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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Rebecca Russell

Forgotten royal home that is 'haunted' by prince accused of being Jack the Ripper

It has long been said that Windsor Castle is the most haunted of all the royal residences with over 25 reported experiences of ghosts and spirits - but it isn't the only famous home that has reports of paranormal activity.

There is one humble home on the vast Sandringham Estate in Norfolk that was never lived in by the late Queen, despite the significant connections it holds to her relatives. There may be a reason for this, however, as it has long been said that there is one historic resident who may be outstaying his welcome.

The royal in question was involved in a number of scandals during his lifetime and would have been King if a tragedy hadn't happened.

York Cottage was a favourite home of The Queen's grandfather (Universal History Archive)

York Cottage is a house situated within the grounds of the Sandringham Estate and is sometimes referred to as 'The Bachelor’s Cottage'. It was originally built as an overflow residence for the main Sandringham House.

While the exact year that the house was built is unclear, in 1893 it was given as a wedding gift by King Edward VII (then the Prince of Wales) to his son and new daughter-in-law the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George V and Queen Mary).

Before this, York Cottage had been lived in by Prince Albert Victor, the eldest son of King Edward VII, until his death in 1892 from influenza.

George V and Queen Mary set up their family home at York Cottage and five of their six children were born there, including the Queen's father, King George VI.

King George V and Queen Mary had six children, five of whom were born at York Cottage (Getty Images)

King George V expressed a deep love for York Cottage as he much preferred to live a simpler life. He is recorded as saying that the house resembles “three merrie England pubs joined together.”

Today, the cottage is used as the estate office for Sandringham and acts as accommodation for employees. But while there are no current royals in residence, it is reported that one famous figure might have 'stayed behind'.

Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale, was born on January 8, 1864 at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor but spent many years living at York Cottage.

The great-uncle of the Queen was a controversial figure and was once a key suspect in the Jack the Ripper murders.

Prince Albert Victor (Getty)
Prince Albert Victor was engaged to the future Queen Mary (Hulton Archive)

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The rumours swirled that he was the Whitechapel killer and there were two theories to support it.

The first theory was that the prince had contracted syphilis from a prostitute in the West Indies which made him go on a murderous, vengeful rampage as the disease spread to his brain, turning him mad.

The second theory follows the idea that Albert fell in love, had a child with and secretly married a Catholic girl in Whitechapel.

The story goes that this was an undesirable match and the killings in the East End were the work of agents of the Royal Family who murdered anyone who had knowledge of the prince’s secret marriage or child.

Jack the Ripper's reign of terror took place in East London in 1888 (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Despite these scenarios, it has been widely discredited that he was the Whitechapel serial killer as the prince was 500 miles from London with his grandmother Queen Victoria in Balmoral on the night of the double murder on September 30, 1888.

There were more rumours which plagued the prince’s life, such as his apparent involvement in the Cleveland Street Scandal of 1889. When a male, homosexual brothel was discovered by police in Euston, it was eventually reported that Prince Albert Victor had visited.

The scandal launched huge criticism of the government as they were accused of covering up the controversy to protect the names of aristocratic and prominent patrons.

Prince Albert Victor proposed to Princess Victoria Mary of Teck (the future Queen Mary) in 1891 and their wedding was set for February 27, 1892. But between 1889 and 1892 an influenza pandemic struck the country and the prince fell ill, eventually developing pneumonia.

Less than a week after his 28th birthday, Prince Albert Victor died at Sandringham House in Norfolk, surrounded by his family and fiancée.

If ghostly tales are to be believed, it is said that the prince's ghost can still be seen at York Cottage.

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