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Archiver > GEN-MEDIEVAL > 1997-07 > 0870114868


From: <>
Subject: Re: George Rex
Date: Mon, 28 Jul 1997 14:34:28 -0400


> Prior to modern medicine, many
> (most?) hemopheliacs would have bled to death before reaching maturity,
> and passing on their mutant gene. If all hemopheliacs bled to death
> before reproducing, there could be no female sufferers.

Actually one of Queen Victoria's children, Prince Leopold (Apr 7
1853-Mar 28 1884), was a hemophiliac who lived long enough to father two
children. His daughter Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, was
presumably a carrier and both her sons died young, although I don't know
of what cause. His son was born Jul 19 1884, a few months after
Leopold's death. Fortunately, as he was a boy, he did not have the
disease.

Because of his illness, Queen Victoria was reluctant to make Leopold a
royal duke (I haven't the least idea by what logic she connected the
two). He finally got his dukedom when he threatened to run for a seat in
Parliament if she didn't give it to him. Victoria, horrified at the idea
of a prince of the blood in the House of Commons, immediately gave in
and made him Duke of Albany. His son later became Duke of
Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and was stripped of his British titles in 1917. His
grandson, Ernst-Leopold is the current titular Duke of Albany and could
petition for a restoration of the title, but has not done so as far as I
know.

John Steele Gordon

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