Prince Albert Victor - Sovereign Scandal

COLD STONE & IVY is a Gothic steampunk mystery, set in England during the fall of 1888. It features several real people as characters. Together, publisher Tyche Books and I will be showcasing some of these historical figures over the next few weeks. Today’s focus is on Prince Albert Victor, son of Crown Prince Albert Edward and grandson of Victoria.
 
Albert Victor (Eddy) was the oldest child of Crown Prince Edward and his wife, Princess Alexandra of Denmark. Born 2 months premature, Eddy struggled thoughout his early life, lagging in social skills and generally underperforming in academic studies. Many theories have been postulated for his lack of success, including learning disabilities, deafness and/or petit mal seizures. He was also rumored to have suffered from gonorrhea and died of influenza at the young age of 28, leaving his younger brother George next in line for the crown.
 
Scandal dogged the young prince all his life, from mental stability, marital unsuitability to sexuality. He was implicated in the 1889 Cleveland Str. Scandal (involving a brothel during a time when homosexuality was a crime) and was accused of fathering numerous children out of wedlock. One of these accusations included an East End girl and an Imperial conspiracy, later fueling rumors of a Jack the Ripper connection.
 
In COLD STONE & IVY, Eddy is an integral part of the Ripper investigations but not as a conventional suspect. Eddy was a fascinating historical character to research, and while not the scene-stealer his father Bertie was, I enjoyed delving into his character and creating a consistent, authentic personality for him based on conjecture and profiling. I actually began to feel great sympathy for this tragic man and could easily see him as being an awkwardly square peg in a royally round hole.

“Have you never been to a brothel, Laury?” asked the Duke.
“No, Eddy. Can’t say as I have.”
“Well then, I’m quite certain you will need to after Sandringham.” The Duke grinned a lazy grin. “I must admit I find them very exciting places. They are like theatre—the singing and the drama, the laughter, the music. The sheer crush of humanity—men and women together searching desperately for the promise, the illusion, of love. Yes, I must admit I like them very much indeed.”
He turned his heavy-lidded eyes toward Sebastien, blinked slowly. “Is that so terribly scandalous, Laury?”
“Well, for a man of your station, I would think it scandalous, yes.”
“My entire life is a scandal, Laury. I fear there is nothing I can do that would be acceptable either to my family or to the British people.”
“Responsibility is a bugger, Eddy.”
 
Find out how it all ends for Eddy, Ivy and the Mad Lord in COLD STONE & IVY, available wherever fine books (and others not so fine) are sold! 

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