Prince Leopold

Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany (1853-84) is considered by many to have been the most intelligent and probably the most interesting of Queen Victoria's four sons. He was the youngest and a strong-willed, attractive character, with an immense thirst for life. He was also the first royal hemophiliac and suffered continual ill health as an epileptic. In this biography, it examines the question of hemophilia and the royal family from a new angle, at the first appearance of the condition. When did the Queen and Prince Albert realize that their son was ill and how much did they understood? The book also presents a full and balanced picture of Leopold's relationship with his mother and his struggle to assert his independence. Finally, it examines Leopold's life at Oxford, the varied and interesting friendships he developed there (with, among others, Lewis Carroll, John Ruskin and Oscar Wilde), his political views and the importance of his work as unofficial secretary to the Queen.