"Bonnie Prince Charlie"

The fabled "Bonnie Prince Charlie" is a well known figure in Scottish history. He is the tragic hero of the Jacobite story, a true tale of romanticism and a fight to honour a King. However the folklore which as grown up around the legendary Jacobite rebellion is subject to a great deal of poetic licence. The "Bonnie Prince" in his plaids is a shortbread tin image and his handsome portrait has sparked off many a romantic ballad.

The Historical account of the 1745 Jacobite Uprising is indeed dramatic and as gory and exciting as you would expect a 18th Century Highland rebellion to be. There can be no doubt that Prince Charles Edward Stuart, son of James Stuart the exiled King of Scotland, was a remarkably charismatic young man. He had never set foot in Scotland until the age of 25 when he arrived to claim back the throne of his ancestral homeland. He persuaded thousands of men to fight in his honour and came a long way towards succeeding - certainly surpassing his father's efforts in the Uprising of 1715.

To the people of Scotland at the time, the young Prince from over-the-water was a great source of curiosity. As tales of his campaign, battles won and barons won over, were told throughout the land he became what we would call a household name. His celebrity status grew and grew. The travelling story tellers or balladeers did the job of our tabloid newspapers - they travelled from place to place entertaining and informing the locals with stories and songs. Of course it was in their interest to embellish the stories, and with a handsome Prince they inevitably played up the romantic element for the ladies. So the myth of Bonnie Prince Charlie was born, and still he has a cult following to this day. Evidence of this are the thousands of artefacts which have surfaced over time - treasured by their owners for their significance to the Prince. Cups his lips had touched, scraps of material, brooches, locks of his hair - just a few of the items that have found their way into our Museum collection in the Prince's name. Some are genuine, others are not so genuine! Add to this the many items adorned by the Prince's image - from the exquisite to the truly hideous - and you can see where Bonnie Prince Charlie fits neatly alongside "Beatle Mania" or any other of-the-moment celebrity as a source of national hysteria.

Bonnie Prince Charlie is a concept fixed in time to 1745/1746. The enduring image is one of the Prince as a coy, smiling and hopeful young man in pursuit of his destiny. Pictures of the Prince in the later years of life tell a very different story. Tired looking and bloated, the years of bitter disappointment are etched on a face which shows no trace of the spirit he displayed in his youth. He had returned to France with high hopes, still intent on seizing the British throne and determined to raise troops and funds for a second attempt. He knew of the hardship his Scottish countrymen were enduring under the rule of George II, and felt that he must deliver the promised release. He felt sure the Jacobites would rise for him again, but he knew he had to act quickly. But time wore on and he became increasingly frustrated by the lack of support or enthusiasm for his cause. He was particularly disappointed in his younger brother, Henry, whom he'd hoped would join him on a return to Scotland. Although they were happy to play host to the exiled royals, both the French and Spanish governments were too afraid of the British to aid the Stuarts in a fresh attack.

As the Prince grew old he became increasingly dis-spirited and bitter as he saw his dreams crushed. He married late in life, at the age of 52 and though he and his wife, Princess Louise of Stolberg had no children, the Prince had an illegitimate daughter, Charlotte, born in 1753 to his mistress Clementina Walkinshaw. He refused to acknowledge his only heir until 5 years before his death when, alone and in ill health he became glad of her company. It was in Rome on January 31st 1788 when he eventually died in her arms.

© West Highland Museum 2004

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