Cleveland Street scandal

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The Cleveland Street scandal occurred in 1889, when a homosexual male brothel in Cleveland Street, Fitzrovia, London, was discovered by police. The government was accused of covering up the scandal to protect the names of aristocratic and other prominent patrons. At the time, sexual acts between men were illegal in Britain, and the brothel's clients faced possible prosecution and certain social ostracism if discovered. It was rumored that Prince Albert Victor, the eldest son of the Prince of Wales and second-in-line to the British throne had visited, though this has never been substantiated. Sir Charles Russell QC was retained to watch the proceedings in the case on Albert Victor's behalf. Unlike overseas and Welsh newspapers, the English press never named the Prince, but the allegation influenced the handling of the case by the authorities and has colored biographers' perceptions of him since.

The police acquired testimonies that Lord Arthur Somerset, an equerry to the Prince of Wales, was a patron. Both he and the brothel keeper, Charles Hammond, managed to flee abroad before a prosecution could be brought. The male prostitutes, who also worked as telegraph messenger boys for the Post Office, were given light sentences and no clients were prosecuted. After Henry James FitzRoy, Earl of Euston was named in the press as a client, he successfully sued for libel.

The scandal fuelled the attitude that male homosexuality was an aristocratic vice that corrupted lower-class youths. Such perceptions were still prevalent in 1895 when the Marquess of Queensberry accused Oscar Wilde of being an active homosexual.

More information is available at [ Wikipedia:Cleveland_Street_scandal ]


A Personal Note from Robin

The aftermath created by this scandal was spread far and wide. Readers should, if possible, read the Wikipedia article as listed above.

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