January 18 - The Lost Prince

Today’s movie is a biographical drama with a scene that happens on January 18. Watch it tonight and enjoy.

THE LOST PRINCE

A Christmastime, 1908 Prince John, son of George, the Prince of Wales attends a party with his grandfather, Edward VIII. Later, in the spring he meets visitors, his cousins, the  Russian Imperial family.  John’s nanny, Lala is devoted to John and his brother George. John has epilepsy and is kept from public view. Edward VII dies and the Prince of Wales becomes George V. On the day of the funeral John meets emperor Wilhelm II and has a fit.  John seems to not be very bright and is sent off to live in the country with Lala in total isolation. One day John slips away and walks up to a tea party with the King and the prime Minister and embarrasses them. John likes to work in the garden. John is finally recalled to London where George helps him observe a royal banquet. The Queen has a run in with a suffragette and John meets with his parents. That day, left by his father, who is distracted by news of Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s assassination, John chases his father’s pet parrot over the palace and has another fit which is observed by the Queen and George.  John is again sent away from London to a rather small, rustic house. George is sent to the naval academy. John sees his mother and grandmother. The Queen is insulted on a visit to a military hospital since she is German by birth. The King is pressured to change the families surname to Windsor. John has more fits. The king angrily rebuffs George’s attempt to get out of the navy. The King works to have the invitation to the Russian Imperial family to live in exile withdrawn and is then shocked when they are shot. John gives a recital for his parents. John dies with only Lala and George in attendance on January 18, 1919. Lala seems to be more broken up than the Queen. At his funeral all the servants who attended John show up to pay their respects.    

A story that is in turn funny and sad. It is tragic in that John was ignored for the most part by his family. (Although I must say in their defense, the way John was treated was not much worse than the way all children of upper class families were treated at the turn of the last century) But, as George says John was the only one of the royal family who got to act how he wanted.

King George V by Harold Nicholson. Constable and Co., Ltd. London c. 1952 p.

Director - Stephen Poliakoff

Screenplay - Stephen Poliakoff

Awards - Won Emmy for outstanding miniseries.

Running Time -  3 hours

Released -  January 19, 2003

Starring -         

Daniel Williams  as Prince John (younger)

Matthew James Thomas as Prince John (older)

Brock Everitt-Elwick as Prince George, Duke of Kent (younger)

Rollo Weeks as Prince George (older)

Gina McKee as Charlotte Bill

Tom Hollander as King George V

Miranda Richardson as Queen Mary

Bill Nighy as Arthur Bigge, 1st Baron Stamfordham

Bibi Andersson as Queen Alexandra

Ron Cook as David Lloyd George

Frank Finlay as H. H. Asquith

John Sessions as Henry Hansell

Michael Gambon as Edward VII

David Barrass as Kaiser Wilhelm II

Ivan Marevich as Tsar Nicholas II

Roz McCutcheonv as Princess Mary Adelaide

Gina McKee as Lala

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2015.