The Report 2

The Report - An Analysis

How much of the Report is true we will never know - there was certainly strange midnight goings-on in the Castles, particularly in the Pavilions at Linderhof. The peasants of the Alps, Ludwig's most loyal subjects, knew their King hosted parties were strange 'horse-play' went on.

It's interesting to note that after Ludwig's death, most of the claims in the Report were withdrawn by the late King's servants. For instance, except for a few boxed ears that were immediately compensated for with large gifts of money and diamond-studded watches, no servant ever remembered anyone being beaten.

But by seeing what Ludwig was condemned of, was he insane?

At this point it would be interesting to look at the Report's findings, and view them with 1990's eyes. I'll dissect the findings one by one -

• Because one's brother suffers from a mental illness, does the whole family suffer the same?

• Hiding behind a screen of flowers shows us Ludwig's acute shyness and the fact that he truly suffered at these Balls.

• Why did Ludwig like to play children's games with his servants early in his reign? Firstly, because he was never allowed to have a childhood when he was a child, as his parents were brutal to him; and second, he was only 18 years old when he succeeded to the throne, ie. in many respects, he was a child. Grooms dancing naked together were possibly lies created for the Report. But even if they were true, isn't everyone entitled to a private life?

• Ludwig would talk to himself at dinner because he didn't have something that we 'ordinary folk' have - friends. What would our lives be like if we didn't have any close friends?

• His fantasies about hitting the Queen Mother and bashing dead King Max would be natural feelings towards parents who raised him extremely strictly and harshly. Today we know what damage this kind of upbringing can have on a child.

• Ludwig's 'holy tree' and pillar at Linderhof show us he was merely superstitious. We all would have superstitious family members somewhere in our past. For instance, I remember my paternal Grandmother would put something blue on bee-stings to dull the pain, and was totally convinced that warts came from touching frogs and toads. My maternal Grandmother would throw salt over her left shoulder if she spilt any to avoid bad luck.

• What does a 'normal' person do if they are very excited? What would a 'normal' person do if they won a fortune in a lottery, for instance? Dance around making strange movements and pull your beard, if you had one?

• I personally know a few people I'd like to have flogged and deported. I think we all have a list like this in our minds.

• Servants sent to Capri and an obsession with Absolute Rule shows how Ludwig was eccentric. There is no denying he was a strange man, but as I asked earlier, was he insane, and a danger to other people? Was it justified to want to lock him away somewhere?

• As far as I personally am concerned, the final claim demonstrates how desperate the Conspirators were. To study a man's clothes after his meal, and draw conclusions about his mental health from the state of them is ludicrous. And why was Ludwig's eating habits so bad? By the 1880's, he had no teeth left, as dental hygiene was almost unknown in the 19th cent. and the King loved sweets. Eat a large meal with no teeth, and what would one's clothes be like? The majority of people had bad teeth in those days, hence a lack of smiles in early photographs.

The Report was compiled and signed by Dr Gudden, head psychiatrist at the Munich Asylum, and one of the leading psychiatrists of his day in Germany. He had never met Ludwig, let alone examined him. The Report was compiled exclusively from the stories and tattle-tales of spies in the Castles, and ex-servants that had been discharged by Ludwig for misconduct, and supervised by Count von Holnstein, a servant who was notorious for his hatred of the King.

This must be one of History's most disgraceful documents.