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Dearest Mama: Private Correspondence of Queen Victoria and the Crown Princess of Prussia, 1861-64
Dearest Private Correspondence of Queen Victoria and the Crown Princess of Prussia, 1861-64
- GenresHistory
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1968
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 11, 2017
I haven't given up on my Queen Victoria spree, and have three more volumes of these letters to follow. The first volume (1858-1861) covered the events leading to Vicky's marriage and ending with Albert's death. This volume covers Bertie's marriage to Alix, the rise of Bismark, and the Schleswig-Holstein Question/War. If you care about that war, then this book will be a treasured favorite, because the two women (very pro-German) endlessly talk about it--but makes sense that they were worried about it, having both German and Danish family members, and home presses hostile to the claimants. But even with the Queen being very pro German on the question, she was still not happy about reports of Prussian war crimes: "It is only because I do feel so much for the honour of the Prussian Army that I was so distressed...Only I do pray for an armistice now; those wretched Danes have suffered very much, and it is sad to think of poor Alix's poor countrymen being killed in such numbers"
The chatty informality of the letters does help bring history to life--I eventually shared the Queen's exasperation of how long it took her daughter to answer (pretty basic imo) questions. Like it took weeks of letters to get the answer on if she preferred a half length or full Hinterwalter painting. Also, virtually any one, date, or life event can be somehow brought back around to the subject of Albert (who of course was one of the only 3 people in the world who truly understood the S-H Problem).
Prince Alfred is in disfavor for most of this volume--"a slippy youth," who had disgraced himself also with a prostitute, and so the female relations were trawling around trying to find a suitable bride for him. However, for all the aspersions cast on Victoria as a mom--she doesn't come off too badly here. Reminding Vicky about her brother: "poor good Leopold ought not to have been forgotten. He suffers so often, and leads so sad and solitary a life. A pretty classical German book would give him such pleasure and if you would ask the Queen to send him her print, he would be delighted."
If you read biographies on either women, you get the impression that they were entombed in gloomy cold courts--but so far in reading six years of letters, they sure seemed to travel a bunch--Italy, all around Germany, France--and interesting how interested both of them were on Garibaldi, who routinely pops into these letters. But a good chunk of their letters involve travel, arranging travel for their large parties. George Eliot seems to have been passed over in their new shared fandom of Tennyson, who is described as "shy"--after like 1862, a pretty sizable portion of Victoria's letters either quote him or her plans to get his quotes up on monuments.
The rest of the letters detail their plans for this, the Albert Memorial.
The chatty informality of the letters does help bring history to life--I eventually shared the Queen's exasperation of how long it took her daughter to answer (pretty basic imo) questions. Like it took weeks of letters to get the answer on if she preferred a half length or full Hinterwalter painting. Also, virtually any one, date, or life event can be somehow brought back around to the subject of Albert (who of course was one of the only 3 people in the world who truly understood the S-H Problem).
Prince Alfred is in disfavor for most of this volume--"a slippy youth," who had disgraced himself also with a prostitute, and so the female relations were trawling around trying to find a suitable bride for him. However, for all the aspersions cast on Victoria as a mom--she doesn't come off too badly here. Reminding Vicky about her brother: "poor good Leopold ought not to have been forgotten. He suffers so often, and leads so sad and solitary a life. A pretty classical German book would give him such pleasure and if you would ask the Queen to send him her print, he would be delighted."
If you read biographies on either women, you get the impression that they were entombed in gloomy cold courts--but so far in reading six years of letters, they sure seemed to travel a bunch--Italy, all around Germany, France--and interesting how interested both of them were on Garibaldi, who routinely pops into these letters. But a good chunk of their letters involve travel, arranging travel for their large parties. George Eliot seems to have been passed over in their new shared fandom of Tennyson, who is described as "shy"--after like 1862, a pretty sizable portion of Victoria's letters either quote him or her plans to get his quotes up on monuments.
The rest of the letters detail their plans for this, the Albert Memorial.
March 3, 2011
Vicky and Queen Victoria in all their unedited glory. I couldn't believe just how amusing some of these letters were and the last few letters concerning Albert's death were so sad. I have always loved reading about Queen Victoria, but had very rarely read anything by her, other than extracts from letters or diaries or her Highland Journals, which were heavily edited for their wider audience. However, these letters were a joy to read and wonderfully edited by Roger Fulford who deserves some sort of medal for having to tackle Victoria's appalling handwriting.
For anyone who thinks that Queen Victoria was boring or humourless, read this and then decide.
For anyone who thinks that Queen Victoria was boring or humourless, read this and then decide.
July 29, 2010
All of the compiled letters in Roger Fulford's series give such a wonderful insight into the lives of Queen Victoria and the royalties of the age. There is such an innocence about these letters...something that transports the reader to another place, the pre-World War age of everything moving along in an almost timeless fashion. They are also filled with such amusing comments from Queen Victoria, which prove her to be anything but 'unamused'.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews