George and Mary's Children
Before the Charles and Diana scandal of the 1990's, King George V and Queen Mary's children were causing their own problems. These problems mostly occured when they were children but I felt that you guys would find these stories interesting. If you think the royal family has problems today, think again.
Edward VIII was the oldest of the children and he was born in 1894. His parents called him David and he was a good child, who some times cried when his mother came into the room. Queen Mary was not the most maternal woman and she only saw her children for short time periods during the day. This would be the reason why David was beaten by his nanny until he was three and no one noticed. It was only figured out when a new nanny came for the new baby. This explains some of David's problems with women and his interesting relationship with his mother. I also think it is a product of royal neglect of their children.
George VI was the second child and he was born in 1895. His real first name was Albert but he was crowned George VI because Albert was to German. Bertie, as he was called, had a very nervous disposition and as a child he stuttered severly. He also had knock knees, forcing him to wear leg braces at night and he was sickly. All of this made his father wonder if he was fit enough to be the son of a king and George V often tortured his young son. The stutter would disappear if he was comfortable in a situation but as soon as he became nervous the stutter returned; even while he was king. Fortunately he was able to take over the throne and he served as an able king despite his awful childhood experiences.
Princess Mary, the Princess Royal, was the third child and only daughter; being born in 1897. She was a good child but at times she caused disruptions to the boys school time. It seems that she was a bit hyper-active and often times she had to be removed from the boys because of these disruptions. It is also known that Mary did not really get along with her mother because of their differences. The Queen felt that her daughter was dumb and useless because she was not like herself. Mary went about her business, marrying Harold Lascelles and having two sons.
Prince Henry, the Duke of Gloucester, was the fourth child and was born in 1900. Henry was called Harry by his immediate family and seemed to be a sweet child. Unfortunately whenever his mother would walk into the room he would cry hysterically until she left. This could be attributed to the fact that Mary only spent about 30 minutes a day with her children and therefore was unknown to the young Harry. It could also be because Mary was an intimidating presence, with her large hair and frightening face. She never smiled and always looked real regal, not too much like a mother. Harry eventually gave up his fear of his mother but I don't think that they ever had a good relationship. He would have two sons and lead a procutive royal life.
Prince George, the Duke of Kent, was the fifth child and was born in 1902. George was probably the best behaved of the children and the one with the least amount of emtional scares from his parents. He would sometimes cry as a child when Mary walked into the room and he was often left in charge of the challenged Prince John. Many felt that George was the mos capable to be the next king when Edward abdicated the throne, but Albert was chosen instead. George had a good naval career and he died while fighting in World War II, unfortunately he died very young. He would leave three young children and a young wife to mourn his loss.
Prince John, was the sixth child and was born in 1905. John had the most problems of all of the children because he was epilipetic and retarded. This of course caused the King and Queen great distress but they ignored the problem. John was left in a home and his parents and siblings rarely visited him. The only one who took any interest was George and he watched over his younger brother. John lived a peaceful life and died in 1919.
I hope that you found all of this somewhat informative and a little bit interesting. These are all facts from a biography about Queen Mary and when I read them I was shocked. These children had severe emtional and mental problems but no one took care of them because they were the King and Queen's children, essentially left on their own. All of this should make you re-evualate how bad the royal family really is now. Queen Elizabeth's children never had this many problems and their children are all perfectly healthy. Remember that history can sometimes be more interesting than the present!!!
