 |
| Marlene A Eilers Koenig collection |
Christopher Wilson recently wrote an article for the Daily Mail on Queen Maud, stirring up the rumors that Maud was artificially inseminated by Sir Francis Laking with sperm provided by his son, Guy.
In his biography of Queen Maud, Norwegian historian Tor Bomann-Larsen hinted without real evidence that she went through an "early form of artificial insemination" in October 1902. But another Norwegian historian, Odd Arvid Storsveen, disputed Tor Bommann-Larsen's "hypothesis" that the future King Olav was not King Haakon's son.
A forthcoming biography of Maud by Arnhild Skre will be published later this year and may contain new information that settles the question of Olav's father once and for all.
For now, let me examine several statements made by Wilson in his article.
He wrote: "After nearly seven years of marriage Maud, Edward's daughter, had failed to become pregnant and she was now approaching her 33rd birthday. To ensure Norway's line of succession, a son and heir was required – pronto."
In 1902, there was no "pronto" needed to produce an heir. Carl and Maud would not have known that there would be a throne in their future. Carl was the second son of King Frederik VIII of Denmark and Princess Louise of Sweden. Frederik succeeded his father, King Christian IX, in 1908.
At the time of the alleged artificial insemination, Carl was fifth in line to the Danish throne after his father, his elder brother, Crown Prince Christian, and Christian's two sons, Princes Frederik and Knud. From 1814 to 1905, Norway and Sweden were in a personal union, with the Swedish monarch as the sovereign. The two countries maintained separate constitutions. It was not until 1905 that Prince Carl of Denmark was elected as King of Norway. He took the name Haakon, and his young son, Prince Alexander of Denmark, became Crown Prince Olav of Norway.
Maud and Carl (styled in the United Kingdom as Prince Charles of Denmark) were first cousins, as their mothers, Queen Alexandra and King Frederik VIII, were siblings.
Christopher wrote: "Two months after Queen Maud's alleged artificial insemination, her brother, King George V, issued his first end-of-year Honours List."
Are you sure about this, Christopher? Absolutely, positively sure? You might want to sit down for what follows. George did not become king until May 1910. He issued two Honours Lists in 1911 (New Year's and Coronation Honours. Guy Laking was on neither list. However, he was appointed to the Royal Victorian Order on December 24, 1901.
Yes, 1901. This date undermines Wilson's claim that George V awarded the MVO to Guy Laking for his alleged sperm donation.
Perhaps King Edward VII informed Guy about the MVO on December 14, 1901.
Wilson writes: "Given no explanation why someone who hadn't served the Crown was receiving an intimate decoration from the sovereign himself, a possible conclusion to be drawn is that this was the King's way of thanking Laking for his secret services to his sister Maud, and to the Norwegian crown."
The evidence that proves Wilson got it wrong:
 |
| The date is December 24, 1901. Christmas Eve |
Wilson adds: "Everyone else receiving the coveted award that year had served the king on his recent eight-month tour of the British Empire on HMS Ophir, a P&O steam liner temporarily reclassified as the Royal Yacht."
George was not king in 1901, when he and his wife, Mary, as the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York, carried out the Empire tour (March 1-October 31, 1901) aboard HMS Ophir.
Guy Laking received the MVO in December 1901. It was given by King Edward VII. Whatever the reason was for the honor, it had nothing to do with King George V or his sister, Maud.
Wilson writes: " She did her duty in producing an heir to the throne of Norway, but had no further children."
What duty? There was no duty. Maud gave birth in 1903. Norway did not become an independent kingdom until 1905.
Maud was the wife of a Danish prince, fifth in line to the Danish throne.
Christopher -- men decide the sex of a child at conception. It is not a woman's duty to produce a son.
Wilson writes: "So, it is alleged, Maud came to London" ... from where, as she had been in London for some months Her father's delayed Coronation took place in August 1902. She and her husband had spent most of 1902 in England. The Court Circular can be your friend.
On August 20, Prince Carl returned to Denmark for Danish naval obligations.
The Times, September 16, 1902
She did not return to Denmark.
It is true that Princess Maud was under Dr. Francis Laking's care. After "nine weeks of seclusion," the princess attended a Thanksgiving Service for the King at St. Paul's Cathedral," the Cheltenham Looker-On reported on November 2, 1902. The princess was described as not having a "robust constitution," and never "seemed able to gain entire health and strength."
She "put herself under the care" of her father's physician, for an "entire course of rest cure." Prince Carl had left (look up date) for service in the Danish Navy, and Maud remained in England to "give herself up to health restoration." At this time, rest cures included sleep, tonics, massage, and "strengthening remedies." Maud would have been encouraged to eschew late nights and "society distractions."
The newspaper reported, "She is now looking very well with no appearance of being an invalid."These rest cures were taken by many "fashionable women."
It is true that Maud suffered from poor health her entire life. She disliked cold weather and preferred England to Denmark and, later, Norway.
 |
| Oct 17, 1902 |
 |
| The Kaiser departed on November 16th Maud took photos |
She and her two older sisters, Louise and Victoria, suffered from chronic health issues throughout their lives. Her marriage to Prince Carl took place on July 22, 1896, at the Private Chapel, Buckingham Palace.
 |
| Marlene A Eilers Koenig Collection |
Victoria never married. Louise, the eldest of the three "Whispering Wales" sisters, married the Duke of Fife, gave birth to a stillborn son and two daughters, Alexandra (Princess Arthur of Connaught) and Maud (Countess of Southesk). There were no further attempts to try for another son, due to her health. Queen Victoria issued a new Letters Patent that allowed the Fife dukedom to be inherited by Louise's daughters and their male heirs.
Alexandra, Duchess of Fife, and her younger sister, Maud, each had one son. Their first cousin, Princess Patricia of Connaught, also had only one son.
Princess Charles was 33 years old and married for nearly seven years when she gave birth to her only son. The late Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, gave birth to her first child in 1941, six years after her wedding to Prince Henry, although she had suffered at least one miscarriage. Queen Ingrid of Denmark, whose mother was Maud's first cousin, Princess Margaret of Connaught, also married in 1935. Her first child, the future Queen Margrethe II, was born in 1940.
Maud's health had improved by the time Prince Carl had returned to England on October 16.
By late October, she was attending royal events. On October 30, 1902, Prince and Princess Charles left Buckingham Palace for Appleton House, on the Sandringham estate. The property was given to Maud as a wedding present from her father, King Edward VII. They remained in Norfolk for some time, and perhaps they had a bit of fun in bed.
Maud's first cousin, Kaiser Wilhelm II, visited Sandringham in early November, and she and her husband attended all the events, including a grand dinner and the German Emperor's departure.
Appleton House was their home, but they also made several trips to London. On November 19, the prince and princess attended a memorial service for Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar. In December, Maud and Carl joined the king and queen at a theater performance. They were back in Sandringham for the Christmas holidays, including attending Divine Service on Christmas Day.
Maud's sister-in-law, the Princess of Wales, gave birth to a son, Prince George, on December 20, 1902. The following month, Maud and Carl were among the guests at the infant prince's baptism. In February, they attended the State Opening of Parliament.
Maud attended royal events through early May. These events included official dinners and nights out at the theatre.
Several papers speculated that the Princess was expecting a baby. On May 10, Maud and Carl left Buckingham Palace for Appleton House. Her sister, Princess Victoria, visited Maud and Carl at Appleton House on May 25.
 |
| May 5, 1903, Gloucester Citizen |
 |
| Aberdeen Journal, May 7, 1903 |
These two articles state that Maud's baby was due in late summer or August. The Princess of Wales' confinement began in early October 1902. Prince George was born on December 20, nearly three months later. Maud's confinement began in late May. She gave birth to Prince Alexander Edward Christian Frederik on July 2nd, less than six weeks later. It is possible that the prince was born prematurely, as it is not unusual for a first child to arrive a bit early.
Artificial insemination (now known as IVF) was not a normal procedure in the early 20th century. Why would royals resort to this when the royal bloodline was important?
At this point, the IVF discussion is hearsay.
In 1902, Carl expected to continue to divide his time between the Danish Navy and Maud in England. His father did not become king until 1908, three years after he was elected King of Norway. If the Norwegian throne had not become available, Carl would not have had a major role in Denmark. His older brother was the heir, and he had two healthy sons.
Carl and Maud, and their son, would have continued to divide their time between England and Denmark. Their son had succession rights in Denmark and England.
Let's look at this another way. One writer described Carl (Haakon) as "infertile," but what about the real possibility that Maud suffered from infertility issues, and getting pregnant was difficult, as it is for millions of women all around the world? We suffer from numerous gynecological issues, including the painful endometriosis disease, which is finally being talked about without disdain. The disease was named in 1927. It has existed for centuries. It can be very painful and can make getting pregnant difficult or impossible. I speak from experience. I could not have children because of endometriosis.
Maud may not have liked or enjoyed sex, especially if it was painful due to a gynecological issue. In the early 1900s, doctors knew little about women's issues. A painful period meant a woman was sent to the fainting couch. One granddaughter of a British princess who had only one child told me some years ago that her grandmother hated sex.
I acknowledge this is speculative, but gynecological issues are a plausible hypothesis.
How did this article come about? Christopher Wilson and I have followed each other on Twitter for some years. Until yesterday. I responded to his tweet about his article, stating I am skeptical of the artificial insemination story.
He responded: "Let it rest." I responded with a few points, and the next message was "Bye." He blocked me.
My response was to do the research he skipped. His article was pushed as an exclusive. Yup, another Daily Mail article that is exclusively wrong. I hope he reads my article, but will he rewrite and republish his article based on the fiction about Guy Laking's honor and Princess Maud?
Will he apologize and acknowledge that I provided him with the facts that refute his false statements? Will he make a donation for the work I did?
