Many people have heard of Elizabeth II's father, George VI, and her uncle Edward VIII, but very few know about Prince John.
In fact, George VI had five siblings, one of whom was Edward VIII, later the Duke of Windsor, and henry, duke of Gloucester, and George, duke of Kent.
Princess Mary is the only daughter of George V, but it is surprising that George V and Queen Mary also have a son, that is, Prince John.
Prince John was once called "very charming and interesting" by the Russian Empress dowager for his handsome appearance, while Princess Alexandra called him a prince with a quaint temperament.
For his young son, George V and US President Roosevelt lamented, "Except for John, the other children are very obedient." ”
Perhaps George V did not realize that this was due to his son's suffering from illness.
At the coronation of George V, his children all attended the coronation, with the exception of Prince John.
For Prince John at that time had already shown a violent temperament and disobedience. Because of the lack of information at that time, medicine was not developed, so people did not connect with "epilepsy".
Until his condition worsened, Prince John was still considered a member of the family. As the youngest child, he was loved by his parents and older siblings until he was about 11 years old.
In fact, John never went to school and rarely appeared in public. After all, the prince's strange behavior would be regarded by the royal family as an extremely difficult thing to say, so George V often hid the child and tried not to meet outsiders.
Until 1913, when Prince John was 8 years old, the British royal family still did not publish his official portrait.
In 1916, after Prince John was 11 years old, his health began to deteriorate, and seizures became more frequent and severe.
In order not to "discredit" the royal family, George V decided to send his youngest child to Wood Farm in order to keep him out of the public eye.
Since his governess was unable to impose normative constraints on John, his governess was dismissed, and Prince John was deprived of even the opportunity to be educated.
Family doctors in the British royal family once warned George V that if Prince John's condition continued to deteriorate, he would most likely not live to adulthood.
During his time at Wood Farm, nearby villagers remembered a strange prince living on the farm, and people watched him from a distance, and Prince John was always guarded by a regular person.
His grandson's grandmother, Queen Alexandra, also built a garden for him at Sandringham Manor, which became one of the greatest "pleasures" of his life.
In the beginning, he was accompanied by tutors and local children, and as his seizures intensified, he was "hidden".
His governess once recalled: "I did not dare to let him be with his older siblings because he would attack his own older siblings and his eccentric behaviour would frighten his older siblings." ”
In 1919, prince John died in his sleep at the age of 14. Regarding John's death, his teacher once commented, "Death is a relief for him. And his mother, Queen Mary, said: "Death has finally come." His father, George V, described his son's death as "the greatest mercy."
In modern times, some might criticize them for being too cold and ruthless.
In fact, there were no effective drugs to treat epilepsy and reliable treatments in that era, and the only thing they could do was to ensure Prince John's safety during his seizures.
In fact, after each seizure, Prince John's brain will be damaged, so that later his condition has become more and more serious, and the frequency of seizures has become higher and higher.
Prince John was buried in the nearby Church of St. Mary Magdalene after his death, and all the staff of Sandringham Manor attended his funeral. As a sign of regret, they covered his grave with flowers.
It was only 100 years after Prince John's death that the British media first mentioned his condition and the truth of the matter.
He was a member of the British Royal Family and a prince of the British Kingdom, but he suffered from an unspeakable illness that was hidden by the entire British Royal Family for hundreds of years.
Prince John's eldest brother, Edward VIII, once said that he felt that his brother was more like a pet in the family.
Stills from The Lost Prince
He did not feel any sorrow after the death of his brother, and his father, as well as his siblings, were like strangers who had nothing to do with him, and remained indifferent to his death.