Royals with disabilities?

[Von Schlesian]

Originally Posted by Margrethe II

I have seen the same movie Avalon :)

I believe I watched it some time back now, in 2003, but it was a good movie although I couldn't help feel that they depicted Queen Mary as a really cold mother.

"MII"

I enjoyed the film too, Miranda Richardson performed very well as HM Queen Mary, but yes Margrethe II, a bit stern (even though it's probably more to do with her not being able to understand what was wrong with 'Johnny').

Her Majesty is also portrayed as a very brave woman in the fact of suffragettes and pacifists. Along with Sir Michael Gambon, as HM King Edward VII earlier in the film, it's most enjoyable.

[Benjamin]

Originally Posted by bluebess

What disability do Prince Francois and Princess Blanche of France have?

The siblings are both mentally handicaped due to the fact that the then Comtesse de Clermont suffered from toxoplasmosis during the two pregnancies.

[Benjamin]

Originally Posted by bluebess

Thank you Benjamin.:)

You are very welcome bluebess:).

Toxoplasmosis is very prevelant in France due to the high consumption of raw and lightly cooked meat. Apparently the disease only tends to affect people with weakened immune systems, and the effects on unborn children can be very damaging (the Orleans pair case in point).

Toxoplasmosis

[bluebess]

Thank you again for the info. It must have been so awful for the family. To have one handicapped child is so hard but to have two is an unbelievable heartache. My sister has two handicapped boys and it can be a very rough road but we cannot forget the joy that the boys have brought to our family.

[Benjamin]

Originally Posted by bluebess

Thank you again for the info. It must have been so awful for the family. To have one handicapped child is so hard but to have two is an unbelievable heartache. My sister has two handicapped boys and it can be a very rough road but we cannot forget the joy that the boys have brought to our family.

You're probably very correct about the impact on the family. I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't contribute somewhat to the breakdown of Henri and Marie-Therese's marriage.

It seems that alot of the time that those children/adults who have special challenges are the most friendly and kind people that you can ever meet.

[m 12]

Beatrice, the eldest daugher of prince Andrew is also dyslexic.

[LadyK]

You have to remember, that not all that long ago, disabilities, especcially mental disabilities were not understood nor treated as well as they are. Even here in the U.S., there are some presidential examples of that. President Franklin Delano Rosevelt spent his presidency hiding his lameness, which resulted from a bout with adult polio, for fear that it would be construed as weakness. And President John F. Kennedy's sister Rosalyn Kennedy was born with mental disabilities, then her family had her undergo a lobotomy as they thought it would 'cure' her. It didn't, of course, and actually made her worse. She was sent away, and lived in a special nursing facility (in Michigan, I think?) where she spent the rest of her life, until she died a few years ago. Even recently, I had a family friend when I was younger who's son was mentally handicapped, and the people at the school he went to assumed that he came from an unhappy and unhealthy home.


Royals who were handicapped, particularly mentally handicapped, if they were in position to inherit, were often forced to abdicate. I remember a British prince who was forced to abdicate (this was a long time ago, a very long time ago, and I don't remember who)

Several other royals, some hundreds of years ago, had gout. Henry VIII had gout, and so did many others, to the point where they often had difficulty walking, due to their bad diets.

[Next Star]

The late King Talal of Jordan who was the late King Hussein of Jordan's father had schizopherina and the late Tsarevich Alexi of Russia who was the son of the late Czar Nicholas II of Russia had haemophilia which he inherited from his mother the late Czaria Alexandra of Russia.

[fee]

In earlier times the royals didn't have much contact with the public, thus their debilitating illnesses were well covered within the walls of the royal palaces.
The fact that hardly anybody knows about Prince John is quite telling. I wouldn't go so far to say that his very existence was kept secret, but it certainly wasn't talked about and it was clearly in the royals best interest that the public should forget or not know about the unlucky little boy.
Another hidden disease is Queen Alexandra of Britains congenital deafness, which she most likely passed on to her oldest son, the anyway unlucky Duke of Clarence. However, no reliable source can be found, only hints and rumours. (It would probably been different had he survived and ascended to the throne, but alas he died anyway, no need to bring out his deafness into the open.)

[MargreteI]

King Christian VII of Denmark and Norway was mentally ill and absolute monarch, secound only to good.

[Saturn]

The former King of Spain Alphonso XIII had six children, the eldest was the crown prince but he died when he still was young, the second son was deaf and was obliged to give up his rights to the spanish throne in favour of his smaller brother (the father of King JC).

[Stefanie]

...are said to have been mentally disturbed. Both became incapacitated.

[flora]

Wasn't Prince Philip's mother Princess Andrew of Greece deaf ?

[Rebafan81]

This is a great thread, thanks for starting it. I have nothing to contribute but love to read about what is posted.

[bonnita]

I didnt know Christina of Netherlands was Handicapped? in wat way?

[BeatrixFan]

She was born blind if I remember correctly.

[ZandraRae]

Correct BeatrixFan, Juliana suffered some kind of illness (I can't remember what exactly) during her pregnancy and so Christina was born blind. But even due to her blindness, she led a very normal life.

[Stefanie]

Juliana was sick with German measles when she was pregnant with Christina.

[acdc1]

Originally Posted by purple_platinum

I think this thread is more of a physical dissabilities.

But, yes, there are quite several royals who suffer from dyslexia. One famous one is Victoria of Sweden.

Yes, there are quite a few who suffer from dyslexia, but they can get help and they live normal productive lives. Are people more open about mental and physical handicaps in royalty today than they used to be? The sent poor Prince John to a farm and kept him out of the public eye.

[igilmo]

King Juan Carlos I of Spain is said to have some disfunction in one of his ears, just as his father had. It's nothing serious though. His sister Infanta Margarita of Spain, duchess of Soria, is blind but she is leading a normal life. She is married with two children and is able to speak at least 5 languages and plays the piano.