Bertie had been staying with Lord Londesborough at the end of October 1871, and following this visit he and his fellow guest the Earl of Chesterfield (and a groom from Sandringham, Charles Blegge) came down with typhoid fever, from which Lord Chesterfield and Blegge died, suggesting the source of infection was somewhere on the Londesborough estate. Bertie and Alix had gone to Sandringham in early November for Bertie's birthday on the 9th of that month, but a few days after his birthday celebrations he complained of feeling unwell. The local doctor diagnosed typhoid, although this wasn't formally announced until 23 November. Princess Alice was staying with her children at Sandringham and stayed to nurse him - her children and their Wales cousins were sent to Windsor to be clear of infection. Queen Victoria came to Sandringham on the 29th November when Bertie's condition worsened "He was lying flat on his back, breathing very rapidly and loudly." As there was some improvement, she went back to Windsor two days later, but returned to Sandringham on the 8th December, summoned by the doctors because of yet another deterioration in Bertie's illness. He was seriously in danger on 13th December, and Dr Gull suggested a bulletin intimating the worst should be issued (Prince Alfred insisted however they should wait a little longer), but after the application of two bottles of old champagne brandy externally, Bertie slept quietly after 4am on the 14th, woke at 8am and drank a couple of glasses of ale, and slept again. The Queen returned to Windsor for Christmas, but Bertie's condition was not stable and he had several setbacks, necessitating the Queen's return to Sandringham on December 27th ("spasms with great difficulty of breathing..."), where she stayed until January 2nd, but on February 14th the Queen received "Dear Bertie" at Osborne, who looked "very delicate, very pale and thin and drawn - walks slowly, still a little lame, but is very cheerful and quite himself - only gentler and kinder than ever......"
