John Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

**Prince John** (John Charles Francis, July 12, 1905 - January 18, 1919) was a member of British royal family. He was youngest child of George V and Mary of Teck. At time of his death, he was 5th in line to British throne.

He had five older siblings Edward, Duke of Windsor (1894-1972), George VI (1895-1952), Mary, Princess Royal (1897-1965) and Henry, Duke of Gloucester (1900-1974) and George, Duke of Kent (1902-1942).

## Early Life

Prince John was born at York Cottage on the Sandringham Estate on July 12, 1905. He was named *John* despite that name's unlucky associations for the royal family, but was informally known as "Johnnie".

John was christened on August 3 in the parish church of St Mary Magdalene at Sandringham, the Reverend Canon John Neale Dalton officiating. His godparents were King Carlos I of Portugal; John's uncles Prince Carl of Denmark and Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife; his great-granduncle Prince Johann of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg; and three of his first cousins once removed, the Duke and Duchess of Sparta and Princess Alexander of Teck. John's father stood proxy for King Carlos, Prince Carl, Prince Johann and the Duke of Fife, while John's aunt Princess Victoria stood proxy for the Duchess of Sparta and Princess Alexander.

## Childhood

Much of John's early life was spent at Sandringham with his siblings—​Prince Edward (known as David to the royal family), Prince Albert, Princess Mary, Prince Henry and Prince George—​under the care of their nanny Charlotte "Lala" Bill. Though a strict disciplinarian, John's father was nonetheless affectionate toward his children; John's mother was close to her children and encouraged them to confide in her. In 1909, Prince John's grandaunt the Dowager Empress of Russia wrote to her son that "George's children are very nice ... The little ones, George and Johnny are both charming and very amusing ..." John's aunt Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, described him as "very quaint and one evening when Uncle George returned from stalking he bent over Aunt May and kissed her, and they heard Johnny soliloquize, 'She kissed Papa, ugly old man!'" George V once said to U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt that "all [his] children [were] obedient, except John"—​apparently because he alone, among the King's children, escaped punishment from their father.

Though a "large and handsome" baby, John had become "winsome" and "painfully slow" by his fourth birthday. Though a "large and handsome" baby, John had become "winsome" and "painfully slow" by his fourth birthday.

## Illness and Death

In 1909, John was discovered to have epilepsy. As his condition deteriorated, he was sent to live at Sandringham House in 1916 and he was kept away from the public eye. There, he was cared for by his governess, "Lala" Bill, and befriended local children whom his mother had gathered to be his playmates.

John's seizures intensified, and Bill later wrote "we dared not let him be with his brothers and sister, because it upsets them so much, with the attacks getting so bad and coming so often." Biographer Denis Judd believes that Prince "[John]'s seclusion and 'abnormality' must have been disturbing to his brothers and sister", as he had been "a friendly, outgoing little boy, much loved by his brothers and sister, a sort of mascot for the family". He spent Christmas Day 1918 with his family at Sandringham House but was driven back to Wood Farm at night.

On 18 January 1919, after a severe seizure, John died in his sleep at Wood Farm at 5:30 pm

## Tittles and succession

* July 12, 1905 - May 6, 1910: *His Royal Highness Prince John of Wales*
* May 6, 1910 - January 18, 1919: *His Royal Highness Prince John*

At the time of his birth, he was sixth in the line of succession to the throne, behind his father and four older brothers. As a grandchild of the reigning British monarch in the male line, and a son of the Prince of Wales, he was formally styled *His Royal Highness Prince John of Wales* from birth.

In 1910, John's father succeeded to the throne upon Edward VII's death, and John became fifth in the line of succession to the British throne.