Prince Leopold : the untold story of Queen Victoria's youngest son

Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany (1853-84) is considered by many to have been the most intelligent and probably the most interesting of Queen Victoria's four sons.

He was the youngest and a strong-willed, attractive character, with an immense thirst for life.

He was also, however, the first royal haemophiliac and suffered continual ill health: he was also an epileptic.In this biography of Leopold, the author reveals a human story which also touches on the wider worlds of late 19th-century Oxford and of literature, art and politics in the Victorian period.

In particular, it examines the question of haemophilia and the royal family from a new angle, at the first appearance of the condition.

When did the Queen and Prince Albert realize that their son was ill and how much did they understand of his illness?

The book also presents a full and balanced picture of Leopold's relationship with his mother and his struggle to assert his independence.

Finally, it examines Leopold's life at Oxford, the varied and interesting friendships he developed there (with, among others, Lewis Carroll, John Ruskin and Oscar Wilde), his political views and the importance of his work as unofficial secretary to the Queen.