The ever-lively Scandal Mongers Podcast has taken on the Cleveland Street Affair of 1889 - a fin de siecle drama which involved the exploitation of teenage boys, prostitution, the hidden lives of upper-class men, and even the Royal Family.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsobFdQVCDE
Neil McKenna, author of The Secret Life of Oscar Wilde is interviewed and he is preparing to publish a new book on the Cleveland St Scandal. One must hear the complete podcast in order to take in so many fascinating threads, half-known stories, and hints at buried scandals.
There is also a hint, from Neil McKenna, that he will be bringing out a novel - perhaps a work of historical fiction.
I first read of the Cleveland Street Scandal in Michael Harrison's early (1972) book, Clarence. This work of popular history went into theories about the Jack the Ripper murders. This is an eccentric topic, but Harrison gave a thorough review of what was known (then) about the Cleveland Street Affair and he explained that it was a cover-up where several different agencies and social groups were involved.
In the interview on Scandmongers Podcast, Neil McKenna is asked if there was anything suspicious about the early death of Prince Edward, the Duke of Clarence. McKenna gives a subtle reply, referring to both rumours and ascertained facts. He makes a firm statement that Clarence was a major worry to the Royal Family.
There was a person close to Prince Eddy, worthy of a separate discussion: J.K. Stephen. James Kenneth Stephen was a Cambridge graduate, a member of the Apostles society, private tutor to the Prince, and also was a cousin of Virginia Woolf. His health dramatically declined in 1890, and he died in a mental asylum, of "mania", a few weeks after the death of Prince Eddy. I will be very interested to read what McKenna's research uncovers about J.K. Stephen.
People interested in this topic might read Theo Aronson's:
Comments
Post a Comment