(1850-1942)
Duke of Connaught & Strathearn
Earl of Sussex
1874
Governor-General of Canada
1911
Son of Queen Victoria & Prince Albert
Husband of Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia, mar 1879
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His lover was:
Leonie Leslie (1859-1943)
Lover in mid-1890s-1942.
Daughter of Leonard Jerome & Clarissa Hall.
Daughter of Leonard Jerome & Clarissa Hall.
Wife of Sir John Leslie, 2nd Baronet of Glaslough.
"Prince Arthur was born in 1850. A quiet, genial man, he was Queen Victoria's favorite son, and she considered him most like his late father; she once referred to him as 'the flower of my sons, and my darling from his birth.' A career army officer, Arthur was created Duke of Connaught and Strathearn in recognition for his military achievements. In 1879 he married Princess Louise, daughter of Princess Louise and Prince Frederick of Prussia, somewhat against his mother's wishes, as the bride's parents had divorced in a scandal. He remained devoted to her, although he also maintained a decades-long liaison with Lady Leonie Leslie, sister of Lady Randolph Churchill. Arthur was discreet and never caused a public scandal, although he was often absentminded and careless. He and Louise, who lived at Buckingham Palace, had three children: (Margaret (future consort of King Gustav VI of Sweden), born in 1882; Arthur, born in 1883; and Patricia, born in 1886." (Twilight of Splendor: 59)
"Castle Leslie in its aristocratic heyday was not quite the demi-paradise depicted by the starry-eyed Lucinda Lambton (report, June 8). Before the First World War, the Duke of Connaught, a son of Queen Victoria, regularly visited his mistress, Leonie Leslie (nee Jerome), an aunt of Winston Churchill." (Telegraph)
"It was in the mid-nineties, when they had been married for about ten years, that . . . [John Leslie], who had served in the Guards Brigade under the Duke of Connaught, introduced the vivacious Leonie to his former commanding officer. H.R.H. immediately fell under her spell, and remained so until 1942, when he died aged ninety-two. The Duke was a keen professional soldier, and the year 1895 contained a bitter disappointment, for he had hoped to succeed the old Duke of Cambridge as Commander-in-Chief. . . [Leonie Leslie thus entered his] life at a moment when he felt the star of fortune turned harshly. Being a susceptible male, Arthur knew his heart shaken; and being a shy German princess, the Duchess reached out for the gaiety which the American radiated. ... For decades [therefore, Leonie Leslie] "ruled the Duchess and ran the Duke". . . ." (Alexander Palace)
"There were rumours about the Duke and Leonie Leslie, Jennie Churchill's sister. The Duchess liked this vivacious woman too, however, and didn't want her to end her friendship with the Prince. (I think that they were probably just platonic friends but it's a mystery.) Leslie remained friendly with the Prince after his wife died and helped him a great deal." (Royal Rendezvous)
"Leonie, the youngest, married Jack Leslie, the son of an Anglo-Irish baronet, and at least enjoyed the comforts of the family estate in County Monaghan as well as the intimate patronage of the Duke of Connaught. But the Leslies were almost always broke, too." (Fortune's Daughters)
"It is believed that Castle Hope was chosen as it was located near the home of Leonie Leslie, a prominent socialite at the time, who lived at Castle Leslie. She was a close friend of the Duke and Duchess of Connaught but it is alleged that she was a closer friend of the Duke. The royal couple arrived in Castle Blayney in June 1900 and received a warm welcome from the local people; both the gates to the castle and the whole town were decorated with bunting and flags. The Duke had taken the castle for the summer season in 1900 with an option of leasing it for a further five years. It was thought at the time that Castle Hope would become an official royal residence and that Queen Victoria would visit her son here. She never graced Castle Hope with her presence before her death in 1901 and the Duke of Duchess of Connaught ended their association with the castle in 1904." (David Hicks)
"For the rest of his life, punctuated by a second world war and much travelling, Cap Ferrat became Maugham’s only home. Not universally liked but much sought-after, he settled down to hold court at La Mauresque. Invitations were received gladly, although situations could occasionally become rather tense. But as long as guests behaved comme il faut and didn’t irritate their host, visits were enjoyed and most left hoping to be invited again. So who were his neighbours in the great houses on the Cap during those years of the 1920s? Among them was Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, the third son of Queen Victoria, who had the villa Les Bruyéres on the same road as La Mauresque. A widower and President of the Boy Scouts Association he was held in high esteem by all who knew him. Accompanied by his mistress Leonie Leslie, the sister of Winston Churchill’s mother Jenny Jerome, the Duke would occasionally dine at La Mauresque." (The English Book Centre)
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