On Jan. 8,
1864, Prince Albert Victor Christian Edward was born.
The son of Albert Edward,
Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) and Alexandra, Princess of Wales (Alexandra of Denmark), he was named for his
grandparents, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, as Queen Victoria requested.
Nobody said no to Queen Victoria!
Albert was
premature by two months and formally styled His
Royal Highness Prince Albert Victor of Wales. Despite his early birth,
there was little rush to get him christened. Most other monarchs would have
ensured baptism of such a premature infant, suggesting there were no fears of
infant mortality. However,
his premature birth was a concern later. He never really excelled at schooling
and his tutor often complained of him not focusing. There were worries that he
had inherited deafness from his mother or that his premature birth had led to
learning difficulties (still not uncommon). Of course, there were also
questions over the tutoring and whether it was adequate.
Prince
Albert was educated along with his brother, Prince George of Wales, which may
have helped some motivation. In fact, Albert’s father considered splitting the
two boys up, but their tutor insisted they stay together.
Prince Albert Victor requires the stimulus of Prince George's company to induce him to work at all.--John Neale Dalton
Interestingly, one of Prince
Albert’s later instructors would say that Albert learned well through
listening. He just didn’t do very well with reading and writing. However, his
memory was good.
Albert would eventually be
separated from his brother. As George went into the Navy, Albert attended
Trinity College. As the eldest son of the eldest son, Albert was being raised to
be a king.
There have been many rumors
about Prince Albert over the years. They’re for another post (and possibly
another site) to cover.
He never lived to see his father become king, dying in
1892 just before his 28th birthday.
Note: All images are from the public domain.
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