Leopold also remained close to Albert and his brother Ernst II as they were growing up and was both deeply loved and trusted by Albert, which some have argued suggests a more paternal interest. In it, Duff points out the fact that Leopold reportedly got along well with his sister-in-law, and that he paid a visit to the royal home in Coburg where his brother and Louise lived around the time that Albert would have been conceived. However, many historians believe that the romance did not begin until after Louise's sons were born, tacitly eliminating him as a possibility for Albert's parentage (though she did go on to marry him in secret the year of her divorce.)Īs for Leopold, the primary source of speculation toward him being Albert's father comes from a 1972 biography by David Duff.

The couple separated when Albert was 5 and divorced two years later-it's unclear if the Princess was ever allowed to see either of her children again.Īdding credence to the possibility of Albert not being Ernst's biological son is the fact that Louise herself took a lover, Alexander von Hanstein, at some point in the latter part of her marriage or soon after the divorce. That Louise's marriage to Albert's father, Ernst I, was unhappy was no secret-Ernst was known to have numerous lovers and reportedly fathered at least three illegitimate children, along with his legally-recognized sons Ernst II and Albert. The reality is somewhat murkier.Īlbert's paternity has been a source of historical debate for some time, due in part to his close resemblance to his mother, both physically and in temperament. In Victoria's second season it was revealed that King Leopold might, in fact, have been Prince Albert's biological father-the product of a hidden liaison between Leopold and his sister-in-law Albert's mother, Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. Print Collector // Getty Images Was he really Prince Albert's father? As the princes (George IV included) were famous for racking up debts against their names, it was no great surprise when the king's fourth son, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, quickly married Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and shortly thereafter conceived a child who would one day go on to rule England, a little girl, named Victoria. Panicked at the possibility of the Hanover line losing the throne now that there was no direct heir, George IV, acting as regent for his father, and Parliament offered George III's sons a monetary incentive to produce a legitimate heir. Her death left Leopold heartbroken and England without an heir-presumptive. Unfortunately, in 1817, just a year into their marriage, Princess Charlotte went into early labor with their first child, giving birth to a stillborn son and passing away from complications of childbirth soon after. Though the decision caused a minor scandal, Leopold was considered charming and quickly won over his royal in-laws. Princess Charlotte met and married Leopold in 1816, breaking off an engagement to the Prince of Orange to do so. Though England's King George III (better known, perhaps, as Mad King George) had fathered 15 legitimate children who, between them, provided him with 56 grandchildren, virtually none of these grandchildren were viable heirs to the throne due to the status of their legitimacy or religion (English law at the time prohibited Catholics, the spouses of Catholics, and their children from holding the throne.) Only the George III's eldest son, George IV, had any legally-recognized children who could serve as heir to the kingdom, and even he had just one-a daughter, named Charlotte. In 1815, after the end of the wars, Leopold settled in England, having been granted citizenship for his service. The fourth son of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Leopold received a military education and even served as a page in the court of Napoleon, though he would go on to fight against the emperor as part of Tsar Alexander I's army when the French attempted to invade Russia.

Who was King Leopold I?īorn in Coburg, Germany on December 16, 1790, Leopold was not an obvious candidate to one day become a king. Queen Victoria's uncle Leopold returns to the palace in season three of Victoria.

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