A never-to-be-forgotten day!

Queen Victoria’s Journal

14 January 1892

A never-to-be-forgotten day!  Whilst I was dressing, Lenchen came in, bringing the following heartrending telegram from poor ear Bertie: “Our darling Eddy has been taken from us.  We are broken-hearted.”  Words are far too poor to express one’s feelings of grief, horror, and distress!  Poor, poor parents; poor May to have her whole bright future to be merely a dream!  Poor me, in my old age, to see this young promising life cut short!  I, who loved him so dearly, and to whom he was so devoted!  God help us!  This is an awful blow to the country too!

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(Eddy's large and rather macabre tomb.  Photo credit: thegreatwithin.org)

We’ve discussed before at how Eddy’s entrance into this world gave his relatives quite a surprise.  It seems therefore fitting that his exit caused just as much of a shock, although this time the shock was one of sadness and disbelief. 

The Wales family was recovering from yet another attack of typhoid at the beginning of 1892.  The sufferer this time was George, who fortunately was making a steady recovery from the disease.  The family was at their usual winter retreat of Sandringham preparing for Eddy’s 28^th birthday.

Meanwhile, a particularly virulent strain of influenza had been in circulation for some time, re-emerging during the 1889-1894 flu seasons.  Known loosely as the “Asiatic” or “Russian” flu, this illness was one of the worst of its time.  It killed about a million people, and was the most devastating widespread flu pandemic until the Spanish Flu hit in 1918.  The 1889-94 strain was also believed to have caused the death of Eddy’s contemporary in Belgium, Prince Baudouin.  An accomplished, promising youth that was considered the heir to the throne, Baudouin had died almost a year to the day before Eddy. 

It is suspected that one of the guests from London brought influenza to Sandringham. Eddy had already been ill with what he thought was a cold, but he felt well enough to join his male friends and relatives on a hunt on January 7.  As Eddy left the house, he turned to the window and saw his mother standing there.  He took off his hat and waved to her with a smile.  But after returning from the hunt, Eddy was suffering from chills and a crushing headache.   Eddy took to his bed; only Mary (his fiancé) and Alexandra were allowed to be by his side.

Victoria had not joined the family at Sandringham, spending her usual winter stopover at Osborne.  Alexandra kept Victoria updated on Eddy’s progress by telegram.  Eddy was able to get up for a bit on his birthday and look at his presents, but he returned to his bed rather quickly.  “Poor Eddy got influenza, cannot dine, so tiresome,” Alexandra reported to Victoria.  The mood seemed be one more of mild annoyance that illness had put a damper on everyone’s fun.

On January 10, Victoria recorded in her journal the latest news from Bertie: “…very sharp attack of influenza and had now developed some pneumonia in left lung, the night very restless.”  Alexandra and Mary kept up their constant visits as Eddy gradually worsened. 

By January 12, Eddy was steadily declining.  Dr. Laking, who was caring for the prince, diagnosed pneumonia now in both lungs.  The doctor called for a second opinion from Dr. Broadbent, who had just left Sandringham after caring for George.  Dr. Laking ordered a nurse to keep close watch on Eddy and hoped for the best.

The next day, Beatrice was the bearer of bad news.  Dr. Broadbent sent a letter to the Queen stating simply that Eddy’s condition was dangerous.  In her journal Victoria debated traveling to Sandringham to lend support, but feared that there were already enough worried people there.  Victoria sent a telegram to Bertie explaining her intentions; Bertie told her not to come as there was nothing she could do to help Eddy. 

On January 14, Eddy’s condition was similar to Bertie’s at the height of his bout with typhoid. Eddy was clearly hallucinating, demanding to know “Who is that?!” when no one was in sight.  Dr. Laking stopped the visits from Alexandra and Mary as Eddy’s condition became very grave.  The family could do nothing but pray that Eddy would recover.

Eddy continued his feverish babbling.  At one point he called out the name of Hélène of Orléans, his unofficial previous fiancé.  He later became convinced that George had died, declaring with surprising clarity that he believed “something terrible” had happened.  Finally, Eddy resumed demanding to know “Who is that?!” until he died at about 9:35 AM.  He was surrounded by his parents, his surviving siblings, and by Mary. 

Eddy’s family was absolutely devastated by his death.  For years, Alexandra kept the hat Eddy was wearing when he waved to her before the hunt hanging in her bedroom.  She claimed to be haunted by the look on Eddy’s face when he returned to his bed after looking at his birthday presents.  Like Victoria, Alexandra kept Eddy’s bedroom just as he’d left it for the rest of her days. 

Bertie repeatedly stared at Eddy on his deathbed, as if unable to comprehend what had happened.  “Gladly would I have given my life for his, as I put no value on mine,” Bertie lamented to Victoria.  The country was stunned, responding to the news with disbelief and near universal praise of a prince who didn’t seem to have much ambition while alive. 

Alexandra and Bertie requested their son be buried at Sandringham with his long-deceased baby brother John.  Victoria agreed, but Eddy lay in state at Windsor for a short time due to his position as heir presumptive.  Alexandra insisted on attending her son’s funeral at Windsor (against custom and Victoria’s wishes), watching from the same place where Victoria had watched Bertie and Alexandra marry years before.  But ever the lover of grief, Victoria couldn’t resist to make a note in her journal at how lovely Alexandra looked in her mourning clothes.

For Victoria, Eddy’s death seemed almost as tragic as Albert’s.  She remarked that his passing was “more sad and tragical than any but one that had befallen her.”  In her journal the day after Eddy’s death Victoria wrote, “I truly did love and understand the darling boy and how I shall miss him!”  It was a tough blow for an elderly woman who had seen so much death.

Victoria writes above that it was Lenchen who broke the news to her about Eddy’s death.  Oddly enough, this was not the first time that Lenchen was the bearer of bad news within the family.  When Leopold died suddenly in France in 1884, it was Lenchen who received the telegram and later delivered the news to Leopold’s wife, Helen. 

Eddy’s death rounded out a trio of early deaths of heirs presumptive of European thrones.  Besides the previously mentioned Baudouin of Belgium, Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria had died in 1890 under mysterious circumstances (believed to be a murder-suicide).   One can’t help but wonder how different the world might have been had these three young men lived the long lives of their grandparents.