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草稿:約翰王子

維基百科，自由的百科全書
約翰王子
Prince John
約1909年的約翰王子
出生威爾斯的約翰王子
(1905-07-12)1905年7月12日
 英國桑德靈厄姆府約克小屋（英語：York Cottage）
逝世1919年1月18日(1919歲—01—18)（13歲）
 英國桑德靈厄姆府伍德農場（英語：Wood Farm）
安葬1919年1月21日
桑德靈厄姆聖瑪麗瑪格達萊妮教堂（英語：St Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham）
全名
約翰·查爾斯·弗朗西斯
John Charles Francis
王朝薩克森-科堡-哥達王朝（至1917年）
溫莎王朝
（1917年起）[a]
父親喬治五世
母親瑪麗王后

約翰王子（英語：Prince John，1905年7月12日—1919年1月18日），全名約翰·查爾斯·弗朗西斯（英語：John Charles Francis），是英國王室成員，英王喬治五世與瑪麗王后幼子，愛德華八世和喬治六世弟弟。

四歲時，約翰的癲癇首次發作。1916年，由於病情惡化，他被送往桑德靈厄姆府靜養。伍德農場的時光里，約翰由保姆「拉拉」看護，他的母后也同意他和平民小孩玩樂。1919年，他因癲癇而薨逝，並被安葬在聖瑪麗瑪格達萊妮教堂。他的病情在他薨後才被公眾所知。

隱藏約翰常被用作王室毫無人性的鐵證之一，但事實恰恰相反，他是在11歲病情加重後才遠離公眾視野，此前的他經常露面。[2]

出生

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約1905年的威爾斯王妃瑪麗和她四個最小的孩子。

約翰於1905年7月12日凌晨3點05分出生在桑德靈厄姆府的約克小屋，他出生時的英國國王為他的王爺爺愛德華七世。[3] 他是威爾斯親王喬治和威爾斯王妃瑪麗幼子。他的名字約翰在王室中有著不祥之兆的象徵，[4] 但他還是被命名為約翰，而非約翰尼。[5]約翰出生起便是第六順位繼承人，僅次於他的父親和四個哥哥。他也因是威爾斯親王之子而享有威爾斯的約翰王子殿下尊稱。

約翰在桑德靈厄姆府的聖瑪格達琳教堂受洗。教父母為葡萄牙國王卡洛斯一世、丹麥的卡爾王子、漢斯以及阿斯隆伯爵夫人愛麗絲公主。[6]

童年時光與疾病問題

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喬治王子抱著弟弟約翰王子。

Much of John's early life was spent at Sandringham with his siblings—​Prince Edward (known as David to the royal family), Prince Albert (Known as Bertie), Princess Mary, Prince Henry and Prince George—​under the care of their nanny Charlotte "Lala" Bill.[4] Though a strict disciplinarian,[note 1] John's father was affectionate toward his children;[7] John's mother was close to her children and encouraged them to confide in her.[8] In 1909, John's grandaunt, the Dowager Empress of Russia, wrote to her son: "George's children are very nice ... The little ones, George and Johnny are both charming and very amusing".[9] John's aunt Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, described him as "very quaint and one evening when Uncle George returned from stalking he bent over Aunt May and kissed her, and they heard Johnny soliloquize, 'She kissed Papa, ugly old man!'"[10] George V once told U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt that "all [his] children [were] obedient, except John"—​apparently because he alone, among the king's children, escaped punishment from their father.[2]

Though a "large and handsome" baby,[11] John had become "winsome" and "painfully slow" by his fourth birthday.[12] That same year, he had his first epileptic seizure and showed signs of a disability, probably autism or learning disabilities.[4] When his father became king, John did not attend his parents' coronation on 22 June 1911, as this was considered too risky for his health; nonetheless, cynics said that the family feared their reputation would be damaged by any incident involving him. Although John was deemed not "presentable to the outside world,"[13] the king still showed interest in him, offering him "kindness and affection".[14]

The royal children in 1910: (l-r) Albert, John, Henry, Mary, Edward, and George

During his time at Sandringham, John exhibited some repetitive behaviours as well as regular misbehaviours and insubordination: "he simply didn't understand he needed to [behave]."[2]

In 1912, Prince George, John's closest sibling, began St Peter's Court Preparatory School at Broadstairs. The next summer, The Times reported that John would not attend Broadstairs the next term, and that his parents had not decided whether to send him to school at all. After the outbreak of World War I, he rarely saw his parents, who were often away on official duties, or his siblings, who were either at boarding school or in the military. He slowly disappeared from the public eye and no official portraits of him were commissioned after 1913.[2]

Wood Farm

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In 1916, as his seizures became more frequent and severe, John was sent to live at Wood Farm, with Lala Bill in charge of his care.[15] He maintained an interest in the world around him and was capable of coherent thought and expression,[16] but with his lack of educational progress, the last of his tutors was dismissed and his formal education ended. Physicians warned that it was unlikely that he would reach adulthood.[2]

At Wood Farm, John became "a satellite with his own little household on an outlying farm on the Sandringham estate ... Guests at Balmoral remember him during the Great War as tall and muscular, but always a distant figure glimpsed from afar in the woods, escorted by his own retainers."[17] His grandmother Queen Alexandra maintained a garden at Sandringham House especially for him,[2] and this became "one of the great pleasures of [Prince John]'s life."[16]

After the summer of 1916, John was rarely seen outside the Sandringham Estate and passed solely into Lala Bill's care. After Queen Alexandra wrote that John "is very proud of his house but is longing for a companion",[18] Queen Mary broke from royal practice by having local children brought in to be playmates for him. One of these was Winifred Thomas, a young girl from Halifax who had been sent to live with her aunt and uncle (who had charge of the royal stables at Sandringham) in hopes her asthma would improve.[2] John had known Winifred years earlier, before World War I.[note 2] They became close, taking nature walks together and working in Queen Alexandra's garden. John also played with his elder siblings when they visited: once, when his two eldest brothers came to visit, the Prince of Wales "took him for a run in a kind of a push-cart, and they both disappeared from view."[19]

Death

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John's seizures intensified, and Bill later wrote "we dared not let him be with his brothers and sister, because it upsets them so much, with the attacks getting so bad and coming so often."[2] Biographer Denis Judd believes that John's "seclusion and 'abnormality' must have been disturbing to his brothers and sister", as he had been "a friendly, outgoing little boy, much loved by his brothers and sister, a sort of mascot for the family".[17] He spent Christmas Day 1918 with his family at Sandringham House but was driven back to Wood Farm at night.

Prince John and his dog in 1918, one year before his death.

On 18 January 1919, after a severe seizure, John died in his sleep at Wood Farm at 5:30 pm.[20] Queen Mary wrote in her diary that the news was:

a great shock, tho' for the poor little boy's restless soul, death came as a great relief. [She] broke the news to George and [they] motored down to Wood Farm. Found poor Lala very resigned but heartbroken. Little Johnnie looked very peaceful lying there.[17]

Mary later wrote to Emily Alcock, an old friend, that:

for [John] it is a great relief, as his malady was becoming worse as he grew older, & he has thus been spared much suffering. I cannot say how grateful we feel to God for having taken him in such a peaceful way, he just slept quietly into his heavenly home, no pain no struggle, just peace for the poor little troubled spirit which had been a great anxiety to us for many years, ever since he was four years old.[21][22]

She added: "The first break in the family circle is hard to bear, but people have been so kind & sympathetic & this has helped us much."[21][22] George described his son's death as "the greatest mercy possible".[2]

Prince John's grave at St Mary Magdalene parish church, Sandringham

On 20 January, the Daily Mirror wrote that "when the Prince passed away his face bore an angelic smile";[20] its report also made the first public mention of John's epilepsy.[2] His funeral was the next day at St Mary Magdalene parish church. John Neale Dalton officiated.[23]

Queen Mary wrote:

Canon Dalton & Dr Brownhill [John's physician] conducted the service which was awfully sad and touching. Many of our own people and the villagers were present. We thanked all Johnnie's servants who have been so good and faithful to him.[24]

Though nominally private, the funeral was attended by Sandringham House staff; "every single person on the estate went and stood around the gates and his grave was absolutely covered in flowers."[25] Queen Alexandra wrote to Queen Mary that "now [their] two darling Johnnies lie side by side".[note 3][26]

Legacy

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Prince Edward, who was 11 years older than John and had hardly known him, saw his death as "little more than a regrettable nuisance."[27] He wrote an insensitive letter to Queen Mary, which has since been lost.[2] She did not reply, but he felt compelled to write her an apology, in which he stated:

I feel such a cold hearted and unsympathetic swine for writing all that I did ... No one can realize more than you how little poor Johnnie meant to me who hardly knew him ... I feel so much for you, darling Mama, who was his mother.[27]

In her final mention of John in her diary, Mary wrote simply, "miss the dear child very much indeed."[2] She gave Winifred Thomas a number of John's books, which she had inscribed, "In memory of our dear little Prince." Lala Bill always kept a portrait of John above her mantelpiece, together with a letter from him that read "nanny, I love you."[2] In recent years, John's seclusion has been brought forward as evidence of the Windsors' "heartlessness".[4] According to a 2008 Channel 4 documentary, much of the existing information about John is "based on hearsay and rumour, precisely because so few details of his life and his problems have ever been disclosed",[2] and the British Epileptic Association has stated:

There was nothing unusual in what [the King and Queen] did. At that time, people with epilepsy were put apart from the rest of the community. They were often put in epilepsy colonies or mental institutions. It was thought to be a form of mental illness...[28]

adding that it was another 20 years until the idea that epileptics should not be locked away began to take hold.[29]

One author has claimed that the royal family believed that these afflictions might flow through their blood, which was then still believed to be purer than the blood of a commoner, and, as such, wished to hide as much as possible about John's illness.[30] Others have suggested that John was sent to Wood Farm to give him the best environment possible under the "austere" conditions of World War I.[31] Another author has claimed that the royal family were "frightened and ashamed of John's illness",[4] and yet another has claimed that John's life is "usually portrayed either as tragedy or conspiracy".[2] At the time that Edward VIII (formerly Prince Edward) abdicated, an attempt was made to discredit Prince Albert, who had succeeded as George VI, by suggesting that he was subject to falling fits, like John. In 1998, after the discovery of two volumes of family photographs, John was briefly brought to public attention.[4]

The Lost Prince, a biographical drama about John's life written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff, was released in 2003.[32]

Ancestry

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參見：Descendants of Christian IX of Denmark
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
8. Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4. Edward VII of the United Kingdom
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
9. Victoria of the United Kingdom
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2. George V of the United Kingdom
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
10. Christian IX of Denmark
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5. Princess Alexandra of Denmark
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
11. Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1. Prince John of the United Kingdom
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
12. Duke Alexander of Württemberg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
6. Francis, Duke of Teck
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
13. Countess Claudine Rhédey von Kis-Rhéde
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3. Princess Victoria Mary of Teck
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
14. Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
7. Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
15. Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

參考資料

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注釋

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  1. ^ 1917年7月17日，因一戰問題英國反德情緒高漲，為了安撫民眾，喬治五世便將國姓改成溫莎。[1]
  1. ^ King George V once stated that "[his] father was frightened of his mother, [he] was frightened of [his] father, and [he was] damned well going to make sure that [his] children are frightened of [him] (Rees 2002，第256頁).
  2. ^ Among Winifred's memories of her time at Wood Farm, as recalled by her daughter, was a bicycle race between Prince John and his cousin, Crown Prince Olav of Norway, who could not have been in England during World War I (Zeepvat 2003，第4頁).
  3. ^ She was referring to her youngest son, Prince Alexander John of Wales, who had died in 1871 one day after birth, and who was also buried at St Mary Magdalene.(Weir 2008，第320頁)

Footnotes

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  1. ^ 第30186號憲報. 倫敦憲報. 17 July 1917. 
  2. ^ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 Tizley 2008.
  3. ^ 第27816號憲報. 倫敦憲報. 1905-07-03. 
  4. ^ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Reynolds 2004.
  5. ^ Zeepvat 2003，第1頁.
  6. ^ The Prince John: a brief history. Royal Central. 2015-10-07. （原始內容存檔於2025-01-20）. 
  7. ^ Ziegler 1991，第30–31頁.
  8. ^ Ziegler 1991，第79頁.
  9. ^ Bing 1937，第243頁.
  10. ^ Athlone 1966，第78頁.
  11. ^ Pope-Hennessy 1959，第511頁.
  12. ^ Edwards 1986，第196頁.
  13. ^ Lamont-Brown 2003，第252頁.
  14. ^ Lamont-Brown 2003，第253頁.
  15. ^ Judd 2012，第15頁.
  16. ^ 16.0 16.1 Zeepvat 2003，第4頁.
  17. ^ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Judd 2012，第16頁.
  18. ^ Poliakoff 2003，第xivi頁.
  19. ^ Ziegler 1991，第47頁.
  20. ^ 20.0 20.1 Death of Youngest Son of King and Queen. Daily Mirror. 20 January 1919: 2. 
  21. ^ 21.0 21.1 Judd 2012，第16–17頁.
  22. ^ 22.0 22.1 Van der Kiste 1991，第44頁.
  23. ^ The Times, 22 January 1919.
  24. ^ Poliakoff 2003，第lxiii頁.
  25. ^ As remembered by Winifred Thomas, quoted by her daughter in Tizley 2008.
  26. ^ Lamont-Brown 2003，第254頁.
  27. ^ 27.0 27.1 Ziegler 1991，第70頁.
  28. ^ Photograph Reveals Tragedy of Prince John. The Birmingham Post (England). February 12, 1998. [永久失效連結]需付費查閱
  29. ^ Photograph Reveals Tragedy of Prince John. The Birmingham Post (England). 12 February 1998. [永久失效連結]需付費查閱
  30. ^ Whitney 2009，第17頁.
  31. ^ Panton 2011，第288頁.
  32. ^ https://www.stephenpoliakoff.com/the-lost-prince-2003

Sources

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維基共享資源上的相關多媒體資源：約翰王子
取自「https://zh.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Draft:约翰王子&oldid=86369627」