Prince John, son of George V

I watched the recent retelecast of "The Lost Prince". I was wondering
about the house on the grounds of Sandringham Castle, I believe, in
which the Prince lived. Does the house in the television program
accurately represent the actual house? If it does, I would think that
considering royal standards of that era, he lived in a fairly humble
abode. I would have thought King George would have provided him a home
more in being with what was accorded a son of the monarch.

Katipo...

What was wrong with him? I saw the program when it screened out here but I
can't remember.

Katipo I

Stephen Stillwell / Tom Wilding...

Epilepsy, primarily.

Candide...

Prince John was supposed to be "put away" and kept under wraps to
prevent his affliction from causing a scandal. The young prince's
condition would hardly be kept secret in a huge estate with vast numbers
of servants to witness and perhaps prattle what they saw.

cj.buyers...

Sandringham House itself is big, but not grand. At the time it was the
principal home of Queen Alexandra who actually doted on the prince.

If you think the house in the film wasn't grand enough, you ought to
see the actual house "York Cottage", the home that George V and his
family lived in when he was Duke of York and Prince of Wales. The King
was always happiest there, at that is where Prince John was born and
died. He didn't have to be faced with a sudden move to an unfamiliar
grand palace staffed with yards of servants, officials and strange
visitors.

The home assigned to him was certainly superior to the naval barracks
that the King's other sons had to endure.

As for the prince being put away, that is total nonsence. Once it was
known that he suffered from a severe form of epilepsy and was going to
have a fairly short life, his parents took the decision that he was not
going to be pressured into the usual round of Royal education and
protocol. He was to be educated, but allowed to progress according to
his own speed and inclination.

On the same day that the programme was first screened on the BBC, here
in the UK, I had watched an edition of the Antiques Road Show. As it so
happens, the son or grandson of one of Prince John's friends and
playmates produced letters from the prince, which he wanted to sell.

cj.buyers...

perfectly clear that he wasn't as isolated and shut away as the bio-pic
tried to make out. Rather sweet letters about fishing trips and
escapades, visits by other friends and relatives. Even the spelling and
punctuation were not very different from any other boy of his age.

Please also remember the statements that appear at the begining of the
programme, which allude to the fact that it is a "dramatisation" and
that "some" events and personalities may have been changed for effect.