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Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany

Buckingham Palace, 7 Apr 1853 – Cannes, 28 Mar 1884

11 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

  • Born7 Apr 1853, Buckingham Palacenot verified1 source
  • MarriedPrincess Helena, Duchess of Albanynot verified1 source
  • Titlemember of the House of Lordsor Member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdomnot verified1 source
  • TitleMember of the Privy Council of the United Kingdomor member of the House of Lordsnot verified1 source
  • Died28 Mar 1884, Cannesnot verified1 source
  • FatherPrince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gothanot verified1 source
  • MotherVictorianot verified1 source

A life in time

  1. 7 Apr 1853

    Born in Buckingham Palace

  2. 1883–1884

    2 children are born

  3. 28 Mar 1884

    Dies in Cannes, aged 30

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

Children · 2

During his lifetime

He lived through 4 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Buckingham Palace.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1850s · Prince is born in Buckingham Palace

In the news1854

1854 Cholera epidemic sparks public reform demands

A cholera epidemic in 1854 caused widespread public demand for clean water and city sewage systems.

Getting around

Faster and cheaper travel by rail

A journey from London to Liverpool by coach once took twenty-two hours and cost £4 inside, whereas by the mid-nineteenth century, the same journey by train could be completed in just six hours for £2 5s.

In Europe1845–1852

The Great Famine in Ireland

Potato blight ruined harvests: a million Irish people died and a million more emigrated, many to America.

Daily life

Winter Bed Warming and Iced Windows

With no central heating, families used warming pans filled with hot coals to heat beds during winter. It was not uncommon for ice to form on the inside of window panes on cold mornings.

What people wore

Steel Crinolines Reduced Skirt Weight

The steel-framed cage crinoline, introduced in 1856, allowed women to achieve voluminous skirt shapes without the heavy burden of multiple petticoats.

Music

Collecting Coins for Dance Music

At platform dances, musicians sometimes used a portable dancing booth with a box placed out front to collect coins from each dancer. This ensured payment for players when the older custom of paying during long-wise country dances became difficult to manage.

At the table

Affordable staple foods for families

Onions were a common, affordable staple, often costing about a halfpenny for a bunch of at least a dozen. Watercress was also a popular, cheap working-class staple available for a halfpenny for four bunches.