Queen Victoria famously blamed her eldest son – Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) – for causing the premature death of her beloved husband, Prince Albert. But why was this and what did it have to do with an “actress” named Nellie Clifden? Let’s take a look!
Considered a disappointment by his parents, Bertie – as he was known by his family – had a fraticious appetite for women. By mid 1861, Victoria and Albert had had enough of their son’s behaviour and arranged for him to spend 10 weeks attending military training with the Grenadier Guards at Carragh Camp in Ireland, with the aim of putting a stop to his antics. However, the Queens plan quickly worked against her.
Almost instantly after Bertie’s arrival in early September, the Princes fellow officers smuggled an “actress” into his room. The woman’s name was Nellie Clifden and she had previously had an affair with the prince while he was studying in Cambridge.
On 12th November 1861, Prince Albert received a letter from Baron Stockmar, informing him of rumours spreading around Europe about the princes alleged Irish affair. The royal couple were shocked to hear the news and found themselves even more disappointed when Bertie openly admitted to his actions.
Despite the Prince insisting that things between him and Nellie were over, Prince Albert was adamant that marriage was the only way to calm the Prince down and avoid scandal. On 25th November, Albert – whose health had already began declining – travelled to Cambridge to talk to his son in person. The two took a long walk in the rain, discussing Bertie’s betrayal. While they were out, the pair took a wrong turn, extending the walk much longer than was healthy for Albert.
Upon his return to Windsor, Albert appeared more contented than when he had left. However, in her journal the Queen writes that he was “obliged to rest & very uncomfortable from the pain in his back & legs”. Over the coming days Albert would continue working but had no choice but to take more regular breaks. By the beginning of December he had began struggling to sleep and eat and had too weak to get around. As Albert’s condition deteriorated, Victoria – believing that Bertie had broken his father’s heart – refused to let him visit.
On 13th December, Princess Alice sent for Bertie – who was still in Cambridge – to come to Windsor immediately. Bertie arrives at the Castle at 3am the following morning and was at his father’s bedside when he passed away at 10:50pm. Queen Victoria instantly blamed Bertie for “killing” her husband with that “dreadful business”. In a letter to her eldest child, Princess Victoria, on 27th December, the Queen writes that “I never can or shall look at him without a shudder”. While it’s understandable that the Queen wanted to find something to blame for her husband’s demise, she completely forgot that Bertie, too, was grieving his father.
From then on, Bertie’s home life changed forever and for many years he found himself almost completely unwelcome from his own home. Upon returning to London, his affair with Nellie Clifden once again resumed.
© Queen Victoria’s Revival 2024
This article is the intellectual property of Queen Victoria Revival and should not be COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances unless permission is given by the author