Step back in time with the London History Podcast as we explore a week that gripped Victorian London with fear and mourning. In January 1892, the Russian Flu swept through the city, closing theatres, filling streets with black crepe, and leaving a young royal heir fighting for his life. While Prince Albert Victor received round-the-clock care, thousands of ordinary Londoners suffered quietly and alone, revealing a stark divide between prince and pauper, and a city under unprecedented pressure.
Episode 147: The Prince, The Pauper, and the Russian Flu
Host: Hazel Baker
Hazel is an active Londoner, a keen theatre-goer and qualified CIGA London tour guide.
She has won awards for tour guiding and is proud to be involved with some great organisations. She is a freeman of the Worshipful Company of Marketors and am an honorary member of The Leaders Council.
Channel 4: The Orient Express: A Golden Era of Travel (Episode 1). Channel 5’s Walking Wartime Britain(Episode 3) and Yesterday Channel’s The Architecture the Railways Built (Series 3, Episode 7). Het Rampjaar 1672, Afl. 2: Vijand Engeland and Arte.fr Invitation au Voyage, À Chelsea, une femme qui trompe énormément. Yesterday Channel / UKTV Play: The Architecture the Railways Built (Series 3, Episode 7). Yesterday Channel / UKTV Play: Secrets of the London Underground (Series 3, Episode 2) and Secrets of the London Underground (Series 4, Episode 10). NPO (Netherlands): Het Rampjaar 1672 – Afl. 2: Vijand Engeland. Arte France: Invitation au Voyage – À Chelsea, une femme qui trompe énormément
Podcast Episode 147: The Prince, The Pauper, and the Russian Flu
Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence (1864-1892) | Photo by: W. & D. Downey, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Albert Victor late 1880s | Photo by: Alexander Bassano, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Arthur Robertson – Drawing for Alfred Gilbert’s project for the tomb of the Duke of Clarence – Google Art Project | Photo by: Musée d’Orsay, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Timestamps:
00:00 London Goes Dark
02:43 Russian Flu Arrives
04:53 Symptoms and Theories
07:27 Panic and Quack Cures
09:00 Carbolic Smoke Ball Case
12:40 Prince Eddie Falls Ill
16:13 Death in the Workhouse Shadow
18:44 Two Funerals Two Londons
21:41 The Prince’s Monument
24:27 Death Wasn’t Equal
26:03 Closing Thanks and Next Steps
