31. A brush with death proved to be the making of Edward and won him the support of his people
In the autumn of 1870, it looked like the British public were warming to the idea of a republic. Many looked across the water to France, where the Emperor Napoleon III had been deposed and replaced with a progressive Third Republic. Palace insiders quietly feared that Britain’s royal family was at risk of being ousted in the same way. Luckily for them, Prince Edward fell seriously ill in late 1871. His brush with death was a huge PR coup for the Palace. The public rallied behind their heir apparent and his recovery from typhoid fever was greeted with celebrations across the country.