Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Was the Duke of Coburg switched at birth?





February 16, 1907

Is the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha a changeling, asks the Chicago Daily Tribune.   The Royal Houses in Germany, England, and Holland are said to be "annoyed, worried and non-plussed" over a series of "the most extraordinary letters" attacking His Royal Highness Prince Leopold Charles Eduard George Albert, Duke of Albany, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

These letters, inspired by malice and appearing to emanate from Munich or Berlin, alleged that the young Coburg ruler is "really not of royal birth at all, but the son of a matron of honor in Queen Victoria's household."  
 
The writer charges that the Duchess of Albany, the former Princess Helen of Waldeck und Pyrmont,  the mother of the young duke, "gave birth to a girl after the death of her husband," who was Victoria's youngest son.  Two days earlier, the matron of honor gave birth to a son.  This lady was "determined that her child should win high honors, caused it to be changed, and that, before the princess recovered, she found to her job that her baby was a boy."

It is also further alleged that the matron of honor, now living in semi-retirement in Surrey,  has raised the girl child as her own.    Even "more startling than that is the statement by the writer" that the woman was not alone in this plot, that "persons high in the nobility in England, desiring that a boy should be born to succeed the many titles of the father," encouraged and colluded with the woman to accomplish the "changing of the infants."

The story has been declared "preposterous and impossible."  The births of British royal children are witnesses, and this birth was "presided over by eminent physicians," as well as members of Victoria's household.  A few moments after the delivery, the infant prince was placed in his godmother's arms, "amid general rejoicing that it was a boy."

The switching of a baby would have been "an impossibility unless the highest officials of Great Britain had connived to assist," and they would not have had the opportunity to do it.
Moreover, none of Victoria's ladies gave birth to a son "or any child" near the time of the Duchess of Albany's accouchement.

There is a fear that this story will be circulated "to the masses, always read to believe such yarns, and cause sentiment" against the young Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

The writer of the latter also appeared ignorant of the Coburg succession at the time of Carl Eduard's birth.  He was not the heir to many titles.  He was a British prince, and he succeeded to his father's dukedom, Albany.  But he was not the heir apparent or even the heir presumptive to the Coburg throne. 
Duke Ernst II, the older brother of Carl Eduard's late grandfather, Prince Albert, was still on the throne. By a family agreement, Duke Ernst, who did not have any legitimate issue, would be succeeded by Victoria and Albert's second son, Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh.  He was the father of one son, Alfred, born in 1879.

It was largely assumed that Duke Alfred's line would continue in Coburg.  Ernst II died in 1893, and Alfred succeeded as Duke.  Young Alfred got involved with the wrong crowd in Berlin, lived a dissipated life, and never married.  He died at the age of 24 in February 1899.  
 
Duke Alfred's heir apparent was his brother, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, but the Duke of Connaught nor his young son, Prince Arthur, wanted the Coburg succession, so they renounced their rights in favor of the next in line, the young Duke of Albany.

The question of Carl Eduard's birth was raised in 1900 following Duke Alfred's death, when the Regent, Prince Ernst, "received letters charging that the child was a changeling, and Prince Leopold died without male issue."

Prince Ernst, whose wife was Carl Eduard's first cousin, dismissed the comments as nonsense.  Nothing more was heard of these rumors until 1904, when the young Duke moved to Berlin to "complete his training and prepare to ascend the throne."   It was at this time that persons in German and British royal circles received pamphlets outlining the scurrilous claims and "presenting the alleged evidence."
Since that time, the person or persons behind the claims "have at intervals renewed them and demanded investigations."

Despite the "preposterous nature of the allegations,"  there are some who continue to whisper the claims, and "efforts are being made to suppress the entire matter" and capture the persons involved to "discover their motives."

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