Revelations about the royal family in Old Newgate

Fallen London
1

When you taste honey from Old Newgate, the text seems to imply that multiple royal family members, not just the Captivating Princess, were aware of how red honey is produced and actively took part in its production (&quotprinces and the princesses watching and partaking&quot). One of the people who gets tortured is &quota friend of a prince&quot. I know the royals in real life were not great people, but I guess I’m surprised that they would go so far as to put their former friends in a torture dungeon. My theory before this event was that the red honey was produced from random people kidnapped off the street and sold to the royal family, who, other than the Captivating Princess, may have not been aware of where it came from.

Is there any reason to believe that the historical children of Victoria were this twisted? Or is it purely an invention of Fallen London? It’s not really a big deal, but it makes me uncomfortable that real people who actually lived are being portrayed this way if there isn’t historical precedent for it.

2

Queen Victoria ruled over Ireland during the Great Hunger, a famine that killed many and could easily have been solved by England. Nobody was allowed to give more to them than the queen, so donations got reduced because hers was a quite low token gesture. Under her rule, India was looted and also often starved.

Is it okay when it’s a country of strangers vs a single friend?

3

You’re right, &quotcomplicit to genocide&quot would be more accurate than &quotnot great people&quot. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to diminish their culpability for the crimes of the Empire. I just wonder whether being personally involved in torture is something that is consistent with what we know of their personality in real life. Even if we don’t think there is a moral difference between allowing colonized subjects to starve vs. torturing Londoners, is that not a distinction that nationalist British aristocrats of the time would make?
edited by collocations on 7/27/2021

4

Fair enough! I suppose I don’t think it matters too much when the people are this clearly fictionalized. They are also now physically inhuman.

I suppose the whole thing gives an impression to me as them spiraling into decadence with their general separation from the Surface world, not really a statement on anything they’d do in real life.