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Dearest Vicky, Darling Fritz: The Tragic Love Story of Queen Victoria's Eldest Daughter and the German Emperor
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.
278 pages, Hardcover
First published October 25, 2001
23 people are currently reading
586 people want to read
About the author
John van der Kiste
171 books51 followersJohn Van der Kiste, British author, was born in Wendover, Buckinghamshire, on September 15, 1954, son of Wing Commander Guy Van der Kiste (1912–99). He was educated at Blundell's School, Tiverton, where he briefly formed a rock band Cobweb with fellow pupil Miles Tredinnick, later vocalist with new wave band London and subsequently playwright and scriptwriter, and read Librarianship at Ealing Technical College, where he edited the librarians’ student magazine.
He has worked for several years in public and academic libraries, but is best known as a writer. His first book, Frederick III, appeared in 1981, and since then he has published over twenty historical biographies, as well as books on local history, true crime, rock music, a novel and a play. He is also a contributor to Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Guinness Rockopaedia, and has produced articles on historical, musical and art subjects in national and local journals, including Illustrated London News, Royalty Digest, European Royal History Journal, Best of British, BBC History Magazine, Record Collector, Antique Collector, This England, The Independent, and Gibbons Stamp Monthly. He has reviewed books and records for the press, written CD booklet notes, and between 1991 and 1996 edited the 70s rock fanzine Keep on Rockin.
In 2002 he was a consultant for the BBC TV documentary 'The King, the Kaiser and the Tsar', first screened in January 2003.
He married professional musician and teacher Kim Graham (née Geldard) in 2003 and lives in Devon.
He has worked for several years in public and academic libraries, but is best known as a writer. His first book, Frederick III, appeared in 1981, and since then he has published over twenty historical biographies, as well as books on local history, true crime, rock music, a novel and a play. He is also a contributor to Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Guinness Rockopaedia, and has produced articles on historical, musical and art subjects in national and local journals, including Illustrated London News, Royalty Digest, European Royal History Journal, Best of British, BBC History Magazine, Record Collector, Antique Collector, This England, The Independent, and Gibbons Stamp Monthly. He has reviewed books and records for the press, written CD booklet notes, and between 1991 and 1996 edited the 70s rock fanzine Keep on Rockin.
In 2002 he was a consultant for the BBC TV documentary 'The King, the Kaiser and the Tsar', first screened in January 2003.
He married professional musician and teacher Kim Graham (née Geldard) in 2003 and lives in Devon.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 9, 2014
Queen Victoria's eldest child married the man who was the third in line for the Prussian throne. He and she made a love match that lasted until his death, 30 years later. Both were politically acute and hoped to bring about a unification of Germany (which was then several smaller states) under a democratic government. Fritz's relations, however, would have none of that. Prussia should be first and foremost in the unification and it definitely should be a monarchy. Fritz and Vicky's dreams finally dimmed enough as if dead when Bismark was appointed Chancellor of Prussia and took the country down a very aggressive, military route. Fritz's father ruled over the eventual consolidation of the various states into Germany and, because there had already been smaller kings in those states, his title was changed to Kaiser, or Emperor. In the meantime, he stayed on the throne growing older and older while his son and daughter-in-law grew increasingly despondent. The first Kaiser lived to be 91 and his son took the throne in his 50s. However, Fritz only ruled for 3 months; he had developed throat cancer a few years before.
Vicky was always seen as an English interloper, someone who wanted to turn Prussia into England. She was always suspected of being a spy, not accepting Prussian customs or trying to fit into the country. Part of this was true. She was the apple of the eye of her father, the Prince Consort, Albert, and she had been raised to be independent, thoughtful and outspoken. She had, at 17 when she married him, at least as complete a knowledge of world politics as her new husband and they agreed on nearly everything. Fritz had the advantage of being Prussian and knew how best to approach the issues.
Perhaps Vicky's best "claim to fame" and it's an infamous fame at that, is having been the mother of Wilhelm II, the war monger Kaiser who turned Europe into a charnel house in pursuit of his goal of domination and retribution. There is too much history to go into here as explanation, but Wilhelm was a sociopath who scorned his parents his entire life and schemed to have the crown pass over his father to him, since his father was ill, the Prussian Constitution said that no one who was deathly ill could take the throne (it didn't - but you know how rumor grabs hold), and his grandfather wanted him to rule instead of his father. You almost wish that Vicky had miscarried that first child.
The story is well-written and helps outline much Prussian/German history that is fuzzy to most of us. Bismark becomes a flesh and blood person instead of just a monster (his universal draft was the reason my father's ancestors moved from Prussia to the US), and the love between Vicky and Fritz is beautifully described.
Victoria's children influenced much European history during her time and here is a good place to start finding out how they did.
Vicky was always seen as an English interloper, someone who wanted to turn Prussia into England. She was always suspected of being a spy, not accepting Prussian customs or trying to fit into the country. Part of this was true. She was the apple of the eye of her father, the Prince Consort, Albert, and she had been raised to be independent, thoughtful and outspoken. She had, at 17 when she married him, at least as complete a knowledge of world politics as her new husband and they agreed on nearly everything. Fritz had the advantage of being Prussian and knew how best to approach the issues.
Perhaps Vicky's best "claim to fame" and it's an infamous fame at that, is having been the mother of Wilhelm II, the war monger Kaiser who turned Europe into a charnel house in pursuit of his goal of domination and retribution. There is too much history to go into here as explanation, but Wilhelm was a sociopath who scorned his parents his entire life and schemed to have the crown pass over his father to him, since his father was ill, the Prussian Constitution said that no one who was deathly ill could take the throne (it didn't - but you know how rumor grabs hold), and his grandfather wanted him to rule instead of his father. You almost wish that Vicky had miscarried that first child.
The story is well-written and helps outline much Prussian/German history that is fuzzy to most of us. Bismark becomes a flesh and blood person instead of just a monster (his universal draft was the reason my father's ancestors moved from Prussia to the US), and the love between Vicky and Fritz is beautifully described.
Victoria's children influenced much European history during her time and here is a good place to start finding out how they did.
March 3, 2024
ROYAL READS PROJECT 2024
You know I understand Kaiser Willie had his quirks and his vitriolic tendencies but I truly wonder how much love received from his mother. The little I’ve read about him the more I sense absolutely zero bonding between the two. Whether he blamed his mother for those god awful treatments for his arm, or maybe he took out his anger and frustration with his hateful teacher on her who can say? I’m hoping the book I do have about him goes more in depth. It’s strange because i think I’m halfway through this book and I’ve learned nothing. It’s fine as an introduction to this family, but that’s all.
Finished and still agree with what I wrote above. So much focus on Bismarck a total butthole. Of course Willie is crazier than a cave of bats, crying once his mother was gone, but a complete spoiled child while she lived. I really didn’t notice any serious focus on the couple maybe because of Fritz’s illness suddenly just there in the storyline? I felt a lot of the story cut corners. So it’s ok may I’ve just moved away from this type of book.
You know I understand Kaiser Willie had his quirks and his vitriolic tendencies but I truly wonder how much love received from his mother. The little I’ve read about him the more I sense absolutely zero bonding between the two. Whether he blamed his mother for those god awful treatments for his arm, or maybe he took out his anger and frustration with his hateful teacher on her who can say? I’m hoping the book I do have about him goes more in depth. It’s strange because i think I’m halfway through this book and I’ve learned nothing. It’s fine as an introduction to this family, but that’s all.
Finished and still agree with what I wrote above. So much focus on Bismarck a total butthole. Of course Willie is crazier than a cave of bats, crying once his mother was gone, but a complete spoiled child while she lived. I really didn’t notice any serious focus on the couple maybe because of Fritz’s illness suddenly just there in the storyline? I felt a lot of the story cut corners. So it’s ok may I’ve just moved away from this type of book.
March 9, 2014
Queen Victoria is in my top five favorite royals (doesn't everyone have a list of favorite royals?) so I was interested to read this book about her daughter. Based on the title, I thought it was going to be about her relationship with her husband but it was really about Prussian/English relations at that time in history. Not bad, just not what I expected.
I mostly skimmed this. I did learn a lot, including that this royal marriage was unusual for its time because they actually liked each other. Queen Victoria and Princess Vicky weren't great moms, at least not to their oldest kids. And this author believes world history would've been different if Fritz had lived and ruled longer because he wanted good relations with other countries.
I mostly skimmed this. I did learn a lot, including that this royal marriage was unusual for its time because they actually liked each other. Queen Victoria and Princess Vicky weren't great moms, at least not to their oldest kids. And this author believes world history would've been different if Fritz had lived and ruled longer because he wanted good relations with other countries.
July 31, 2019
Interesting enough and an easy read.
January 11, 2019
Honestly, I have this feeling that reading a book by van der Kiste is pretty much the same as printing some bio by wikipedia, if I have to be honest, it's almost impossible to tell the difference... No, my previous statement does not mean it is actually bad, however, if you are already acquaintanted with the characters he writes of, you might know already all the facts (he chose never to develop them at all, in any of his books which I happened to read a few), and his writing (if there is any style there) does not add anything to it.
It's nice to use them as a start on reading about these historical characters but still, not even close to be enough if you want something deeper and more serious.
It's nice to use them as a start on reading about these historical characters but still, not even close to be enough if you want something deeper and more serious.
December 10, 2014
The greatest love match of their time (that I know of) you can't help but feel bad for Princess Royal Victoria (Vicky) and the heir to the Prussian throne, Fritz.
Controlled on both sides of the marriage, and often ill-abused and unhappy with outside events, they were nonetheless enraptured with each other. I would like to believe if Queen Victoria had backed off and left Vickie to her own life, that many of the issues she faced in the Prussian court would have been avoided or minimized. And if Fritz had taken his father up when he initially threatened to abdicate, he may have been a ruler for more than three months and had time to implement his oft dreamed about reforms.
Controlled on both sides of the marriage, and often ill-abused and unhappy with outside events, they were nonetheless enraptured with each other. I would like to believe if Queen Victoria had backed off and left Vickie to her own life, that many of the issues she faced in the Prussian court would have been avoided or minimized. And if Fritz had taken his father up when he initially threatened to abdicate, he may have been a ruler for more than three months and had time to implement his oft dreamed about reforms.
April 19, 2016
I just love John Van der Kiste books! This one, as all of the others, was amazing!
Read
September 23, 2016Enjoyed. Dragged a bit, but I enjoyed reading about a couple I was curious about.
April 1, 2024
Oh, what could have been. Truly, Vicky and Fritz are such an interesting what if. What if Fritz hadn't had cancer, what if he had become Kaiser earlier, what if they hadn't alienated so much of the court, what if the court hadn't been so against them from the beginning? It's especially frustrating not just because they had such plans and dreams, but because they were a love match - it should have worked out for them.
van der Kiste keeps the focus on Vicky and Fritz throughout their marriage. Exploring where they agreed and differed from each other on ideas of liberalism was interesting; most books just call them the liberal option and move on, but it's more complicated than that - and their relationship with Bismark.
van der Kiste keeps the focus on Vicky and Fritz throughout their marriage. Exploring where they agreed and differed from each other on ideas of liberalism was interesting; most books just call them the liberal option and move on, but it's more complicated than that - and their relationship with Bismark.
August 11, 2020
I pretty much already knew all the information in this book on Princess Victoria and Emperor Frederich III from reading "An Uncommon Woman" by Hannah Pakula and from reading John Rohl's three volume series on Wilhelm II. However, I did learn one thing I didn't know and that was that she was very informal. That was pretty much all I learned that was new to me. I think this is a good book for someone who wants a summary of the lives of the Emperor and Empress Frederich III without having to spend time reading a long detailed book.
December 2, 2018
This exchange of letters is moving at a personal level and insightful on the international level at a point in history when Queen Victoria's relations exerted real power. Offstage are the causes of World War I.
April 5, 2021
I thought this was gonna be a collection of their letters to each other and other family members. Turns out it’s just a normal biography with little snippets of letters. I tried to read it but it just couldn’t get into it enough to enjoy it.
September 24, 2020
A superb book about a pair of often forgotten historical figures.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews