Lord Alfred Douglas Lord Alfred Douglas Lord Alfred Bruce Douglas (22 October 187020 March 1945), nicknamed Bosie, was a British author, poet, translator, and political commentator, better known as the friend and lover of Oscar Wilde. Much of his early poetry was Uranian in theme, though he tended, later in life, to distance himself from both Wilde's influence and his own role as a Uranian poet. Politically he would describe himself as "a strong Conservative of the 'Diehard' variety". Douglas was born at Ham Hill House in Powick, Worcestershire, the third son of The Most Hon. The 9th Marquess of Queensberry and his
Lord Alfred Douglas In 1895, when during his trials Wilde was released on bail, Douglas's cousin Sholto Johnstone Douglas stood surety for £500 of the bail money. The prosecutor opted to retry the case. Wilde was convicted on 25 May 1895 and sentenced to two years' hard labour, first at Pentonville, then Wandsworth, then famously in Reading Gaol. Douglas was forced into exile in Europe. While in prison, Wilde wrote Douglas a long and critical letter titled "De Profundis", describing exactly what he felt about him, which Wilde was not permitted to send, but which may or may not have been sent to