At Sandringham in 1916: (l. to r.) Mary, Albert (later George VI), John, Queen Mary, George, Edward and Henry

Each time Prince John's story is rediscovered by the press, some new detail emerges. The flurry of comment about him started by The Independent in 1998 was entirely negative in tone but it did have two positive results. The first was a letter, tucked away in the pages of The Daily Mail, which painted an unusually full picture of the Wood Farm household. The writer's mother had been upset by the tone of the publicity because her father, Thomas Haverly, was John's coachman at Wood Farm and she had lived with her parents and brother in an adjoining cottage. She knew there was no neglect there: knew, in fact, that John was happy and well-cared-for and the letter to the Mail summed up her memories. Thomas Haverly was a coachman from Windsor Castle, chosen to drive for John because he was known to be reliable. He took the Prince on outings in the country or to the sea, and to the 'big house' at Sandringham when any members of the family were in residence. Wood Farm also had its own cook, Kate Bennett, whose niece Hilda Simpson was the live-in maid. Kate's sister Alice ran a boarding house at Westgate but used to help at Wood Farm out of season and other domestic help came in from Wolferton as required. John had his nurse, as we know, and a tutor. An area of the garden was set aside for him with a plaque, 'Prince John's garden' and there were gardeners who helped him tend it. Indoors he had his books, the pedal car in which he has been photographed and a ride-on train.10 It all sounds rather idyllic and a great deal more appealing than his brother's existence at the Naval College.

But the new information about Prince John's life does not end here. Once again, the publicity surrounding The Lost Prince has drawn another witness forward. The Times Weekend on Saturday 11 January including a long and interesting article, partly based on Poliakoff's research and partly on evidence provided by Anne Sharp, whose mother Winifred Thomas was chosen by Queen Mary to be John's companion and friend. This really does allow us a new insight into the 'hidden' life of Prince John. It has always been said that he was lonely at Wood Farm. Poliakoff quotes a letter written by Queen Alexandra, 'I found him playing football with Charlotte and the other ladies of his household! He is very proud of his house but is longing for a companion … he came rushing up to see me.'11 Well, he may have been lonely on this particular day for some reason, or have missed other boys, but he did have a companion. Winifred Thomas was an eight-year-old from Yorkshire who suffered from asthma and was sent to live in the country with her uncle and aunt. Her uncle, George Stratton, was the riding master at Sandringham. Soon after Winifred's arrival the Strattons received a visit from Queen Mary and Mrs Bill, who were looking for a friend for John. Winifred's delicacy probably recommended her to them and after the visit she played with the Prince almost every day. When he was ill she sat by his bed while Mrs Bill read to them. They went on nature walks together and worked in the garden. No date is given for Winifred's arrival but it must have happened long before the move to Wood Farm: among her memories as related by her daughter was a bicycle chase with Prince Olaf of Norway, and he would not have been in England during First World War. It is said in the article that she played with John for about six years; they were probably about the same age.

Winifred continued to be close to John during the war. She remembered his excitement at watching zeppelins passing over Sandringham in 1916 and his pleasure in meeting 'a real, live soldier', her father Sergeant Frederick Thomas who visited that same year. She also remembered his mother as a loving and interested parent who spent a lot of time with her son - another departure from the accepted view. And Poliakoff too emphasises Queen Mary's love for her son, though his portrayal of her tends to stiffness. He highlights a line that he found in the otherwise very restrained pages of her diary, written some days after John's death, 'Miss the dear child very much indeed' - a few words that encapsulate her grief and loss.12

Queen Mary's diary comments on her son's death are familiar and often quoted, but Poliakoff also highlights her description of the funeral.
Tuesday 21st 1919. Canon Dalton & Dr Brownhill conducted the service which was awfully sad and touching. Many of our own people and the villagers were present. We thanked all Johnnie's servants who have been so good and faithful to him.13 She was genuinely moved by their loyalty and went further than simply thanking them. Thomas Haverly's daughter was given John's blackboard, which in time passed on through her own family, and Winifred was given a number of his books with Queen Mary's own hand-written inscription, 'In memory of our dear little Prince.' She also treasured photographs of him, her own diary notes of their time together and letters. One of these, written by John to her uncle who had broken his arm in a riding accident, reads,
Dear Mr Stratton,
I hope your arm is better. Are you going to church? With my love from John - which again shows sympathy on the Prince's part and interest in the people around him. Given Poliakoff's twin themes, the life and death of the child and the simultaneous breakdown of the confident world into which he was born, this might have been an entirely tragic piece. The parallel would be so obvious: as the child's life is torn apart by illness the adult world loses control of events and is itself torn apart. But, to the dramatist's credit, he has avoided the obvious and found another, more hopeful ending. His intention in The Lost Prince was always liberate Prince John from the negative, using his story to celebrate his existence, and, by implication, the existence of other children like him. So, as the adult world in The Lost Prince gives way under the strain of war, 'Johnnie' gains a personal triumph and touches them with the freedom and joy of his spirit. From the time his condition is diagnosed the adults around him have concluded that he will never be capable of very much. But in the privacy of his own hidden world, coached and encouraged by his nurse, he has learned things in his own way and, shortly before his death, he gives a recital for the family at Sandringham. They are tired, aged and drained, he is full of life and his optimism reaches them. Poliakoff himself refers to this as a 'healing' moment. Dramatic invention, of course, but a very creative invention, and the drama's ending, in which Prince George and Mrs Bill, walking away from the grave, look back at the remembered image of John and George says, 'he was the only one of us who was able to be himself' is entirely appropriate and, in context, very moving.14 Perhaps, at last, we are beginning to move to a better understanding of the story.

The Lost Prince is available on BBC video and DVD (with additional documentaries on the making of the programme and on Poliakoff's other work and a scene by scene commentary by the author, including details of the locations used in the filming); the screenplay, again with the author's comments is a Methuen paperback, priced £9.99.