“He never married, you know.”
Right here, in the shadow of what was once the Prince of Teck pub, a life played out quite differently from the grandeur of royalty. The Prince of Teck pub was, of course, named after Prince Francis of Teck, the younger brother of Queen Mary. While his sister ascended to the throne, Prince Francis lived a life tinged with scandal and shrouded in secrecy.
Francis, known as “Frank” to his family, was a notorious figure in his day. He was expelled from Wellington College for his rebellious antics, a foreshadowing of the scandals that would later follow him. Whispers of gambling debts and a scandalous affair with a married woman, Ellen Constance, followed him throughout his life. The affair, if it indeed happened as the rumors suggest, was apparently quite passionate. It is said that Francis bequeathed Ellen the Cambridge emeralds. These emeralds, part of the Teck family jewels, were highly prized. To avoid a public scandal, his sister, Queen Mary, reportedly bought back the gems from Ellen for a hefty sum. Upon his death, Francis’ will was sealed. This act, done to protect the reputation of the royal family, only served to further fuel the fires of speculation.
The Prince of Teck pub, now gone, stood as a silent reminder of this complicated and ultimately very human prince.