Charlotte and Feodora: A troubled mother-daughter relationship in imperial Germany

by John van der Kiste

In 1900, almost two years after Princess Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen married Prince Henry XXX of Reuss, her mother Charlotte, eldest sister of the German Emperor William, told a friend that her daughter was beyond her comprehension, and vowed to exclude her from her home ‘for ever’. Charlotte had long had an uneasy relationship with her mother, now the Empress Frederick, a daughter of Queen Victoria, but her relationship with her only child astonished the family. Mother and daughter both suffered from porphyria, the disorder which appears to have exacerbated the personality differences between them. Charlotte, a frivolous-minded young woman known for her love of society life and gossip, and later her involvement in the anonymous letters scandal which plagued Berlin high society from 1892 onwards, had never really wanted children, while Feodora’s life was embittered by her failure to have a family. This short life of both women examines the troubled lives which led to estrangement and in Feodora’s case ended in tragedy.

Genres: History, Royalty, Biography, Nonfiction

138 pages, Paperback

First published November 23, 2012

About the author

John 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.

Reviews

[Carolyn Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short biography of two little known descendants of Queen Victoria - her granddaughter Charlotte, the sister of Kaiser Wilhelm II and Charlotte's daughter Feodora, who was Queen Victoria's eldest great-grandchild and the only one to marry in the queen's lifetime. John van der Kiste discusses how Queen Victoria, her daughter Empress Frederick of Germany and the Empress's daughter Charlotte were all critical of their eldest daughters but far more indulgent toward their grandchildren. There is also extensive discussion of the mental and physical health problems that Charlotte and Feodora experienced over the course of their lives. The joint biography is a bit too closely focused on the royal family and court politics, however. There are references to how Charlotte rode a bicycle, smoked and holidayed in Cannes over the objections of her brother Kaiser Wilhelm II and sister-in-law Empress Augusta Victoria but no analysis about whether her activities influenced cultural trends among other elite German women. I would have liked more details about how Charlotte and Feodora were perceived in Germany beyond their extended family.

[JBee · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are wanting a feel good and inspiring read this is not the book for you. I knew nothing about Charlotte or Feodora and now I’m plain sad after reading about their lives. Both were chronically ill with porphyria and perhaps Feodora with undiagnosed bipolar disorder. Both were major gossips and mischief makers. Lastly, sadly, there was a dearth of demonstrable maternal love - beginning with Princess Victoria (Queen Victoria’s daughter) through to Feodora. Makes me think about ancestral patterns. Such a difficult life these ladies lived. The book itself is well written and researched which is why it landed a four stars.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A disappointing read. While the notion of writing a book about two royals history has forgotten, this was badly executed. It was a bland read that gave very little new information and made it much more difficult to continue reading. Perhaps it was because there is little Charlotte and Feodora contributed to history (aka lack of significance in a grander scene) but I find that hard to believe. Considering how much trouble Charlotte caused, I felt like there just need to be more. This book felt like there was a lot missing.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good view of the lives of the trouble-making sister of Kaiser Wilhelm II and her daughter. Princess Charlotte of Prussia, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen, was a schemer who embedded herself within the Prussian society. She caused endless difficulties for her family and had a strained relationship with her brother, Kaiser Wilhelm II, and also a very strained relationship with her daughter. Feodora lived a tragic life. Both she and her mother were sufferers of porphyria.

Van der Kiste has done a good job at giving us a brief overview of the lives of these two German princesses.

[MissyLynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written. I've learned a lot of interesting things I never knew about the granddaughter and great granddaughter of Queen Victoria.
Charlotte and Feodora were interesting woman who both suffered from illnesses and at the hands of their German family.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review

Pretty good except having the family tree in the back wasn't the best idea. Got confused as to which Victoria or Marie was being g talked a out.

[Vita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative

It was a pretty decent read. Nothing that I haven’t read before while researching the Royals. It was a very detailed account of a lost Princess from History.

[Nate · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the subjects would be more interesting, but because they were always so ill, the only aspect of their lives that was worth recording was their aches and pains. Paragraphs and paragraphs were devoted to this which was very tedious. The book became boring after the death of the Empress Frederick. Feodora got about a page to herself after her mother's death and that was it. She just sat at a sanatorium for a while. Additionally, this is just for the kindle edition, the footnotes were not hyperlinked so it was very annoying to try and see the references every time.

[Irene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its good as it starts to give you an insight between the relationship of Princess Charlotte and her daughter, Princess Feodora. Its not a full scale biography and doesn't claim to be in the introduction. However, it does jump about abit and its not helped by the fact that Princess Charlotte's full name is Victoria Charlotte and her mother then goes on to have another daughter later also called Victoria. The inclusion of a family tree would have been useful to refer back to.

[Marley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking for family dysfunction and bad behaving Royals? Go no farther than Charlotte and Feodora. IF they were alive today, they'd have their own reality show. What kind of a mother spreads around the rumor that her daughter has an STD? Well, Charlotte does. This mother and daughter act was so bad, even the Kaiser was appalled.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting & Quick Read

At least this author admitted this was a combination of pamphlets. After reading it, one can't help but shake one's head and think how seriously screwed up the German royal families were.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really a book, more of an extended article, but interesting nonetheless, and gives some insight into some rather unbalanced royal characters!