John was christened on 3 August 1905 in the parish church of St Mary Magdalene at Sandringham, with the Reverend Canon John Neale Dalton officiating.

As a grandchild of the reigning British monarch in the male line, and a son of the Prince of Wales, he was formally styled His Royal Highness Prince John of Wales from birth. At the time of his birth, he was sixth in the line of succession to the throne, behind his father and four older brothers. He was named John despite that name's unlucky associations for the royal family, but was informally known as 'Johnnie'. He was the youngest child and fifth son of George, Prince of Wales, and Mary, Princess of Wales. John was born at York Cottage on the Sandringham Estate on 12 July 1905, at 3:05 am, during the reign of his paternal grandfather, King Edward VII. Birth The Princess of Wales with her four youngest children, c. But contrary to the belief that he was hidden from the public from an early age, for most of his life John was a fully-fledged member of the family, appearing frequently in public until after his eleventh birthday, when his condition became severe. John's seclusion was subsequently brought forward as evidence of the royal family's inhumanity. His illness was disclosed to the wider public only after his death. He died at Sandringham in 1919 after a severe seizure, and was buried at nearby St Mary Magdalene Church. There, he was cared for by his governess, 'Lala' Bill, and befriended local children whom his mother had gathered to be his playmates. In 1916, as his condition deteriorated, he was sent to live at Sandringham House and kept away from the public eye. In 1909, it was discovered that John had epilepsy. In 1910, John's father succeeded to the throne upon Edward VII's death, and John became fifth in the line of succession to the British throne. At the time of his birth, his father was heir apparent to John's grandfather Edward VII.

Prince John (John Charles Francis 12 July 1905 – 18 January 1919) was the fifth son and youngest of the six children of King George V and Queen Mary.

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