History is usually written by the winners, or at least the ones who stayed in the spotlight. When people talk about the House of Windsor, they usually jump straight to the abdication of Edward VIII or the long reign of George VI. But honestly, the dynamic of Prince John of the United Kingdom siblings is where the real, messy, human heart of the family lived. John was the youngest of six. He was the "Lost Prince." Because of his epilepsy and what many historians now believe was autism, he was tucked away at Wood Farm on the Sandringham Estate.
But he wasn't alone. Not really.
To understand John, you have to look at the five brothers and one sister who grew up alongside him in the cramped, relatively modest quarters of York Cottage. These weren't just "royals." They were kids dealt a weird hand by fate. Their father, George V, was a notorious disciplinarian who famously said he wanted his children to be "frightened" of him. Their mother, Queen Mary, was stiff and emotionally distant, though her private letters show she harbored a quiet, aching love for her "Johnny."
The Heavy Weight of the Heir: Edward and Albert
The two oldest of the Prince John of the United Kingdom siblings couldn't have been more different, yet they both lived under the crushing weight of expectation. Edward, known to the family as David, was the golden boy. He was charming, handsome, and eventually the King who walked away for love. Then there was Albert, or "Bertie," who would become George VI.
Bertie is probably the sibling most people associate with John in terms of struggle. While John had his seizures, Bertie had a crippling stammer and chronic stomach issues. They were both "broken" in the eyes of their father’s rigid standards.
David was the one who actually saw John the most in the early years. Before the seizures became frequent and John was moved to the country, they played together. But David’s relationship with "The Monster"—as he once cruelly referred to John in a private letter after John's death—is complicated. It’s easy to judge him for that phrase. It sounds heartless. Yet, some historians suggest it was a defense mechanism for a man who couldn't process the tragedy of his youngest brother’s condition. David was always looking for an escape; John was a permanent reminder of the fragility of their "perfect" royal bloodline.
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Mary, the Princess Royal: The Only Sister
Imagine being the only girl in a house full of energetic, often volatile boys. Mary was the third child. She was stoic. That’s the word most people use for her. Among all the Prince John of the United Kingdom siblings, Mary was perhaps the one who most closely mirrored her mother’s sense of duty.
She was close to John. When they were little, she was often seen helping the nannies look after him. There’s a specific kind of bond that forms when a sister has to become a secondary caregiver. Mary didn't have the luxury of being "just a kid." She was a Princess, a nurse-in-waiting, and a buffer between her brothers. When John was eventually sent to Wood Farm, Mary was one of the few who made consistent efforts to visit him without the fanfare of a royal procession. She just went to see her brother.
The Middle Brothers: Henry and George
Then we get to Prince Henry (Duke of Gloucester) and Prince George (Duke of Kent). These two are often the "forgotten" siblings in the shadow of the two Kings, but their relationship with John was fascinating.
George was the rebel. He was the artist, the wild child, the one who would eventually lead a life filled with scandalous affairs and rumored drug use. Some psychologists looking back at the family suggest George’s "wildness" was a reaction to the same stifling environment that saw John relegated to a cottage in the woods.
Henry was different. He was a soldier through and through. He was sturdy. While George was out living a life that would make a modern tabloid blush, Henry was the reliable one. These two middle brothers saw John as a part of their childhood landscape that slowly faded away. They played cricket with him in the gardens before the doctors decided John needed "quiet."
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Imagine the scene: a sunny afternoon at Sandringham. Five brothers and a sister running around. John, the youngest, is laughing. He’s the favorite. He’s "the brick," as his father called him. Then, the seizures start. Slowly, he’s removed from the games. He’s moved to a different house. He’s seen less and less. For Henry and George, John became a ghost while he was still alive.
Life at Wood Farm: Separation or Protection?
There is a huge misconception that the Prince John of the United Kingdom siblings abandoned him.
It’s a popular narrative. The "cruel royals" hiding the "shameful" child. But if you look at the diaries of Charlotte "Lalla" Bill, John’s devoted nanny, the reality is more nuanced. John was happy at Wood Farm. He had his own garden. He had his own staff. He was "King of the Castle."
The siblings visited, but the frequency dropped as they grew into adulthood and took on official duties. World War I broke out. The world changed. John remained in a timeless bubble at Sandringham.
When John died in his sleep at the age of 13 in 1919, the shock hit the siblings differently. Queen Mary wrote in her diary that the news was a "great shock," but for a "poor boy," death was a "heavenly release." It sounds cold today. Back then, it was how people dealt with the inevitable.
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The Psychological Toll on the Surviving Siblings
The death of the youngest sibling always leaves a scar. For the Prince John of the United Kingdom siblings, his passing was the first real crack in their domestic world.
- Bertie (George VI): His own health struggles and the loss of John arguably made him a more empathetic parent later in life.
- Edward (David): His dismissive comments about John’s death suggest a man deeply uncomfortable with weakness—a trait that would define his short, disastrous reign.
- Mary: She became the family's glue, holding together the emotional pieces while her parents remained stoic.
What This Means for History Buffs Today
If you’re researching the House of Windsor, you can’t ignore John. He wasn't just a footnote. He was the catalyst for how the royal family handles "difference." For decades after John, the royals were notoriously tight-lipped about illness or disability.
But John also represented a moment of genuine, albeit flawed, family love. The letters between the siblings often mentioned "Little Johnnie." He was a person, not just a diagnosis.
To truly understand the Prince John of the United Kingdom siblings, you have to stop looking at them as statues. Look at them as kids who lost a brother. They lived in a world where they weren't allowed to mourn publicly. They had to keep going. They had to wear the crowns and the uniforms while a piece of their childhood was buried in a quiet churchyard at Sandringham.
Practical Insights for Further Research
If you want to go deeper into the lives of the York children, avoid the dramatized versions first. Go to the primary sources.
- Read "The Lost Prince" by Denis Judd: This is widely considered the most factual biography of John and his place within the family.
- Examine Queen Mary’s published diaries: Look for the entries in January 1919. The shift in tone is palpable.
- Visit Sandringham (if you can): Wood Farm still stands. It’s not a museum—it’s a private residence (often used by the late Prince Philip), but the surrounding estate gives you a sense of the isolation John lived in.
- Analyze the "The King's Speech" context: Watch the film or read the history of George VI’s stammer. It provides the necessary backdrop for how the family viewed "imperfections" during John's lifetime.
The story of John’s siblings is a story of a family trying to be a family under the most intense microscope in the world. They failed sometimes. They were cruel sometimes. But they were also profoundly human.
Understanding this dynamic changes how you see the entire British Monarchy. It’s not just about titles; it’s about the people who hold them and the brothers they lose along the way.