Editing The Royal Family

''Only the oldest child is absent: the Empress' Shadow, who did not Fall."''<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Gift_(Story) The Gift, ''Fallen London'']</ref></blockquote>After an unfortunate episode involving [[Prisoner's Honey|gaoler's honey]] that took place sometime in 1870s, all of [[the Empress]]' children save two have been transformed into monsters. One stayed on the Surface, and [[the Captivating Princess]], who was born in the Neath, managed to avoid the effects (at least superficially). One may see the siblings as they were before, but only in a mirror.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Gift_(Story) The Gift, ''Fallen London''] "''In the mirror, the company dines with poise. Knives cut sensible morsels. Silver forks dip. Behind you, you hear flesh tear. A crack, as a bone splits lengthways. Insistent, grisly chewing."''</ref> Thanks to this predicament, many of the royal children suffer from severe insecurities and other character flaws, but they still seem to retain sapience despite their appearances. Their quarters are hidden beneath the Shuttered Palace, locked behind five locked doors.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_wine_cellars_of_the_Palace The wine cellars of the Palace, ''Fallen London''] ''"The cellars under the Shuttered Palace are constantly guarded and protected by five doors with five locks. There must be something interesting down there."''</ref>

In the real world, Victoria blamed Bertie's carousing for Prince Consort Albert's death, but Bertie succeeded her as Edward VII anyway. Prince Albert Victor died of influenza in 1892; he avoided this fate in the timeline of ''Fallen London.''

'''Princess Alice Maud Mary '''(born April 25th, 1843) has become "the Serpentine Coils."<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Gift_(Story) The Gift, ''Fallen London''] ''"The carcass of a goat stretches across the table. Around it, horrors congregate. [...] The next chair is filled with flopping serpentine coils."''</ref> In the mirror, sheis a tall, thin, and neat woman wearing a brocaded gown.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Gift_(Story) The Gift, ''Fallen London''] ''"[...] After him comes the Dutiful Daughter, angular and neat. Is it the hem of her brocaded gown that makes that noise? Like slithering coils?"''</ref>

She married the Prince of Hesse in Germany; her youngest daughter Alexandra (now Tsarina of Russia) is known to exist, born in 1872, so we may presume she raised her family on the Surface as in real life, making only occasional visits to London. Her final trip to England was in late 1876, so perhaps it was around this time that the siblings all took red honey. In the real world, she provided comfort to Prince Consort Albert as he died, then provided moral support to her mother, but their relationship was rather turbulent toward the end of Alice's life. Historically, Princess Alice died of diphtheria in 1878.

'''Prince Alfred Ernest Albert '''(born August 6th, 1844), nicknamed "Affie," is now "the Shadow with Teeth,"<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Gift_(Story) The Gift, ''Fallen London''] ''"The carcass of a goat stretches across the table. Around it, horrors congregate. In the Brooding Captain's chair crouches a thing of blackness and teeth. [...]"''</ref> a black mass of razor sharp teeth with a long red tongue.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Gift_(Story) The Gift, ''Fallen London''] ''"You dart into the passage as razored teeth clash at your heels. The floor vanishes beneath you, and you tumble through the splinters of a ruined stair. You land hard, but feet-first. Above you, your hunter shrieks in rage. You see a winding red tongue; tatters of something ragged caught in its teeth."''</ref> His current form doesn't have limbs, so he's restricted in his actions.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Gift_(Story) The Gift, ''Fallen London''] ''"Someone has driven iron stakes into the wall the stair once stood against. You could climb back up, if you needed. The shadow could not. Perhaps that is why it rumbles at you from the doorway, rather than leaping down."''</ref> He has a rivalry with [[the Captivating Princess]].<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Gift_(Story) The Gift, ''Fallen London''] ''""It's very selfish of you to keep her like this, Alfred," the Princess sighs. "You're forcing your own foibles on her. She could be better. So could you." The Brooding Captain grinds his teeth. There is the sound of sabres clashing."''</ref>

In the mirror, he's a heavy-set man with gleaming Admiralty medals adorned on his person.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Gift_(Story) The Gift, ''Fallen London''] ''"The first to enter is the Brooding Captain. You watch his medals gleam in the mirror. Though he is a heavy-set man, he makes no more noise than a shadow. [...]"''</ref> In the real world, he joined the Royal Navy at the age of 14, and became captain of the ''HMS Galatea'' in 1867 at the age of 22. In ''Fallen London,'' he brought the ship down to the Neath;<ref>[https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Adam%27s_Way Adam's Way] - ''Deliver the snuffer to the Avuncular Broker'' - "Inside is a chart, its folds stiff with zee-salt. The corner is stamped with the seal of the Empress herself. It is labelled 'First voyage of the ''Galatea'', 1867' and shows a tenuous, roving course across the Unterzee."</ref> in real life, he remained in his position on the Galatea until 1879 before being promoted and assigned to other ships.

'''Princess Helena Augusta Victoria '''(born May 25th, 1846) has become "an abhorrence of rusting quills."<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Gift_(Story) The Gift, ''Fallen London''] ''"[...] An abhorrence of rusting quills screams at you, flaring its spines like an iron sun."''</ref> She has a unique taste for red honey that's distinct from her siblings; namely, she partakes in honey extracted only from one individual, who is kept separate from the other prisoners. Her discarded poetry also litters the floor of the Palace. In the real world, she helped write a biography of Prince Consort Albert and translated several books from German to English. She was considerably devastated when her father died, and began to court Albert's librarian, who was dismissed when the flirtation was discovered.

'''[[The Recalcitrant Sculptress|Princess Louise Caroline Alberta]] '''(born March 18th, 1848) is "the gaunt thing with a coat of glass feathers."<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Gift_(Story) The Gift, ''Fallen London''] ''"[...] a gaunt thing shivers in a coat of glass feathers. [...]"''</ref> Since her transformation into a monster thanks to the effects of red honey, her sculptures have taken on the appearance of horrifying and warped humanoid shapes.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Gift_(Story) The Gift, ''Fallen London''] ''"Before each step, you nudge the feathers aside with your toe. The glassy sounds are shrill in the cellars' hush. There are shapes in the dark: statues. The Recalcitrant Sculptress was gifted when she still had hands. Now, her works are crude; as twisted as dying oaks. This one has a set of stubby, vestigial arms protruding from the sides of its head. Another, further in, has a narrow torso covered in mouths. You pass between the monstrous statues as swiftly as you dare."''</ref> She was known as the prettiest of Victoria's daughters and a skilled artist. In our world, she pursued an artistic career despite her royal status, and enrolled in the National Art Training School in 1863. She ultimately produced several famous sculptures.

<blockquote>''"It was all and yet none of these. You must return, and return again, until you have eaten your way through to your own rotten core, and devoured it. Until then, this torture is no less than you deserve."<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Crown_of_Thorns A Crown of Thorns, ''Fallen London'']</ref>''</blockquote>'''[[The Bellicose Prince|Prince Arthur William Patrick Albert]] '''(born May 1st, 1850) has become "the weeping horse-sized grub."<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Gift_(Story) The Gift, ''Fallen London''] ''"The carcass of a goat stretches across the table. Around it, horrors congregate. [...] A weeping, horse-sized grub half-mounts the table [...]"''</ref> He fought in the [[The Campaign of '68|Campaign of '68]] against [[Hell]], but his refusal to surrender<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Crown_of_Thorns A Crown of Thorns, ''Fallen London''] ''"The lieutenant is a coward, and will not advance. When a rider brings him an envelope, you intercept it. It contains orders to retreat. Your heartbeat quickens. This campaign is your last chance for glory, and if you return to London—You burn the letter."''</ref> combined with his later desertion<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Crown_of_Thorns A Crown of Thorns, ''Fallen London''] ''"Alone, you crawl up an outcrop and fumble for your field-glasses. You watch helplessly as devils storm the glowing trenches, and herd the rest of the platoon into cages. This is your doing."''</ref> took a massive toll on his self-image. He would then consume his own red honey as "penance",<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Crown_of_Thorns A Crown of Thorns, ''Fallen London''] ''"For weeks, you let the bees tear away pieces of your mind. You relive the torture every time you swallow your own honey, but the agony is nothing to that of confronting yourself. Sometimes, the pain recedes enough for you to see what is happening to your body, but it comes as no surprise. This new form matches who you have always been."''</ref> turning him into the maggot of a man he thought he always was.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Crown_of_Thorns A Crown of Thorns, ''Fallen London''] ''"Back at the palace, you stare at the military murals in disgust. Perhaps if you could understand how you became so despicable, you could reverse the process."''</ref> In our world, he spent his life in the military, and was said to be Victoria's favorite child. In the ''Fallen London'' timeline, however, it appears she paid him little mind.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Crown_of_Thorns A Crown of Thorns, ''Fallen London''] ''"When the day is won, you march to your mother's room to inform her of your triumph, but she closes the door in your face."''</ref>

'''Prince Leopold George Duncan '''(born April 7th, 1853) had hemophilia, a blood disorder common among the royal families of Europe, which left him in poor health. In the ''Fallen London'' timeline, he has [[Death|died]], and it's unknown whether he recovered or not. Historically, he was made the Duke of Albany in 1881 and died in 1884.

'''[[The Playful Prodigy|Princess Beatrice Mary Victoria Feodore]] '''(born April 14th, 1857) is "the spider-thing with face-hands and needle-fingers."<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Gift_(Story) The Gift, ''Fallen London''] ''"The Playful Prodigy makes no sound as she stirs from the ceiling. You do not hear her unfold her spindly limbs. You do not see her long hands reach down, or the frightened, child-like faces that peer from each palm. You feel the needled finger, though, as it pricks a vein in your neck. Sharp as a bee sting."''</ref> She was originally supposed to marry Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte; this would imply that the Anglo-Zulu war, in which Louis-Napoleon died (ending the marriage plans), did not happen thanks to the Fall. Furthermore, the existence of the Bonapartist separatist faction in France further implies that the Bonaparte dynasty does not have the relevance it did historically. In our world, Beatrice was babied by her mother, became Victoria's constant companion after Albert's death, and married a German prince (to Victoria's exasperation at losing her innocent baby daughter).

 

In the ''Sunless Skies'' timeline, Beatrice was able to return to human form. '''The Generous Princess''', as she's now known, is notorious for her extravagant (and extremely dangerous) gifts and services and is the center of society in [[New London]].<ref>[https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/London#The_Silken_Salon The Silken Salon, ''Sunless Skies''] ''"The Generous Princess manages many affairs of court. She cultivates alliances, forms opinions, sets trends, makes introductions, suggests promotions and dismantles reputations. She attracts rumours like a lantern attracts moths. It's said that she fears the light of the suns, and that her gifts inevitably destroy the recipients. She can sometimes be found in her salon, where she welcomes visiting captains."''</ref>

'''[[The Captivating Princess]]''' was born during the year of [[The Fall of London|the Fall]], and thus does not have a historical counterpart. Unlike her siblings, she has retained her human form, which is also unnaturally beautiful;<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Gift_(Story) The Gift, ''Fallen London''] ''"Only the Captivating Princess looks as she did in the mirror. Among the nightmares, her beauty is worst of all. It rakes your eyes like fire. Mercifully, your senses flee."''</ref> it is implied that she exchanged her body for its [[Parabolan]] counterpart in order to remain human.