10. A Pampered Prince
Prince William the Aetheling (1103 – 1120) was the heir and only legitimate son of King Henry I of England. He was also the Duke of Normandy in his own right. William was spoiled rotten, and per a contemporary chronicler, he was pampered so much that it was clear he was “destined to be food for the fire“. That indulgence had fatal consequences, as the young prince got himself killed in a silly accident. It occurred in November 1120, after a diplomatic visit to France, when a fleet was assembled to transport the royal party across the English Channel back to England.
Seventeen-year-old Prince William made plans to cross in the White Ship, the English navy’s proudest and fastest ship. He and his companions turned the affair into a wild party and delayed the crossing while they got rip-roaring drunk on shore with the ship’s crew. Then, in a state of high intoxication, the prince and his entourage, which numbered about 300 people, boarded the White Ship to make a nighttime crossing. King Henry had sailed hours earlier, and without anyone to say him nay, the spoiled prince had an idiot idea that led to a great tragedy.
