Edward Mylius
Encyclopedia
Edward Mylius was a French
journalist jailed for criminal libel for publishing a report that King George V
of the United Kingdom
was a bigamist.
Mylius alleged in a Paris
-based Republican paper The Liberator in 1910 that George V had been already married to Mary, the daughter of a British Admiral Sir Michael Culme-Seymour
, while serving in Malta as a young man. This would have been not only scandalous but also illegal, contravening the Royal Marriages Act 1772
.
Normally royals don't sue over lies told about them, but in a break with precedent the King decided that in this case he had no choice. The rumours accused him of the crime of bigamy, of breaking the law, and questioned both the legal status of the Queen and the legitimacy of all his children. The King, with the advice of home secretary Winston Churchill
, issued proceedings against Mylius for criminal libel and said he was prepared to go into the box to disprove the allegations. Sir Rufus Isaacs
, the attorney-general, advised the king that it would be unconstitutional for him to give evidence in his own court.
Mylius was arrested for criminal libel and tried before the Lord Chief Justice of England and a jury. Sir Richard David Muir
, prosecuting, showed that the claims about the King were a complete fiction. It was shown
Mylius was convicted and jailed for 12 months.
The King recorded his feelings on the affair in his diary.
His mother, Queen Alexandra
, wrote to him
According to Freedom's Frontier (2007) by Donald Thomas an odd inconsistency later found was that the Hampshire Telegraph and Sussex Chronicle had reported a ball at Portsmouth Town Hall on 21 August 1891 (when the lady was aged about twenty) which both she and the future king attended.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
journalist jailed for criminal libel for publishing a report that King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
was a bigamist.
Mylius alleged in a Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
-based Republican paper The Liberator in 1910 that George V had been already married to Mary, the daughter of a British Admiral Sir Michael Culme-Seymour
Sir Michael Culme-Seymour, 3rd Baronet
Admiral Sir Michael Culme-Seymour, 3rd Baronet was a senior Royal Navy officer. On 17 September 1880 he became 3rd Baronet, on the death of his father...
, while serving in Malta as a young man. This would have been not only scandalous but also illegal, contravening the Royal Marriages Act 1772
Royal Marriages Act 1772
The Royal Marriages Act 1772 is an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which prescribes the conditions under which members of the British Royal Family may contract a valid marriage, in order to guard against marriages that could diminish the status of the Royal House...
.
Normally royals don't sue over lies told about them, but in a break with precedent the King decided that in this case he had no choice. The rumours accused him of the crime of bigamy, of breaking the law, and questioned both the legal status of the Queen and the legitimacy of all his children. The King, with the advice of home secretary Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, issued proceedings against Mylius for criminal libel and said he was prepared to go into the box to disprove the allegations. Sir Rufus Isaacs
Rufus Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading
Rufus Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading, GCB, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, PC, KC , was an English lawyer, jurist and politician...
, the attorney-general, advised the king that it would be unconstitutional for him to give evidence in his own court.
Mylius was arrested for criminal libel and tried before the Lord Chief Justice of England and a jury. Sir Richard David Muir
Richard Muir
Sir Richard David Muir was a prosecutor for the British Crown, widely regarded as the greatest of his time; he played a prominent role in many of the most sensational trials of the early part of the 20th century, most notably that of Hawley Harvey Crippen.Muir was born in Scotland, the son of...
, prosecuting, showed that the claims about the King were a complete fiction. It was shown
- that he had not even been in Malta in 1890 when the supposed marriage took place;
- that the admiral whose daughter he had supposedly married actually had two daughters, of whom:
- one had never met the King;
- and the other had met him only twice: once when she was eight years old and once when both he and she were already married.
Mylius was convicted and jailed for 12 months.
The King recorded his feelings on the affair in his diary.
- The whole story is a damnable lie and has been in existence now for over twenty years. I trust that this will settle it once and for all.
His mother, Queen Alexandra
Alexandra of Denmark
Alexandra of Denmark was the wife of Edward VII of the United Kingdom...
, wrote to him
- Thank God that vile trial is over and those infamous lies and foul accusations at an end for evry and cleared up before the whole world. To us it was a ridiculous story your having been married before ...! Too silly for words ... My poor Georgie - really it was too bad and must have worried you all the same.
According to Freedom's Frontier (2007) by Donald Thomas an odd inconsistency later found was that the Hampshire Telegraph and Sussex Chronicle had reported a ball at Portsmouth Town Hall on 21 August 1891 (when the lady was aged about twenty) which both she and the future king attended.
Further reading
- The King's Honour: A criminal libel on the sovereign; verdict and sentence. The Times, 2 February 1911