Prince William of Gloucester (1941-1972)

[wartenberg7]

Prince William of Gloucester

I do hope a lot of people post some interesting pictures
of this unfortunately almost forgotten Royal, who has lost his prosperous life at such an early stage (there are some really beautiful ones at Getty, but I don´t know how to browse it...).
I further more hope that people who are lucky to have the book "William of Gloucester - Pioneer Prince" do share with us their impressions on this book!
Thank you all beforehand!

 

[BeatrixFan]

I hope there are some pics of William around. I haven't seen that many which is a shame as he was truly stunning.

 

[magnik]

Few links about him
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_William_of_Gloucester where is a link to bbc


http://www.npg.org.uk/live/search/portrait.asp?LinkID=mp06936&rNo=0&role=art
http://www.expressandstar.com/millennium/1900/1950-1975/1972.html

 

[BeatrixFan]

I always think of Princess Alice recounting William's death in a 1982 interview. Her voice was shaky and soft and she had a slight tremble in her head and hands. Alice always used to purse her lips together in a sort of nervous twitch and she says, "These things have happened to other people. One just gets on with it". It's just so moving and sad and you realise that this lady lost her son and husband all within 3 years and then had to keep the stiff upper lip of a member of the Royal Family. When you see William's funeral, the Queen walks behind Alice and Alice is totally alone under her black veil - it just makes you want to hug her.

 

[wartenberg7]

When you see William's funeral, the Queen walks behind Alice and Alice is totally alone under her black veil - it just makes you want to hug her

I guess you don´t have any pics of the funeral, do you?

 

[BeatrixFan]

I dont but if you go the BBC www.bbc.co.uk and choose any video story, stop it and then search "Princess Alice" in the player. There's one video there and it shows an interview with Princess Alice and pictures from William's funeral.

 

[wartenberg7]

Thanks for the hint, BeatrixFan! But can someone please, who is able to, post pics of this most handsome prince in the british Royal Family for decades, I find (they seem to be very rare indeed by now)?

 

[iowabelle]

I think Alice probably would have been devastated at William's death. Remember, Alice was pretty old when she got married and then she had several miscarriages before giving birth to Richard and William. She must have felt blessed to have 2 children after her difficulties.

 

[BeatrixFan]

I agree Iowabelle and I think it was sad that her death went without the attention it deserved. She's the sort of Royal who deserved a state funeral, a statue and endless books and documentaries. She was a true asset to us. It was very sad that she was forgotten.

 

[Elspeth]

The Gloucesters seem to be forgotten a lot of the time; they've always had a lower profile than the Kents and have caused fewer problems over the years. But I gather William was the enfant terrible of the Gloucester family so we might have seen a lot more about the Gloucesters in the papers if William had lived and had married this divorced woman he supposedly wanted to marry.

 

[RachelD]

From Corbis:

• The Prince of Malaya and Prince William, son of the Duke of Gloucester, at the ceremony accompanying the declaration of Malayan Independence.

http://pro.corbis.com/images/HU043005.jpg?size=67&uid={c92a91fe-d3c1-4adb-a99d-8578b1b74bf8}

• Prince William of Gloucester on the wing of his Piper Twin Comanche aircraft at Cambridge Airport ready to depart on a 3 week trip to Japan. Prince William was killed in 1972 while taking part in the Goodyear Air Race.

 

[BeatrixFan]

That first pic really shows how beautiful William was when he was younger. Thankyou for posting.

 

[iowabelle]

I agree Iowabelle and I think it was sad that her death went without the attention it deserved. She's the sort of Royal who deserved a state funeral, a statue and endless books and documentaries. She was a true asset to us. It was very sad that she was forgotten.

You're right. If history had been only slightly different, Alice could have been Queen of England (a fact forgotten by us "youngsters"), and I think she would have been a formidable Queen.

The Dukes of York and Gloucester were very lucky to have found Elizabeth and Alice.

 

[foiegrass]

Wow. Prince William.... if only he had lived. the Gloucesters might have a higher profile if he did. he looks very glamorous

 

[wartenberg7]

That first pic really shows how beautiful William was when he was younger. Thankyou for posting.

Well, in fact he was very young, only 30, when he died. But you´re right:
he looked simply gorgeous when he was in his early 20s, as the photos to mark his 21st birthday, or taken at the DoKents wedding, proof!
I remember an article in a magazine, where an early Governess, Miss R. Ramirez told about her impression at the first meeting at Marlborough House with the then little prince:" I was struck by the beauty of his face and skin. The blue coat he wore accentuated with the colour of his eyes which were, in fact, grey rather than blue. He was the most rewarding pupil, never at a loss for something to do or talk about - a characteristic later shared by Richard,..."

 

[RachelD]

Wasn't Alice QEII's favorite aunt?

 

[BeatrixFan]

That's what they said when she passed away and she certainly showed her fondness for her in public. That special 100th birthday parade the Queen organised and attended was called a "display of affection for Her Majesty's favourite aunt".

 

[wartenberg7]

From Corbis:

http://pro.corbis.com/images/HU043005.jpg?size=67&uid={c92a91fe-d3c1-4adb-a99d-8578b1b74bf8}

The Prince of Malaya and Prince William, son of the Duke of Gloucester, at the ceremony accompanying the declaration of Malayan Independence.

Then 15 years of age, Aug. 31st 1957

 

[CasiraghiTrio]

I read a tiny bit of a biography of Prince William of Gloucester (there is only one and it is out of print for a decade or more now) when I was in high school.
I had the luck to come across it in my local library. This was in Burbank, CA in the mid-1990s. Now I cannot find this book anywhere.
I tried to buy it off amazon (even amazon.co.uk) and they don't have any in stock.

 

[Elspeth]

When Amazon doesn't have something, you could always try BookFinder.com: Search for New & Used Books, Textbooks, Out-of-Print and Rare Books. That'll give you a list of booksellers with the book, and it looks as though there are two biographies available.

The Giles St Aubyn book is available second-hand at amazon.co.uk. That book and the Sheridan book are available second-hand at amazon.com but are quite a bit more expensive.

 

[CasiraghiTrio]

I think Elspeth will love this especially unless she has already seen it. If not, for everyone who is as fascinated by the Gloucesters' stories as I am, you must pick up a copy of Majesty, Vol.28,No. 8, August 2007, because there is a terrific article (with great pics) by Christopher Warwick to mark the 35th anniversary of his death on 28 August.
Prince William the cutie and his toy boat, by Athol Shmith and one of the pics in aforementioned article!

 

[RachelD]

Wow! Thanks CasiraghiTrio!
In this picture, he resembles Queen Elizabeth (a little around the eyes) when she was little.

 

[CasiraghiTrio]

You are most welcome. Like I said, the newest issue of Majesty is a must-have for any Gloucester fan, and if you are a Diana fan (moi aussi) you are sure to love it too.
Three more of Prince William of Gloucester, same source of course:

< picture links expired >

My favorite of these last three is the 21st birthday picture. You can't see his cards well in this capture, but if you get your hands on the magazine, you will notice one of his cards says, "Now you are 21 darling." :flowers I can use those words for another obscure young royal turning 21 in two days, three guesses who.

 

[HRH Kerry]

He was quite handsome! Ladies man indeed!

 

[Elspeth]

Thanks for the preview, CasiraghiTrio! Looking forward to receiving my copy of Majesty.

 

[CasiraghiTrio]

Wow! Thanks CasiraghiTrio!
In this picture, he resembles Queen Elizabeth (a little around the eyes) when she was little.

It's amazing, isn't it? The sailboat picture took my breath away, a male Lilibet indeed! Apparently, the photo was taken by Athol Shmith when William was four years old. The article points out that by coincidence, Shmith was the first husband of the present Countess of Harewood.

 

[iowabelle]

Okay, so I just read the new Majesty with the article on Prince William of Gloucester. And it says something that I had never heard, that the Duke of Gloucester (his father) had porphyria. Is this news to everyone else?

 

[Lady Marmalade]

I read the same thing and did not know that either.

He really was movie star handsome...a slight resemblance to Jude Law in his older pictures...

 

[jcbcode99]

Porphyria is making the rounds on the board--we were discussing King George III on an earlier thread and it came up. Interesting!
Yes, I agree, Prince William of Gloucester was movie star handsome!

 

[CasiraghiTrio]

Okay, so I just read the new Majesty with the article on Prince William of Gloucester. And it says something that I had never heard, that the Duke of Gloucester (his father) had porphyria. Is this news to everyone else?

I had read it once before only, on Wikipedia. It says also on Wikipedia that Prince William also had porphyria. It could be true. It's a genetic disease, though rare, but obviously a genetic trait in this family (i.e. George III).
It seems the porphyria gene was passed through the line but, as tends to happen, afflicted only one child of Queen Victoria and then only the Gloucester line. It's a very odd disease, very mysterious.