Cards and aeroplanes - two royal scandals!
ROYAL
SCANDALS
T
he British royal family
are as popular as ever
– with more than 70%
of the population supporting
the monarchy (according to
recent polls). However, there’s
one thing the British love more
than the royal family and that’s
a royal scandal! Over the years,
there have been quite a few.
Here are two you might not
have heard of.
1
The Tranby Croft affair
The Tranby Croft affair took place in 1890. It involved
the Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII).
The Prince was a well-
known playboy who
was particularly fond of
gambling, especially the
card game baccarat. The
game was illegal in England
at the time, but that didn’t
seem to bother the Prince.
Things might have gone
unnoticed if it hadn’t been for an incident that took
place in Tranby Croft – the country home of wealthy
shipbuilder Sir Arthur Wilson.
One day in September
1890, Edward went
to stay there with his
mistress of the time,
Lady Daisy Brook.
Another guest was
Sir William Gordon-
Cumming. Whilst there, they played baccarat
and Sir William was accused of cheating. Attempts
to hush up the affair were unsuccessful and news
of the scandal soon got out. As a result, Sir William
was obliged to defend himself in public. So, he sued
his accusers for libel. During the trial, Prince Edward
was summoned to court as a witness, which was an
unheard of disgrace for a member of the royal family.
Eventually, Sir William lost
the case. Many felt that the
Prince should have been
more careful about the
company he was keeping,
and his mother (Queen
Victoria) ordered him to
stop playing baccarat.
Edward agreed and took
up whist instead.
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