Posted on 09/01/2002 6:27:36 PM PDT by Lessismore
London — A book to be published this week says that Britain's Queen Victoria may have been illegitimate, possibly undermining the whole Royal Family's legitimacy, the Sunday Times reported.
In his book The Victorians, acclaimed biographer A.N. Wilson alleges that Victoria's mother, Princess Victoire of Leiningen, had a lengthy affair with her Irish-born secretary Sir John Conroy and that he, rather than Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, was Victoria's real father.
Buckingham Palace said it would not comment on the allegation.
Mr. Wilson based his argument partly on medical data, the newspaper said.
Records show that the illness porphyria — a hereditary disorder of body metabolism — once ran in the Royal Family, but there is no evidence that Victoria carried it or passed it to her descendants.
Mr. Wilson also writes that Victoria was a carrier for the disease hemophilia, although medical records tracing her mother's ancestors for 17 generations show no evidence of the disease, suggesting Victoria inherited it from Mr. Conroy.
But American researchers on Victoria's medical background said it was "extremely unlikely" that Mr. Conroy had been a haemophiliac, and that the disease was more likely to have resulted from a genetic mutation, the newspaper reported.
Queen Victoria's claim to the crown was through her father, the brother of William IV, who died without children. If Mr. Wilson's suggestion is true, it would challenge the right of Victoria's descendants to the throne, including the current queen, Elizabeth, her great-great-granddaughter.
If Victoria was illegitimate, Prince Ernst of Hanover — the husband of Princess Caroline of Monaco — would be the rightful claimant to the throne, according to Burke's Peerage.
"His ancestor was the Duke of Cumberland, who was Victoria's uncle (and brother of William IV)," Harold Brooks-Baker, publishing director of Burke's Peerage, said.
Mr. Brooks-Baker said he did not believe the claims of illegitimacy in the book and said it was doubtful Queen Victoria's remains would ever be made available for DNA testing.
I disagree. I think the whole thing could be fascinating. There was a "rush" so to speak to produce an heir which turned out to be Victoria.
But the implications of the hemophilia go beyond that. Victoria's great-great-grandson Alexis, son of Czar Nicholas and Alexandra (Victoria's grandaughter) was a hemophiliac. Doctors could do nothing for him, but Rasputin could and that's how he gained the confidence of Nicholas and Alexandra.
Victoria was also the grandmother of Kaiser Wilhelm.
It's pure speculation of course. But I think it's fascinating if you consider that the Kaiser and Alexandra (thus Rasputin) would not have been in the picture.
Gee, can I survive such earth shattering news....
Porphyria is the illness mentioned in The Madness of King George -- the illness that drove him insane and turned his pee pea green, if I remember correctly from the movie.
-- "One may produce a copious, regular evacuation every day of the week and still be a stranger to reason."
Regards,
Well, that said, it is sort of a Jerry Springer / Trailer-trash with jewelry sort of fascination...
'Course, the family seems to provide plenty of fodder for the tabloids.
I keep writing the checks, sending them to Washington, and NOTHING seems to balance down there ... where do you live? LOL &;-)
How so? Her Majesty serves at the pleasure of the people of Britain anyway. Should she displease us, out she goes. As Charles I amply demonstrated.
Regards, Ivan
Note: this topic is from 9/01/2002. Cue the Debby McClatchy (99% sure no one will get that, or even see that). Thanks Lessismore.
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