated."Rev. William Rogers, quoted in Bullock, Charles (1892). Prince Edward: A Memory, p. 53, quoted by Aronson, pp. 80–81.

Cleveland Street scandal

In July 1889, the Metropolitan Police uncovered a male brothel operated by Charles Hammond in Cleveland Street, London. Under 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.Cook, pp. 16, 172–173. At the time, all homosexual acts between men were illegal, and those identified risked social ostracism, prosecution, and, at worst, two years' imprisonment with hard labour.Hyde, The Other Love, pp. 5, 92–93, 134–136.

The resultant Cleveland Street scandal implicated other high-ranking figures in British society, and rumours swept upper-class London that a member of the royal familyspecifically Albert Victorwas involved.Hyde, The Other Love, p. 123. The prostitutes had not named him, and it is suggested that Somerset's solicitor, Arthur Newton, fabricated and circulated the rumour to deflect attention from his client.Channel 4. "The monarchs we never had: Prince Albert Victor (1864–1892)". Accessed 1 May 2010.Cook, Andrew (1 November 2005) "The King Who Never Was" History Today #11. 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.Aronson, p. 34; Cook, pp. 172–173; Hyde, The Cleveland Street Scandal, p. 55.

In December 1889, it was reported that the Prince and Princess of Wales were "daily assailed with anonymous letters of the most outrageous character" relating to the scandal."Notes on Current Topics", The Cardiff Times, 7 December 1889, p. 5 The Prince of Wales intervened in the investigation; no clients were ever prosecuted, and nothing against Albert Victor was proven.Howard, Philip (11 March 1975). "Victorian Scandal Revealed". The Times. Issue 59341, p. 1, col. G. Sir Charles Russell was retained to monitor the proceedings on Albert Victor's behalf."The Cleveland Street Scandal", The Press (Canterbury, New Zealand), Volume XLVII, Issue 74518, 6 February 1890, p. 6 Although there is no conclusive evidence for or against his involvement, or that he ever visited a homosexual club or brothel,Aronson, p. 117. the rumours and the cover-up have led some biographers to speculate that he did visit Cleveland Street,Aronson, p. 170. and that he was "possibly bisexual, probably homosexual".Aronson, p. 217. Other commentators dispute this, one describing him as "ardently heterosexual" and his association with the rumours as "somewhat unfair".Bradford, p. 10. Historian H. Montgomery Hyde wrote: "There is no evidence that he was homosexual, or even bisexual."Hyde, The Cleveland Street Scandal, p. 56.

While English newspapers suppressed mention of Albert Victor's name in connection with the case, Welsh-language,"Newyddion Tramor", Y Drych, 9 January 1890 colonial, and American newspapers were less restrained. The New York Times ridiculed him as a "dullard" and "stupid perverse boy" who would "never be allowed to ascend the British throne". According to one American report, when departing the Gare du Nord in Paris in May 1890, Albert Victor was cheered by a waiting crowd of English travellers but hissed and catcalled by some of the French. A journalist asked him to comment "as to the cause of his sudden departure from England". 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 rebuke the man for impertinence."Albert Victor Hissed: Frenchmen Express Disapproval Of The English Prince", Chicago Tribune, 4 May 1890