Education
In June 1865, when Albert Victor was just under 17 months old, his brother, Prince George (later George V), was born. Because of their closeness in age, the boys were educated together. In 1871, Queen Victoria appointed John Neale Dalton as their tutor. Dalton set a strict programme of study that combined academic subjects with games and military drills. Dalton complained that Albert Victor's mind was "abnormally dormant".
Although Albert Victor learnt to speak his mother's native Danish, his progress in other languages and subjects was slow. Sir Henry Ponsonby suspected that Albert Victor might have inherited Alexandra's partial deafness. He never excelled academically. Possible physical explanations for his inattention include absence seizures or the effects of premature birth, both of which can be associated with learning difficulties, though Lady Geraldine Somerset blamed Albert Victor's poor education on Dalton, whom she considered uninspiring.
Separating the brothers for the remainder of their education was considered, but Dalton advised against it, arguing that "Prince Albert Victor requires the stimulus of Prince George's company to induce him to work at all." In 1877, the boys were sent to the Royal Navy's training ship, HMS Britannia. They began their studies there two months behind the other cadets because Albert Victor contracted typhoid fever, for which he was treated by Sir William Gull. Dalton accompanied them as chaplain to the ship.
In 1879, after discussion between the Queen, the Prince of Wales, their households, and the Government, the brothers were sent as naval cadets on a three-year world tour aboard HMS Bacchante. Albert Victor was rated midshipman on his 16th birthday. They toured the British Empire, accompanied by Dalton, visiting the Americas, the Falkland Islands, South Africa, Australia, Fiji, the Far East, Singapore, Ceylon, Aden, Egypt, the Holy Land, and Greece. They acquired tattoos in Japan. By the time they returned to Britain, Albert Victor was 18.
The brothers were separated in 1883: George remained in the navy, while Albert Victor entered Trinity College, Cambridge. Before arriving at the university, he was expected to cram at Bachelor's Cottage, Sandringham, under the supervision of Dalton, a French instructor, Monsieur Hua, and a newly appointed tutor and companion, James Kenneth Stephen. Some biographers have described Stephen as a misogynist, though this has been questioned, and he may have felt emotionally attached to Albert Victor; whether his feelings were overtly homosexual is uncertain. Stephen was initially optimistic about tutoring the prince, but by the time the party was due to move to Cambridge he had concluded, "I do not think he can possibly derive much benefit from attending lectures at Cambridge ... He hardly knows the meaning of the words to read".
At the start of the new term in October, Albert Victor, Dalton, and Lieutenant Henderson from Bacchante moved into Nevile's Court at Trinity College, accommodation usually reserved for dons. Albert Victor showed little interest in the intellectual life of the university and was excused from examinations, though he did take part in undergraduate society. He was introduced to Oscar Browning, a noted don who hosted parties and "made pets of those undergraduates who were handsome and attractive", and became friendly with Dalton's godson, Alfred Fripp, who later served as his doctor and royal surgeon. It is not known whether he had any sexual experiences at Cambridge, though partners of either sex would have been available. In August 1884, he spent time at Heidelberg University studying German before returning to Cambridge. He left the university in 1885, having already served as a cadet in the 2nd Cambridge University Battalion, and was gazetted as an officer in the 10th Hussars. In 1888, he received an honorary degree from the university.
One of his instructors observed that Albert Victor learnt best by listening rather than reading or writing and had no difficulty retaining information, but Prince George, Duke of Cambridge, was less charitable, calling him "an inveterate and incurable dawdler". Princess Augusta of Cambridge was similarly dismissive, describing him as "si peu de chose" ("such a small thing").
Much of Albert Victor's time at Aldershot was spent drilling, which he disliked, though he enjoyed playing polo. In October 1886, while in Burnley to open a new hospital, he attended a match between Burnley F.C. and Bolton Wanderers at Turf Moor – the first visit to a professional football ground by a member of the royal family. To mark the occasion, Burnley received a set of kits embellished with the royal coat of arms. He passed his examinations and, in March 1887, was posted to Hounslow, where he was promoted to captain. He undertook more public engagements, visited Ireland and Gibraltar, and opened the Hammersmith suspension bridge in June 1887. A childhood friend later recalled that his private life was uneventful: "his brother officers had said that they would like to make a man of the world of him. Into that world he refused to be initiated."
