Queen Victoria's Youngest Son : The Untold Story of Prince Leopold

'This admirable biography is a moving tribute to a prince who overcame much suffering, and it gives us a better understanding both of Victorian royal history and of a family coping with disability' - The Daily Telegraph Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany (1853-84), is acknowledged to have been the most intelligent and probably the most interesting of Queen Victoria's four sons. He was by all accounts a strong-willed, attractive character, with an immense thirst for life. He was also, however, the first haemophilia sufferer in the royal family and endured continual ill health; as if haemophilia was not enough, he was also epileptic. When did the Queen and Prince Albert realise that their youngest son was ill and how much did they understand of his illness? Some of Leopold's early attacks were described as ""rheumatism"" - was this an attempt to keep the truth concealed or a genuine misunderstanding? In this biography, Charlotte Zeepvat has drawn on various sources to reveal a compelling human story which delves into the complexities of Leopold's relationship with his mother for the first time. The book also examines Leopold's life at Oxford, the varied and interesting friendships he developed there (with, among others, Charles Dodgson - ""Lewis Carroll"" - John Ruskin and Oscar Wilde), whilst also touching on the wider worlds of literature, art and politics in the Victorian period. Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany (1853-84), is acknowledged to have been the most intelligent of Victoria's offspring. A compelling human story which also touches on the wider worlds of late nineteenth-century Oxford and of literature, art and politics in the Victorian period, this book examines the question of haemophilia and the royal family from a new angle, at the first appearance of the condition. It also presents a full and balanced picture of Leopold's relationship with his mother, looking beyond snapshots of individual quarrels between mother and son. Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, was the first royal haemophiliac and also an epileptic. His story touches on the wider worlds of late 19th century Oxford and of literature, art and politics in the Victorian period, and presents a picture of Leopold's relationship with his mother Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany (1853-84) was the first royal haemophiliac and also a sufferer of epilepsy. His story touches on the wider worlds of late nineteenth-century Oxford and of literature, art and politics in the Victorian period. The book presents a picture of Leopold's relationship with his mother and examines his life at Oxford.