He was the younger brother of two British kings - King Edward VIII and King George VI and he was our current queen's uncle. His name was John. Prince John - the youngest child of King George V and Queen Mary of Teck.
Born in 1905 on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk he died there in 1919 at the tender age of thirteen.
At first John had seemed like a normal child but much of his brief life was blighted by epilepsy. Fits occurred with alarming frequency and they took a toll upon his general health. It is likely that he had other issues too - possibly autism.
Sometimes local children were brought to Sandringham to play and pass time with Prince John. He formed a special relationship with a Yorkshire lass called Winifred Thomas. She was the niece of one of the lead groomsmen in the royal stables.
Years later she recounted those times: "During the First World War I visited John nearly every day and we went on walks and took care of the garden. I remember in 1916 when the War was on John got so excited watching German Zeppelins passing over Sandringham. Father came to visit me that year and John was really happy when he met who he called 'a real, live soldier', Sergeant Frederick Thomas, my Dad. Queen Mary was always finding time to be with John and his Grandmother, Queen Alexandra also took time to visit him."
It is tantalising to imagine the hours that Winifred spent with her sickly but regal friend though we will never know for sure what they talked about and what made them laugh together. I would like to think that Winifred brought him some happiness.
Prince John is pretty much a forgotten member of the British royal family. Nowadays, with better medication and understanding of his conditions he might have lived a fuller, longer life. He spent nearly all of his thirteen and a half years at Sandringham and died there in Wood Farm which incidentally is where our current queen's aged consort Prince Philip now resides. It is likely that he will die there too.
Prince John is buried in Sandringham churchyard:
Winifred Thomas deserves her place in history for her love and care of this little boy. The social conditions of children at this time is covered in a paperback I've just rediscovered: *Into Unknown England 1866-1913* edited by Peter Keating and published in 1976. Worth ordering secondhand. We had Third World poverty here.
ReplyDeleteJim Larkin the great the trades union leader was taken on a night walk in pre-1914 Liverpool. Sleeping rough under a bridge was a woman with a child at her breast and a toddler at her side. When Larkin got there the woman had just died. Destitute people with children were everywhere in Britain's post-Victorian slums.
*Children of the Dead End* is a forgotten book: my father gave it to my mother and she wept reading it. *I didn't know the poverty was as bad as this,* she said, and she was born in working-class Glasgow in 1917 and lived to the age of 97.
People suffer silently with epilepsy and have to go to the dentist often because they grind their teeth during seizures.
I believe Prince John is in heaven now as are all children.
At the death of a child or young adult I always remember a haiku by Basho:
The rest of your song
I'll hear in the Other World
Oh, sweet cuckoo bird !
*Children of the Dead End* is by Patrick MacGill (1889-1963) who was born in County Donegal, Ireland, and died in the United States. He also wrote *Moleskin Joe*.
DeleteThere is a detailed paperback on Jim Larkin, published in Ireland some 10 or more years ago, with contributions from many social historians.
There is a statue of Larkin in Liverpool, I believe, and in Dublin. He appears in the novel *Strumpet City* by James Plunkett, who worked with Larkin in the trades union he founded.
Another thoughtful and well-informed comment John. Poverty in the modern world has a different look about it compared with past times. You remind me that I read "Strumpet City" years ago - probably when I was at university.
DeleteI'm glad you remember Strumpet City.
DeleteThere was a sequel of sorts, The Farewell Companions.
But little online about James Plunkett (1920-2003) though there is a striking photograph of him. He published two other novels and a book of collected stories. I wish I had written to him and asked to interview him.
I am always intrigued by writers who have little or no internet presence.
Years ago I saw Albert Finney in a televised play, Alpha Beta, by E.A. Whitehead, born in Liverpool and educated at Cambridge.
Is this Ted Whitehead who adapted The Mayor of Casterbridge for BBC TV (2003) with the wonderfully flinty Ciaran Hinds as the guilt-wracked hero? I am not sure. Hinds as the West Country farmer who *sells* his wife at a hireing fair is unforgettable. He takes the pledge after he sobers up and realises what he has done. Thomas Hardy heard the story of a man selling off his wife and saw its potential as a novel. The incident happened when Hardy was a child.
*James Larkin: Lion of the Fold* (2006) is a collection of essays on the labour leader edited by Donal Nevin.
There is a short biography of Larkin by American historian Emmet Larkin, no relation, and a recent biography I haven't read by Emmet O'Connor, *Big Jim Larkin. Hero or Wrecker?*
To see the suffering of children, whether a prince or the child of the slums, is terrible enough to disprove God: I understand and appreciate the atheist's view of the universe. There is something in my mental make-up that cannot live in a godless world. I am as conflicted as my favourite novelist, Dostoyevsky.
Interesting. Yes, diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy at that time was completely lacking. Today there are a number of medications that give good control of epilepsy. For extreme epilepsy surgery can sometimes be successful.
ReplyDeleteWhen Prince John was alive, it was quite common for epileptics to shut away.
DeleteMy own mother had petit mal seizures. It was something that she was extremely ashamed of and tried to hide, even though she rarely had 'spells' as she called them. With all the available treatments of our time, we forget that even as recently as a generation ago, life for people with epilepsy was very, very different.
ReplyDeleteThankfully, it not something that has ever touched my family Debby but you are right - in only a couple of generations epilepsy looks a whole lot different.
DeleteThat is a sad story indeed but how wonderful that he had a good friend. I remember reading about this young prince a few months ago. We are fortunate to have better medical treatments today but still epilepsy can cause many difficult problems.
ReplyDeleteOnce I was playing rugby at school and there was a scrum of players. I was at the bottom and below me another boy started to have a "grand mal" fit. He was fitting vigorously below me. I was perhaps fourteen. It really shocked me.
DeleteThis is the first time I ever hear or read about the boy prince. I am glad to learn that he was not alone, but had other children and indeed a close friend to spend time with. Also good to know that his mother and grandmother were there for him. His father and grandfather do not seem to feature.
ReplyDeleteHis grandfather died in 1910. I guess his father was busy doing whatever it is that kings do.
DeleteI seem to remember a very interesting TV documentary some years ago about Prince John.
ReplyDeleteI wish that I had seen it.
DeleteA sad story, to hear of one suffering the effects of epilepsy and dying so young, but comforting to know that, in his short life he knew friendship, love and happiness.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if he died in the same room that Prince Philip sleeps in now.
DeleteYour subject line made my heart sing. However, I will stay on the straight and narrow and not allow myself to be provoked, and indulge.
ReplyDeleteI dare say, my dear YP, to this day there are many "Johns" of many sufferings, some met with kindness, some left to wilt. We have eradicated some illnesses (tuberculosis springs to mind) and other conditions, not least mental ones, we can now "control"/keep under wraps.
Apropos of nothing, the midwife dropped one of my grandmother's children. Head first. He didn't live. Maybe just as well.
Hail John and all the other long forgotten,
U
The "apropos of nothing" was so tragic.
DeleteA sad story and I am so glad to hear that Queen Mary was caring. Her stern face and regal bearing in newspaper and news was always so off putting. It reminds me that there is a film newly released on the story of the 'Secret Garden'. John's history with Winifred as echoes of that.
ReplyDeletethelma, the book came to my mind while I was reading this post, too, and my thoughts reg. Queen Mary were similar. On the other hand, a woman who once got her earring entangled in the beard of a plumber showing her the real flushing miniature toilet in her famous dolls house can't have been all stern and regal!
DeleteA flushing miniature toilet? Well I guess that small dolls make small poos!
DeleteThat is a lovely story Librarian, both the Queen and I shared a love for dolls houses.
DeleteA sad story. The more distant branches of the Royal Family are complicated and little known now, but I've just looked it up and see King George V and Queen Mary had 6 children including just one girl who became a part-time comer-in to Yorkshire.
ReplyDeleteDidn't she live at Harewood House?
DeleteInteresting! Have I even heard of him before? I honestly can't remember. The Royal Family seems to have a lot of tragedy, not all related to their exalted positions.
ReplyDeleteIt's not all about banquets, grouse shooting and grand tours.
DeleteEpilepsy is a horrible disease and still kills children to this day. It's so sad that more wasn't known about his disability at the time. I hope he enjoyed his life.
ReplyDeleteIt was nice to discover how sweetly Winifred Thomas thought of him.
DeleteOh, what a horribly sad story! And I knew nothing of it.
ReplyDeleteI only knew about him vaguely. Writing this post made me do some research.
DeleteOne of the benefits of blog-writing- sometimes you have to dive a little deeper.
DeleteSteven poliakoff, (spelling could be wrong) did a marvellous documentary called "The Lost Prince". I have it on DVD.
ReplyDeleteIt's a hard watch but worthwhile. Both my parents had epilepsy. So far I'm free of it.
I will look out for "The Lost Prince". I would like to see it.
DeleteIt might be the one I am remembering!
DeleteWhat a very sad tale.... and I (like many others) had never heard of him!
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