We all rejoiced when Kate Middleton and Prince William walked the aisle at Westminster Abbey and said their I do’s. Dubbed by the press as a modern fairy tale, people were fascinated by the story of the commoner and the Prince, who fall for each other. But what if the Crown, hadn’t approved Kate to become a royal? It would’ve been history repeating all over. Yeah, there was once a handsome Prince William who fell in love with a commoner but unlike, the Prince William we all love, he wasn’t allowed to marry the woman of his dreams. Instead, William’s life became a torment that ended tragically.
Who was William of Gloucester?
Born in 1941, William of Gloucester was the eldest son of the Dutch and Duchess of Gloucester and nephew of King George VI. William and Queen Elizabeth were first cousins, and he even performed as a page at Elizabeth and Philip’s wedding. William was his father’s miracle child. They had tried for years and had lost so many babies that they had almost given up trying; until William was born. He had it all, position, charisma, intelligence, and a notorious physical appeal; however, he grew up under the shadows of his uncle and his cousin.
Breaking Royal Tradition
Despite all, William thought not being under the spotlight was a blessing in disguise. He was a natural adventurer and was determined to live to the fullest and not be secluded inside a golden palace. After graduating graduated from Cambridge, he decided to break the royal tradition of following a military career and instead opted to pursue a diplomatic venture. He had always had a passion for aviation which eventually made him the youngest royal to acquire a pilot’s license.
In 1968, William was bored with his life in England and decided to go out and explore the world. A great way to do so, he thought, was accepting a diplomatic job in Tokio as the US ambassador in Japan. The young Prince, had a fanbase of his own, naturally due to his good looks and adventurous soul. As a matter of fact, he was often compared to young King Edward VIII, and ironically enough, he would experience a similar situation when he intended to marry. But let’s go back to his Japanese enterprise.
William loved going at his own pace, so when he moved to Japan he decided to fly his own plane there. This made it to all media outlets of the time in Japan making him a star, even before landing. Soon, the young Prince would be the most famous person in the country, and would even be stopped for pictures and autographs. The handsome William loved the attention at first and started living a celebrity lifestyle. Outside the UK, he had freedom without strict protocols like had never experienced, and he loved it.
Zsusi Starkloff: The Modern Cinderella
William of Gloucester became part of an elite group in Tokyo where he met local celebrities and foreign dignitaries. It was in one of these exclusive events when he met Hungarian top model, Zsuzsi Starkloff. Actually, the event was organized by Zsuzsi herself, who had seen the pictures of the young British Prince and had grown a huge crush on him. She sent a letter to William inviting ‘Prince Charming’ and signed as Cinderella. At the party, they danced, and the young Prince was fascinated.
Soon, they became the most famous couple in Japan, and the press loved the fact that a Royal was dating a commoner. It didn’t take that much for the couple to move in together to a lovely cottage at the Japanese Pacific shore where they lived their fairy tale fantasy for some months. However, the news eventually broke in England, and the court wasn’t happy about it.
See, Zsuzsi was a single mother and a two-times divorcee, the latter being apparently the worst attribute for the Royal Family. She had moved into Tokyo after her second failed marriage with her teenage daughter. To provide for her daughter, Zsuzsi became a stewardess but she knew she had the looks to become a successful model due to her European looks that were seen as exotic in Japan. When Zsuzsi met William, she was already a famous top model.
The Crown against Zsuzsi
Buckingham Palace, to be precise the eldest members of the Royal Family, was outraged by this relationship and were willing to do anything to put an end to the madness. In 1969, Queen Elizabeth made her first blow. She asked her sister Margaret to attend the British Week events and break William’s relationship with Zsuzsi. However, Margaret had already experienced her family’s ruthlessness when it came to letting her choose who to marry, so she was completely empathic with William. She simply suggested to him to take things calmly and think it through.
However, the Playboy Prince (as he was once known by the British press) was in love and wanted to spend the rest of his life next to his Zsuzsi. In 1970, the Duke of Gloucester suffered a heart attack that forced William to travel back home. He thought it would be a great time to talk to her cousin the Queen and ask for her permission to marry. Back then, the Royal Marriages Act of 1772 stated that all royal marriages of those in the line of succession had to be approved by the monarch; William was still in line.
Things would not be that easy for William. His father’s health kept deteriorating, putting a whole burden on his shoulders as the next in line to take his title. Still, he was hoping that when his family saw the love Zsuzsi and him had for each other, they would understand and let him marry her. Little did he know.
William’s relationship with Zsuzsi reminded the Royal family about the tormenting story of Wallis Simpson and David; more importantly, about how his decision had affected King George and his family. Not only that, the fact that she was a single mother, a twice-divorced woman, older than William, and a foreigner, ticked all the boxes of what the Royal Family didn’t want within their members. But, as it had happened with Wallis, Zsuzsi didn’t really care much about marriage. Zsuzsi was in love with William and for her, that was more than enough, though she understood that in his position, marriage was key if they wanted to be together.
Love VS. Responsibility
William wrote to the Queen asking for permission to marry Zsuzsi. At first, she had told him that he had to follow his heart but Prince Philip reminded her of the situation with Wallis and David, and to be honest, the monarchy wasn’t going through a very good moment. Anti-monarchic sentiments kept growing making the Royal Family feel completely vulnerable. They felt that a scandal of this magnitude could risk their powerful position. For Philip, any threat to the monarchy’s stability had to be eliminated.
After learning how the family felt and seeing that his father wasn’t getting any better, heartbroken William opted to choose responsibility over love. He took Zsuzsi to the airport not knowing this would be the last time he would see her.
A Tragic Ending
Not being able to live in Japan, always remembering those wonderful months, Zsuzsi decided to move to New York. Zsuzsi always felt they would get back together, even if it was in secret. For two years, the couple talked on the phone every day and would share loving letters making the distance more unbearable. Back in England, a depressed William was resigned to fulfill his role as a member of the Royal Family. In those dark years, flying was the only thing that gave William some peace, and in 1972, wanting to feel a rush and excitement about something, he decided to participate in a flying competition.
He talked to Zsuzsi and begged her to accompany him during the competition. She, unfortunately, couldn’t make it, and William competed alone. Once flying, William’s plane lost stability and crashed. He passed instantly at 30 years old.
William of Gloucester spent the last two years of his life in a deep depression for not being able to be with the woman he loved. Zsuzsi always regretted not being able to accompany him on that flight, believing that he would’ve been happier and calmer preventing the accident. Zsuzsi remained faithful to William and didn’t have a relationship again.
William’s death was a terrible personal loss for the Royal Family. His tragic story touched them deeply, and had he not died that way, Royal protocols for relationships might’ve taken more to change. Just eight years later, Margaret was allowed to get divorced, something unthinkable back then. William also left a mark on another member of the family, Prince Charles. He admired his uncle so much that he even named his first son after him. But, unlike William of Gloucester, this Prince William was able to marry for love.
