On the 25th November 1120, Henry I left Normandy and sailed across the Channel to England. He left behind his son and heir, William Adelin, along with several of his illegitimate children, various other nobles, his nephew Stephen of Blois, and their servants. No doubt he assumed that he would see his son a few days later when they were both in England, perhaps reunited in Winchester or London.

Back in the harbour of Barfleur, William was proving to be a generous host. The wine had been opened, the crew were joining in with what was proving to be a high-spirited afternoon, and more people slowly joined in the fun. Stephen of Blois left, reportedly due to illness, as did several others, but as evening fell there were three hundred people on board who were all determined to have a good time. The White Ship was reportedly acknowledged as being one of the best of it's kind, only the best would be used for the heir to the English throne of course. With this in mind some of the party began to encourage the crew to start a race. King Henry's ship had got a good head start on them, but the channel was relatively calm, there was a good wind, and they had the best ship. Surely they could surprise the King by overtaking his ship in the night and beating him to England. Instead of Henry waiting for his son, he would wake to find William waiting for him.

With their pride now at stake, the crew agreed. It was now dark, and everyone had drunk a bit too much. Barfleur harbour could be difficult to leave safely if you weren't used to it, and while the captain (a man named Thomas Fitzstephen) had plenty of experience, he'd also had plenty to drink as well. The White Ship never reached the Channel, as it left the harbour it hit a rock, and quickly began to sink.

In the dark night there was panic on board. A few forward-thinking people managed to launch a small boat from the side and get William Adelin in to it. As the heir to the English throne he was the most important person on board, his life could not be forfeit under any circumstances. The sound of his friends crying out for help as the water couldn't help but move the young Prince, especially when he recognised the screams of his half-sister, Matilda Countess of Perche. Ignoring the danger, William ordered his little crew of rowers to turn back around and help him rescue the Countess. But as the little boat moved towards her, others in the water clawed desperately at it, begging for help. The boat was capsized, throwing William and his rescuers in to the freezing cold November water.

When dawn rose on 26th November, it found one man left alive in Barfleur harbour; a butcher from Rouen. Everyone else, including William Adelin, had drowned. Not only would this prove devastating to King Henry I, but in the long-term it would also lead to the period of civil war known as The Anarchy.