Nellie Clifden was a nineteenth-century actress, believed to be of Irish extraction. She is known for her brief sexual relationship with the 19-year old

Albert Edward, Prince of Wales Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...

(Bertie), prior to his marriage to

Princess Alexandra of Denmark Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was List of British royal consorts, Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 January 1901 t ...

. She met him at a party in England and again when the Prince was spending 10 weeks at

Curragh Camp The Curragh Camp ( ga, Campa an Churraigh) is an army base and military college in The Curragh, County Kildare, Ireland. It is the main training centre for the Irish Defence Forces and is home to 2,000 military personnel. History Longstanding ...

in Ireland with the

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

in the late summer of 1861. The Prince had previously been a sexual novice. While they were at Cambridge,

Charles Carrington Charles Carrington (1857–1921) was a leading British publisher of erotica in late-19th- and early-20th-century Europe. Born ''Paul Harry Ferdinando'' in Bethnal Green, England on 11 November 1867, he moved in 1895 from London to Paris where h ...

arranged for a liaison with Nellie. Guards officers later brought her to Ireland from England for the same purpose, and coded notes in the Prince's appointment book refer to trysts with "NC" on 6, 9, and 11 September 1861. The relationship may have lasted longer. Information about the events reached the Prince's parents. His father Prince Albert duly visited his son at

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

, and they took a long walk in the rain, presumably to discuss the Prince's behaviour. Prince Albert's biographer Jules Stewart, says that Albert had lost faith in his son. Prince Albert died soon after, and

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

attributed her husband's death to his worry over his son's conduct, particularly Bertie's "fall" at Curragh Camp; Albert had died of a broken heart, she incorrectly believed. She was also quoted as saying that Albert had been "killed by that dreadful business." At the time he was thought to have died of

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over severa ...

, but more recent research suggests that Albert actually died from complications of

Crohn's disease Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that may affect any segment of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms often include abdominal pain, diarrhea (which may be bloody if inflammation is severe), fever, abdominal distensi ...

. The Prince of Wales's affair with Nellie resumed after his return to London, which gave rise to gossip and scandal, but did not last long. He wrote to Carrington from

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

, while on an official tour in spring 1862: "I am sorry to see by your letter that you still keep up an acquaintance with NC elly Clifden as I had hoped that by this time that that was over". During his foreign tour, the Royal Family planned his marriage to Alexandra of Denmark, which took place in 1863. Nothing is known of Clifden's later life.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clifden, Nellie Irish stage actresses Year of birth missing Year of death missing Mistresses of Edward VII 19th-century Irish actresses