September 18, 2020
A Most English Princess by Claire McHugh
Victoria, Princess Royal, was the first-born child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Intelligent and outspoken, at age 17, she married the Prussian prince who would later become Emperor Frederick III and went to live with him in Prussia. Although their married life was happy and they had eight children together, the political climate was tense and Vicky found the court etiquette to be restrictive. From the beginning, the aristocracy and their Prussian subjects did not trust Vicky, feeling she was too English and would always support causes that benefited the land of her birth. Vicky and her husband Fritz favored a parliamentary government based on the English system and backed progressive causes, but were strongly opposed by Fritz's father and his chancellor Bismarck.
Extensively researched, this is a very well-written historical novel about a lesser known historical figure. You can see the roots of the wars to come in the 20th century. However, I have to say that I would have preferred more about Vicky and less about the politics of the time. The constant infighting in the Prussian royal family and the wars grew repetitious after awhile. There were also a lot of guys named Frederick and nicknamed Fritz! Unfortunately, the novel ends when Vicky is 30, before her husband even becomes emperor. Personally, I would rather have heard more about the last 30 years of Vicky's life rather than to have them very briefly glossed over in the epilogue.
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