Product Description

This work tells the love story of the royal couple against the changing background of 19th-century Germany. It looks at the differing political sympathies of the couple, revealed through letters, and re-examines the prevailing view that the domineering Vicky never bothered to conceal her distaste for everything Prussian and flaunting her sense of British superiority. In many ways ahead of her time, she was something of a pioneer feminist, refusing to accept the oft-accepted maxim that women were second-class citizens. Insufficient consideration has been given to her health and the possibility that her judgement and reason may sometimes have been affected, albeit mildly, by the family's inheritance of porphyria that led to the 'madness' of her great-grandfather George III.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #153304 in Books
• Published on: 2002-07-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Customer Reviews

Masterful biography of a tragic ruling couple.
This is the latest book by the UK's most prolific royal author, and he is as readable as ever. It's a story that has been told before - but in separate books devoted to the protagonists individually. John's approach is different because he weaves both their stories together skilfully so you can concentrate on them as a team rather than as an individual with a sidekick. Politics is an inevitable feature, but it doesn't dominate and their personalities shine through. What makes most impact is the measure of criticism that they received as a couple and how they might have buckled under the pressure if they hadn't been able to sustain each other. There's a nice choice of illustrations - John has managed to find a few unusual pictures of the main protagonists that haven't appeared before. And a marvellous cover utilising a little known Winterhalter. Mustn't forget the very useful family trees. A very fair portrait of two characters who might have been very powerful and sane voices in world politics.