If you think Harry’s lawsuit is a marmalade dropper, read about great great grandfather!

A sensational Supreme Court case set against the backdrop of a royal family in crisis, a strained father-son relationship and a history of disastrous publicity.

No, not HRH the Duke of Sussex v Mirror Group Newspapers, but an altogether more historic courtroom drama set 130 years ago.

The so-called Tranby Croft Affair saw another maverick son of a serving British monarch testify in circumstances as highly charged and fraught with reputational danger as they are now.

For Harry read Bertie.

That was the family name of Albert Edward, eldest son of Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort, Albert of Saxe-Coburg, and heir to the throne. Bertie, of course, would become Edward VII, William and Harry’s great-great-grandfather.

By the time things came to a head in the very spot where Prince Harry gave his testimony yesterday, Bertie already had a reputation as a shady and self-indulgent playboy, having had numerous extramarital affairs and been the subject of at least three blackmail attempts.

But his biggest mistake was going into business with a charming but unscrupulous Scots Guards officer named Sir William Gordon-Cumming, a relationship that resulted in his attendance at a house party that had disastrous consequences for all involved, culminating in a lawsuit for slander that was nailed to the ground. London society.

At the heart of the scandal was Lieutenant-Colonel Gordon-Cumming, an old school cad whom the Sporting Life newspaper described as ‘perhaps the handsomest man in London, and certainly the rudest’.

He was also an inveterate pursuer – and catcher – of other men’s wives.

‘Bill’, as he was known to the Prince of Wales, allowed the Prince to use his London residence for appointments with Daisy ‘Babbling’ Brooke, his favorite mistress of the time who was married to Lord Brooke, a Conservative politician.

But on September 6, 1890, Bertie discovered that his friend’s reputation with the ladies was well deserved: he caught Bill and Daisy “in the act.” Considering what would happen just two days later, this episode was not without significance.

On September 8, the Prince and Gordon-Cumming were thrown back together, at a country house party in Yorkshire.

Duke of Sussex testifies at the Rolls Buildings in central London during the phone hacking trial of Mirror Group Newspapers

The attraction was St Leger week – a highlight of the flat racing season – at nearby Doncaster racecourse, and Bertie led a group of blue bloods, including Bill, north on a special royal train to Tranby Croft, a country house in the village of Anlaby in near Hull, owned by a shipping magnate.

On their first night at 11 pm, after dinner and cigars, Bertie suggested that the party play the then very fashionable game of baccarat. Baccarat, which involves betting on the value of unseen cards, was considered a game of chance and thus technically illegal. Indeed, there was a High Court ruling to that effect and a number of players or hosts in less vaunted locations than Tranby Croft were prosecuted. Nor did the prince’s host approve of baccarat. But by then he’d gone to bed and the way was clear for Bertie to pursue one of his many vices.

Bertie was the banker and everything went smoothly until the host’s son came to believe he had seen Bill cheat by secretly moving his betting chips in or out of his bet with a pencil, depending on how the cards fell.

He confided what he had seen to his neighbor at the table, who later told others. At the next night’s baccarat game, several members of the party had their eyes on Bill.

While collecting a whopping £225 (£23,000 today) in total, some of his fellow players were convinced they had seen him cheat again.

One of the parties threatened to denounce Bill at Doncaster Racecourse the following day. And this turned out to be the catalyst for the situation spiraling out of control. The Prince was made aware of Bill’s alleged cheating and a document was drawn up for Bill to sign in an effort to ensure that such an outcry could not happen again, while preserving the reputation of all involved.

The palace tried unsuccessfully to prevent the prince (pictured) from being dragged into court

It read: ‘Subject to the promise made by the gentlemen whose names are inscribed, to maintain silence in respect of an accusation made concerning my conduct at baccarat on the nights of Monday and Tuesday, September 8 and 9, 1890 , at Tranby Croft, for my part I will pledge never to play cards again as long as I live.’

The party then confronted Bill, who vehemently denied the accusation, but the Prince said, “What can you do?” There are five accusers against you.’

Cornered, Bill signed and left the next morning. Bertie was one of the other signatories as a witness. But the secret didn’t stay secret for long. In January 1891 it was the talk of all the smartest drawing rooms in London and, aware that his reputation was in the gutter, Bill responded by suing the five who had accused him of libel at Tranby Croft and paying £5,000 (more than a half a million euros). pounds today) compensation from each.

The palace tried in vain to prevent the prince from being dragged into court. The trial itself promised to fulfill their worst fears, with one newspaper suggesting it would reveal “salacious tidbits of shady happenings in high places with thinly veiled suggestions of sex deception.”

Bertie’s biggest mistake was going into business with a charming but unscrupulous Scots Guards officer named Sir William Gordon-Cumming (pictured), a relationship that resulted in his joining a house party that had disastrous consequences for everyone involved.

Given the high-profile nature of the case, the Lord Chief Justice himself decided to use the gavel. Lord Coleridge was eccentric to say the least, turning up with a pet ferret hidden in his “voluminous robes” and prone to dozing off in the middle of the proceedings.

Given the circumstances, it came as no surprise that it was a nervous Prince of Wales who took to the witness stand, according to one report. Although it lasted only 20 minutes, the Prince’s examination apparently tired him out extremely and made him extremely nervous. He kept changing his position and seemed unable to keep his hands still.

“When asked a more pressing, more pertinent question than usual, the prince’s face was seen to blush quite a bit, and then turn pale again, showing the state of nervousness in which he was.”

He insisted that he had seen no deception, but “the allegations seemed so united that it was the right thing to do … to believe them.”

It took the jury just 13 minutes to find the defendants. It was a defeat for Gordon-Cumming, but there was little joy in the Palace.

That afternoon, while attending the race at Ascot, the Prince of Wales was roundly booed.