Background
On 8 September 1890, Sir William Gordon-Cumming and the Prince were among the guests at a house party at Tranby Croft, the country house of shipbuilder Sir Arthur Wilson. That evening the guests played baccarat, a gambling game which was illegal in England but was a favourite of the Prince. During the evening, Sir Arthur's son (Arthur) Stanley Wilson observed Sir William apparently cheating by altering the amount of the bets he had on the table after he won or lost a hand: he told his mother, his brother-in-law Edward Lycett Green, and his friend Berkeley Levett. The next evening Mr and Mrs Lycett Green and Mrs Wilson also saw Sir William cheating: he won a total of £228 during the two days of playing.
On the morning of 10 September, the guests conferred with courtiers Lord Coventry, Master of the Buckhounds, and Lieutenant-General Owen Williams, as to what they should do about Sir William's behaviour. They decided to inform the Prince and to confront Sir William. Sir William denied any wrongdoing but finally agreed to sign a pledge that he would never play cards again in exchange for an agreement that the matter would be kept secret.
The matter, however, did not remain secret; it quickly became common knowledge throughout the social circles inhabited by Sir William. Many believed that one of the people spreading the tale was Daisy, Lady Brooke, a notorious gossip nicknamed "Babbling Brooke", and the current mistress of the Prince of Wales. Sir William found himself ostracized by society.
Read more about this topic: Royal Baccarat Scandal
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