The Duke of Kent May Have Been Assassinated
The royal family's "black sheep" was Prince George. Nowadays, Royals get a lot of attention for accomplishing quite unremarkable things. George made headlines in the 1930s and 1940s for supposedly consuming cocaine and heroin frequently. Additionally, it was claimed that he had several affairs with both men and women. It was completely intolerable at the moment, especially for that family.
The Prince was assigned a military mission in 1942. He was tasked with traveling to Iceland to check out some air force installations there. Being a member of the Royal Air Force himself, this was not at all unusual, and the mission was as routine as they could make it. From Cromarty Firth in Scotland, George was scheduled to travel in a Sunderland Mk III to Iceland. The Sunderland was a big plane with a weak engine, designed for flying over water, not landing. Due to the majority of the journey being over water, this was not an issue. When it wasn't.
The flight deviated from its intended course for an unidentified reason. It traveled inland rather than hugging the coast and going to Iceland. It was rumored that the Prince himself may have taken over as a prank to stir up interest in his cousin's land. However, this was never verified.
Even with its inadequate power, the aircraft was unable to fly at a safe altitude. Before the plane crashed head-on into mountains, witnesses in the Highlands claimed to have heard the sound of its engines. It detonated after being loaded with thousands of litres of fuel.
Since the disaster itself, rumors have circulated that the Royal family plotted it as a means of getting rid of the problematic Duke. The exact specifics of the incident are unknown because all evidence and investigations that were conducted after the crash appear to have been lost. The reality is at best hazy in light of all the conspiracy ideas.
Born: Prince George of Wales20 December 1902York Cottage, Sandringham, Norfolk, England
Died: 25 August 1942 (aged 39)Morven, Caithness, Scotland
