Prince Albert: The Man Who Saved the Monarchy

by A.N. Wilson

In this companion biography to the acclaimed Victoria , A. N. Wilson offers a deeply textured and ambitious portrait of Prince Albert, published to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the royal consort’s birth.For more than six decades, Queen Victoria ruled a great Empire at the height of its power. Beside her for more than twenty of those years was the love of her life, her trusted husband and father of their nine children, Prince Albert. But while Victoria is seen as the embodiment of her time, its values, and its paradoxes, it was Prince Albert, A. N. Wilson expertly argues, who was at the vanguard of Victorian Britain’s transformation as a vibrant and extraordinary center of political, technological, scientific, and intellectual advancement. Far more than just the product of his age, Albert was one of its influencers and architects. A composer, engineer, soldier, politician, linguist, and bibliophile, Prince Albert, more than any other royal, was truly a “genius.” It is impossible to understand nineteenth century England without knowing the story of this gifted visionary leader, Wilson contends.Albert lived only forty-two years. Yet in that time, he fathered the royal dynasties of Germany, Russia, Spain, and Bulgaria. Through Victoria, Albert and her German advisers pioneered the idea of the modern constitutional monarchy. In this sweeping biography, Wilson demonstrates that there was hardly any aspect of British national life which Albert did not touch. When he was made Chancellor of the University of Cambridge in his late twenties, it was considered as purely an honorific role. But within months, Albert proposed an extensive reorganization of university life in Britain that would eventually be adopted, making it possible to study science, languages, and modern history at British universities—a revolution in education that has changed the world.Drawn from the Royal archives, including Prince Albert’s voluminous correspondence, this brilliant and ambitious book offers fascinating never-before-known details about the man and his time. A superb match of biographer and subject, Prince Albert , at last, gives this important historical figure the reverence and recognition that is long overdue.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, British Literature, Audiobook, 19th Century, Biography Memoir

448 pages, Paperback

First published August 6, 2019

About the author

Andrew Norman Wilson is an English writer and newspaper columnist, known for his critical biographies, novels, works of popular history and religious views. He is an occasional columnist for the Daily Mail and former columnist for the London Evening Standard, and has been an occasional contributor to the Times Literary Supplement, New Statesman, The Spectator and The Observer.

Reviews

[Jill H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

An in-depth look at the life of Queen Victoria's husband and Prince Consort, Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. I have decided that I have probably read too much about Victoria, her reign, her marriage, and her children since this book didn't provide any new information. That is not to say that it was not well written; the author did some amazing research but it has all been said before.

Albert had a horrible childhood as did many children of royalty/aristocracy and he was determined to make a name for himself once he married Victoria. He seemed to think that as her husband, he would be her equal but that was not to be. The fact that he was German did not particularly endear him to the British public, and although she was besotted with him. the Queen was not about to put much power in his hands. It might have been to her advantage to do so as he was progressive and more learned than she.

To be frank, he was seen as the man who could guarantee that an heir and a spare were provided for the continuance of the family line.......to be rude, a royal stud. And he certainly did his job although the Queen would always blame the Prince of Wales for Prince Albert's death.

We all know the story of the long bereavement once Albert died and how it came close to bringing down the crown although the book ends with his death. It is an interesting read for those who have not studied the life of Victoria and Albert but a bit repetitive for those who have.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid biography about Prince Albert and yet, occasionally, the author's comments were a bit irksome. The modern reader understands society was arguably more patriarchal and misogynistic during Prince Albert's lifetime; interestingly, it was Wilson's comments more than Prince Albert's that got under my skin when he talked about women, women's feelings, and their friendships (specifically when he compared the royal marriage to being similar to that of competitive women friends).

I have grown so tired of modern biographers commenting on how "highly sexed" Queen Victoria was. She appreciated sex with her husband. True, that may have been unusual to a contemporary biographer, but presumably not so to one writing today.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never expected a biography of Prince Albert to be so enjoyable. I started this with middling expectations, ended Up liking and admiring him very much.It was tragic that he died at 42, but he lived several lifetimes in that short span. His intellect, and the projects he undertook, for example ,the Great Exhibition of 1851, a World’s Fair entry. He was fascinated with science, early technology, and advised Queen Victoria wisely. He was resented by the British as an outsider,but managed to make many improvements to the government. Victoria seemed obsessed with Albert, bearing nine children, one the obnoxious Bertie. They were happily married, with Victoria the more smitten.He was not properly appreciated in his time. After his death the Queen found many ways to honor him publicly. She mourned Albert the rest of her long life. I got this as a Christmas gift, just getting to it now.I’m glad I waited. It’s a good time to read more about people who leave lasting accomplishments to the world.

[Miles Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A completely magnificent biography of the prince consort.

[Carolyn Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

An uneven biography of Prince Albert. A.N. Wilson writes in an opinionated, conversational style and provides an excellent analysis of Albert's childhood, education and worldview. Wilson discusses both Albert's successes such as the Great Exhibition of 1851 and his failures such as his efforts to turn Germany away from militarism through the dynastic marriage of his eldest daughter to the Crown Prince of Prussia. The narrative, however, often goes on extended tangents away from Albert's experience and out of chronological order. For example, Queen Victoria's childhood is summarized in the final chapter, just before the death of her mother. Wilson is sometimes repetitive - he mentions more than once that Victoria and Albert did not have any children named Ernest or Ernestine - and occasionally inaccurate - James, the Old Pretender was Queen Anne's half-brother, not her nephew. Some of Wilson's opinions are debateable. For example, he dismisses Victoria and Albert's youngest daughter Beatrice as a "doormat" when Beatrice's determination to marry despite her mother's wishes suggests the opposite. There are some strong passages in this biography but it should be read alongside other sources.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: A full length biography, Prince Consort of Queen Victoria, stressing his contributions to cultural and political life in Victorian England, published on the two hundredth anniversary of his birth.

Most of us, at least on “this side of the pond” mostly know of Prince Albert as the subject of a prank beginning with the line “do you have Prince Albert in a can?” Actually, in reading this biography, the prank has added irony both in that its subject was a very serious man, and that for one who died so young, he accomplished so much. A. N. Wilson’s biography, published on the two hundredth anniversary of Albert’s birth goes far to redress that unfamiliarity.

Wilson presents Albert as the son of a Coburg Duke (Ernst I), who failed at marriage but was determined to prepare his sons for dynastic greatness. Albert learned not only the lessons that prepared him for this station, but also shaped the strong sense of rectitude he brought to his eventual marriage with Victoria, a Coburg cousin who was in most direct succession to William IV. He also develops the influence of Stockmar, Albert’s mentor from his early teen years through the first decade of his marriage.

Wilson portrays the genuine love affair between Albert and Victoria, initially cool to him but warming to great passion, and the lukewarm reception of Commons, reducing his proposed annual grant. At the same time, Wilson teases out the complicated character of that marriage, of Albert’s quest for control, even influence over royal matters, and how Victoria’s nine pregnancies played into all of that. At very least, the two contributed to the great influence of the House of Coburg in dynastic affairs across Europe through their progeny!

Much of the account explores the struggle Albert had with his position–for most of the time, merely husband of the Queen, and only at the end of his life Prince Consort. His own son was ahead of him in precedence. He aspired to so much more, trying to shape foreign affairs through long missives to foreign secretaries, as well as weighing in on political matters. Over time, he helped shape Victoria’s approach to constitutional monarchy that sustained her popularity, and that of the monarchy long after her death. He shrewdly managed royal finances, allowing for the purchase of Osborne House on the Isle of Wight.

One of his distinctive contributions was as Chancellor of Cambridge University, overseeing the modernization of the curriculum stressing modern history and the sciences. Another was the Exhibition of 1851 and the develop of the complex of museums in Kensington known as “Albertopolis,” later complimented by Royal Albert Hall, a premier concert venue. Wilson portrays the intensity of Albert’s work ethic for his adopted country, recognized only late in his short life when, finally, he was designated “Prince Consort.”

There is an air of sadness that hovers over this hard-working man of rectitude. He found himself worn by the moods of Victoria, the troubles of Europe, and the evidence of profligacy on the part of his own son Bertie. Sadly, he was a seriously ill man, possibly dying of stomach cancer. Perhaps he pushed himself so hard, knowing his time was so short. It was sad that he could not bask in his considerable contributions to the monarchy and England.

Wilson not only portrays the man, but the various key figures like Peel and Palmerston, and the transformation occurring in England, to which Albert had contributed. Of course, all of this was in the backdrop of Victoria, who went on to reign for four decades after Albert’s death at age 42, in the end showing herself stronger even than Albert. This is an important account of a figure whose impact is still felt two hundred years after his birth.

[Katedurie50 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an essentially solid biography of the most solid (humourless, serious and deeply controlling) of consorts. Wilson explains a good deal of Albert's personality in terms of his family background - louche males (no wonder he was appalled by son, Bertie) and a mother who ran off when he was four. Divorced parents, scandal and from that tender age, a male governor rather than female presence meant that Victoria was less his strongest experience of the feminine and more his only experience. She of course adored him, 'my Angel' but that didn't stop the most appalling rows, when she would storm passionately and he would withdraw coldly to write her a letter explaining her many faults. It's hard always to like him but one admires his appetite for work, his achievements (especially the Great Exhibition) and the way he bore the frustration of always taking second place. There are some humanising touches - the year in which Albert lost both his favourite dog, Eos, and, to his dismay, his hair (he shaved it and wore a wig).Perhaps there isn't much new here, but the perspective, telling a familiar story, from the spouse in the shadows, has its merit.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really skimmed a lot of this one. I’m not exactly sure who is the intended audience. I wanted to know more about Albert the person. This is a history textbook that sometimes mentions him. My AP Modern European History textbook was less in-depth.

[David Highton · Rating 4 out of 5]

An accessible biography of the consort husband of Queen Victoria who died 40 years before her. His continued frustration of the limitations of his personal role and the often tempestuous relationship with the Queen are the key features of his later life.

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dry but interesting in spots. Definitely want to go to the Victoria and Albert Museum next time I go to London.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really in depth and detailed biography, which shed much light on the history of Europe and its many divisions. Albert had interests in politics and culture that influenced so much of the future of all of Europe. Now I’m watching “Victoria” and understanding it better.

[Marilyn Rondeau · Rating 4 out of 5]

In actuality I was pretty amazed after reading this book at the intellect of Prince Albert and the role he played during the 20 short years he was married to Victoria. His accomplishments, his energy and his vision for Britain was quite spectacular - in short, he worked tirelessly and accomplished an enormous transformation of Britain’s vibrant and extraordinary center of political, technological, scientific, and intellectual advancement. Through Victoria, Albert and her German advisers pioneered the idea of the modern constitutional monarchy.

More importantly, when Albert was made Chancellor of the University of Cambridge in his late twenties [it was considered as purely an honorific role]. But within months, Albert proposed an extensive reorganization of university life which would eventually be adopted, making it possible to study science, languages, and modern history at British universities—a revolution in education that changed the world. He was probably one of the hardest working royals that ever lived and as a composer, engineer, soldier, politician, linguist, and bibliophile, Prince Albert, more than any other royal, should be classified as a “genius.”

All in all, while it was somewhat dry reading its was fascinating as well with all the details which the authored garnered in the volumes of correspondence Albert left behind. When next I continue watching the Masterpiece series of VICTORIA I suspect I will be more fixated on the Prince rather than the Queen!


Marilyn Rondeau

[Krystelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

A very mediocre examination of Prince Albert’s life and times. The approach to Victoria and her happiness in her marriage as well as satisfaction with her sex life was churlish at best. The actual focus on Albert I found to be somewhat decent at some intervals, specifically when looking at the European politics surrounding his birth, but this feels less like a personal biography and more like an audacious summary of Victorian times. The undertones of misogyny and the vague allusions that complete patriarchal society was ‘better’ was unpalatable at best. This is particularly notable in the comments made surrounding Victoria’s management of the throne after Albert- she’d managed before him, and she certainly managed afterward.

[Patti · Rating 1 out of 5]

An absolute snore. And then there is the author’s comments about women....he must be a real peach

[Bookreporter.com Biography & Memoir · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those impassioned by all things Victoriana, A.N. Wilson’s generously detailed biography of the iconic British sovereign’s beloved husband, Albert, brings long-overdue recognition to a complex, brilliant and even tragic figure in history.

The title alone, PRINCE ALBERT: The Man Who Saved the Monarchy, states the author’s thesis boldly front and center. The young German aristocrat who captured the teenaged Victoria’s heart just prior to her coronation in 1837 was no ordinary husband, lover, parent or background dignitary. He created a new mold for a new role that has continued to this day.

In just over two decades of turbulent marriage (from 1840 until his death in 1861 at just 42 years of age), Albert and Victoria produced nine royal children, and weathered numerous internal and external political crises. They became symbolic of an era that appeared as an island of stability while European monarchies were dissolving around them, and much of what would become the “free world” struggled with economic and civil upheaval.

Drawing on a vast array of personal correspondence and royal archival documents not previously available, Wilson offers a thorough, deeply engaged and often surprising portrayal of a brilliant yet practical idealist who literally created an indispensable and unprecedented role for himself unlike anything in the history of reigning British monarchs.

By virtue of a solid and wide-ranging education that far surpassed the norm for European nobility at the time, Albert ventured into the labyrinth of British society and constitutional monarchy with a skill set that would profoundly alter the culture, the politics and even the economy of his adopted nation.

Now, on the 200th anniversary of the Prince Consort’s birth, 21st-century readers might not be as impressed as they should on learning how fervently Albert became involved with myriad aspects of British arts, sciences, trade, architecture, transportation, social welfare, housing, military standards, educational reform and, of course, political leadership.

Today, we are all too used to reading, seeing and hearing how extensively H.R.H. Prince Philip (consort to H.R.H. Queen Elizabeth II) and king-in-waiting Charles, Prince of Wales, have thrown their abilities, influence and passion into similar areas of endeavor. However, what Wilson shows so strikingly in the richly detailed and annotated pages of PRINCE ALBERT is how effectively Albert set the tone, created the template, in fact, for the role of a modern partner to a modern monarch.

Through more than 20 chapters highlighting Albert’s background, upbringing, complex familial relationships with Europe’s royal houses, ideals and aspirations, major projects, disappointments, conflicts, and personal and parental trials, Wilson doesn’t simply weave a plethora of exacting data into the fabric of his life. What gives this biography an ever-changing and magnetic texture are the numerous contextual details and commentaries he inserts that give Albert’s story an unusual range of feeling and aesthetic substance.

Everything Albert did, said, wrote, attended or planned in his unique hands-on manner related to larger social movements in the late-19th-century world. Whether working with industrial and academic leaders of the day on projects such as the monumental Great Exhibition of 1851, or providing background support to better the lives of the poor and marginalized, nothing he chose to champion was too minor to receive anything less than his total effort --- an all-or-nothing tendency that even Queen Victoria found worrying at times and may well have shortened his life.

While Wilson gives little or no credibility to the idea that Albert may have really wanted to be on the throne rather than beside or behind it, there is little doubt that he became a respected and authoritative voice for Victoria when she most needed one --- during her many months of prenatal anxiety and acute postnatal depression that spanned their two decades together. She would live nearly twice as long as the man she called “my Angel” and serve as a strong and wise monarch during many decades of widowhood, but Albert’s solid intellect and administrative energy sustained them when it most counted for both government and nation.

For anyone enthralled by 19th-century history, PRINCE ALBERT is a must-read --- not just once, but at least twice, to savor the full range of Wilson’s abundant research and enticing prose.

Reviewed by Pauline Finch

[Randy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 19th century was the most interesting period in the history of the world. The century was marked by the industrial revolution, scientific discovery and dramatic political change. Republican type governments rose and monarchy was in decline. Today, the only monarchy we know much about is the British monarchy. Often, it seems we know too much. Other European monarchies exist but we are unfamiliar with them. There is one man who is responsible for the preeminence of the English royals and that is Prince Albert, the beloved but short-lived husband of Queen Victoria. Albert was a German and first cousin of Victoria. Their marriage was arranged. Yet they had a stormy and passionate relationship. Victoria, we learn from her diaries, liked to have “fun in bed.” The result was nine children who the strategic Albert placed in monastic relationships with various royal families in Europe leading to the weird situation in WWI where the Kaiser, the King and the Tsar were cousins and forcing the British royals to change their name to not seem so “German.” The subtitle of the book is “The Man Who Saved the Monarchy.” Prince Albert was that man. He was an exceptionally talented fellow and was the de facto King of England from the date of his marriage to Queen Victoria til his death. She was a very capable and willful person herself but nine pregnancies followed by post partum depression, courtesy of Albert, kept her quite occupied during his lifetime. Albert fought hard to find a leadership role for himself. He was hampered by British distrust of Germans (even though their Queen was one). Albert’s interests were so varied and his energy and focus so great that he was able to insinuate himself into the political situation to the point where he gained the respect of such luminaries as the Duke of Wellington. It’s hard for a modern reader to consider the prominence of the Duke. He would be like Eisenhower, MacArthur and General Patton all rolled up into one person. The hero of Waterloo had vanquished Napoleon who was to early 19th century Britain what Covid is to 2020. In the highest compliment possible Wellington wanted Albert to take control of and reform the Army when Wellington retired. Over committed and unsure at that point, Albert declined and the British went on to several disasters in the Crimean War which the author suggests that Albert might have avoided. Albert was Chancellor of Cambridge University at the time and involved in planning a big Exposition that would put Britain in the forefront as leaders of the Industrial Revolution. The 1851 Exposition was a huge success with millions of visitors and a handsome profit which financed the complex of buildings that house the Victoria and Albert Museum and Albert Hall. Albert also took charge of managing all the palaces and served on numerous committees. Additionally, he designed gardens and buildings while controlling his wife and children. He was an unusual royal for the period as he was monogamous. One can only speculate what he might have achieved had he lived beyond age 42. Modern analysts believe he suffered from Crones disease which left him sick much of the time. In spite of poor health, his energy was enormous making a lasting impact on England and all of Europe.

[Monty Milne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this a great deal although I understand why A N Wilson is not to everyone’s taste. Although I have never met him, I often used to see him in Oxford in the 1980’s where he was a familiar figure on his bicycle – which, like his clothing, was of an antique retro style. He always had a haughty and forbidding expression and could be witheringly rude. For that reason, I always avoided him.

One of Wilson’s strengths is that he is a very expert guide on the complex subject of English ecclesiastical history, and another is that he often has a rather good poetic turn of phrase. Occasionally both things come together in the same sentence:

“Shimmering through the whole story, like the pattern of the magenta watered silk in the Archbishop’s cincture, was the curious history of anti-Catholic prejudice which had poisoned Anglo-Irish relations for centuries…”

As for the subject, Wilson makes a good case for his many virtues: his positive and profound influence on art and education, and – perhaps most useful of all – his effect on stabilising Victoria. As for his record as a reformer, that is a positive thing too – if you share his liberal prejudices. I am a bit more ambivalent. As for Albert’s personality, it seems to me wholly repellent: he was devoid of humour or passion, had no friends, and was cruel to animals. Essentially, he was a bourgeois bore, what Wilson calls (in another good phrase) “a civil servant in a coronet.” Despite that (or because of it?), and despite the suspicion and misunderstanding of large sections of the country, he really was “the man who saved the monarchy.”

[Mshelton50 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A.N. Wilson's Prince Albert: The Man Who Saved the Monarchy is a lively and interesting read. The Prince packed an awful lot into his 42 years of life, from youth in what we would call a royal "broken home" (his father rather scandalously divorced his mother, and Albert was only five years old when she vanished from the scene altogether), to marriage to his first cousin, the young Queen Victoria, with whom he would have nine children, to involvement in numerous corners of British life. It was Albert who pushed reform of the universities, inquired into the housing of the poor, helped create Sandhurst (the British military academy), and most significantly, lent his name and organizing wizardry to the Great Exhibition of 1851. Wilson's essential argument is that Albert "saved" the monarchy by (1) tying it to modern forces, e.g., commerce, science and industry, and (2) convincing the Queen that it must be above partisan attachment to any one political party or faction. Other European monarchies, by contrast, were backward looking, and increasingly tied to the forces of reaction.

There are one or two "howlers." For example, on page 328, Wilson states that Victoria and Albert's great-grandmother was Frederick the Great's wife; in fact, it was their great-aunt, Elisabeth Christina, who, of course, had no children. Also, on page 380, he says Henry Adams -- not his father Charles Francis Adams -- was the American ambassador during the American Civil War. But the book is well written, well researched, and a pleasure to read.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This comprehensive book is about Prince Albert, but I felt it also delved very deeply into the political games and alliances (and rivalries) surrounding Albert as a boy, and later as an adult. I think, certainly, that to understand the boy and the man, and his motivations and thought processes, that delving into those surrounding factors is important.

I think, though, that I would have liked to learn even more -- not as though this book slouched on it -- about the man himself. I did like that the author did not portray Albert as some sort of hero, in spite of the mighty claim of the subtitle. Albert had his flaws, for sure. Like so many other people, I think he tried his best with the times and circumstances he found himself in, but didn't always get it right. The author took a man who was in a position of influence, yet in many ways was impeded in exerting it as fully as he would have liked, and made him relatable.

I did find myself skimming some of the more detailed paragraphs about the political ups and downs during Albert's marriage to Victoria. I've read quite a few books about the couple and their children, and am already somewhat familiar with some of the events. I had to laugh when I came across a particularly detailed paragraph -- and in the next one found the reader humorously chastised by the author for skimming the previous information-heavy paragraph! Clever writer.

[Chris Damon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid biography of Queen Victoria's Prince Consort, the love of her life, who died too young at the age of 42. Will be of interest to anyone who likes to read about British and European history in the 1840-1860 time frame, or about the various royal families and arranged dynastic marriages. Albert himself is a very interesting subject of a biography - an optimistic man of the Enlightenment who felt he saw the dawning of a better world and that God's hand was behind developments in science, technology and industry in which England was at that time leading the way. Albert was the guiding force behind London's Great Exhibition of 1851. But he was also a German romantic, a patron of art and culture, one foot always firmly planted in his German homeland and immersed in an older period of "Goethezeit." Hard-working and conscientious and serious, he had no time for court gossip and didn't get along much with the English upper classes and nobility. He much preferred the company of scientists, artists, and inventors. He was far ahead of his time in his hopes for peace in Europe and monarchs who ruled under parliamentary constitutions and close ties of trade and commerce between nations. Sadly his vision didn't come to fruition until post-1950 after two world wars had ravaged the continent.

[Bernie4444 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you have Prince Albert in a can? You better let him out.

A crucial time in English (world) history. You can never have too many insights or views on the subject of Prince Albert and his place in history.

A.N. Wilson is not new to the field of writing about the people of this era. A.N. Wilson covers a wide array of subjects however now how to focus on what is important.

I only read the hardcover book that has two sections of color plates, a good index, a description of the illustrations, and a small but useful biography.

I picked this book after watching several video presentations and wanted to see if they missed anything.

I will not attempt to give a synopsis of Price Albert and what he accomplished as that is why you will obtain this book. However, I will say it has valuable information for those that think they know the man and those people that are reading about him for the first time. Some places may seem tedious as many subjects are covered; you will not want to skip what you think is a mundane subject as they are all relevant to seeing the whole story of the life of Prince Albert.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s decently written. Not that compelling—I put it aside a couple times for another book. I know much more about Victoria than Albert, so the book was useful in that sense.

What bugged me is the author’s insistence that no one else in British history even touches Albert in greatness. I am not denying Albert was influential for the twenty years of his marriage to Victoria. But, c’mon...no one else in British history touches him? (There was a weaselly attempt to qualify that claim with phrases like “of comparable ability,” but still.)

The author claims to like Albert, but that doesn’t come off the page at all, and the author often quotes things Albert said to Victoria that today would qualify him as emotionally abusive without recognizing that. In fact the author misses any chance of plumbing deeper into Albert’s psyche repeatedly.

The subtitle is “the man who saved the monarchy.” The book proves that not at all. Rather I came away with the impression that the monarchy—and Victoria—survived *despite* Albert.

[Pogo Dragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read, and very much enjoyed, A.N. Wilson's biography of Queen Victoria a while ago. This book feels very much like the companion piece to that.

It's a lot harder to get a rounded impression of Albert, he is presented very much as a man with little nuance. The main impression I was left with, however, is that he was utterly unsuited for the role in which he found himself. He had ideas, energy, enthusiasm and an apparently unlimited capacity for hard work. What he did not have though was the actual power to exercise and express these things.

One can't help wondering if he would have left a bigger mark on history had he not been married to the biggest personality and one of the most powerful people of the era. Possibly not - 'Albertopolis' in Kensington almost certainly would not exist, and possibly even the Great Exhibition would not have happened. I suspect though that the man would have been happier during his lifetime had he been married to a less prominent but more emotionally independent woman.

Ultimately this left me feeling rather sad and sorry for the man.

[Sandra Strange · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book presents a complete picture of this important historical figure. This historian continues in his bias against Victoria, but in this book he shows both her background, Albert's background and the circumstances that made her what she was. He presents Albert as a prince who expected to rule, once he married the Queen, who really didn't understand the role of a constitutional monarch at first, but who expended his life to try to make the best of his role, really making changes in university life, in advancing science and technology, in trying to make a difference for the people of his adopted country. The tragedy was that his expectations and stereotypical dignified Germanic personality clashed with his wife's expectations and passionate personality, making their personal life miserable for both of them episodically during their time together. Excellent reading with good insights into this period in history and Albert's role.

[Stuart Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always remembered as Queen Victoria's beloved "Angel", Prince Albert--as depicted in this biography--was a rather unhappy man, without real friends, who probably would have been better suited as a professor, researcher, or administrator and who, although devoted to his wife, never really understood her very passionate feelings for him. Wilson posits that Albert's attempt to influence government policy was usually thwarted or ignored and that prime ministers encouraged him to take over various public functions in part to keep him out of government affairs. He rightly points to Albert's major legacies, two of which include helping to define what role a constitutional monarch plays in a parliamentary system and "Albertopolis", the conglomeration of schools, museums and a concert venue in London's South Kensington district. Anyone interested in Victorian England will find this a worthwhile read although Wilson's writing sometimes seems rather convoluted.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

In many ways i found this a solid introduction to a man that i knew little about besides the fact that he married the queen. The author provides an interesting examination of their relationship and how Prince Albert found a place for himself where he mostly could live his ideal of the life of the mind. The book would have benefitted from some genealogical charts so ignorant American readers like myself could more easily keep track of the many family relationships between England and German aristocrats.

I think the author is a bit unfair for his critique of Albert for not seeing what was coming with the rise of German militarism and the first world war. Very few saw this coming. I would add that even after the first world war many military leaders insisted that cavalry would always have a role to play in warfare and that WW1 was unusual in the relevance of the horse to war.

[Evan Þ. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This biography of Prince Albert helped me understand his character and views a lot more: he was the older sort of liberal monarch who planned on being active in government, run up against an English establishment that didn't want a monarch - especially a foreign consort - interfering in government. With the best of intentions on all sides, he kept butting heads... only to be diverted to things like the Great Exhibition encouraging technological development which did more for his public image and the nation in the long run.

His private life with Victoria was more painful to read, though. They both loved each other dearly, but their personalities kept clashing, and they didn't know how to deal with each other well. But they kept making up, until his death - after which, Victoria finally somehow mended her flaws.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to this on Audible. Prince Albert may have saved the monarchy in Britain, but he priggishness and righteous indignation are hard to swallow. What becomes clearer than in the past (he and Victoria have been among my areas of study for 20years) is how his coldness extended to Victoria as well as any of his children who he thought let him down - almost exclusively his eldest son. What we see is a man who would not see his wife’s side in challenges, who treated her like one of his other 9 children. He was ambitious in a way that a foreign wife would be eternally scorned for (although the British scorned him pretty hard themselves.).

Glad I read it, but don’t come out of it liking Albert.

[Christina Kern · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great in-depth look at Prince Albert’s upbringing, interests, relationships, and enduring impact on the royal family and the UK as a whole. I felt the author took some liberties with assigning motive, i.e. “Albert did this because he wanted control” and interpreted a cold tone in some of his writings which I considered perfectly reasonable and kind. I felt the author held Albert to a modern standard to which he fell short when in reality Albert himself was a catalyst for improving that very standard. I appreciated the history of his family, and learned a lot about what his childhood and education entailed. Prince Albert was an idealistic, hard-working genius, and a faithful husband and believer. This book only increased my respect for him.

[Joseph J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Especially for fans of Victoria on Masterpiece Theatre, this is a valuable and timely book. Prince Albert emerges in these pages as a diplomatic balm to Queen Victoria's temper and impulsiveness. Never appreciated in his lifetime, we can now recognize his needed influence in the tumultuous early years of his wife's reign, an influence tragically cut short by his early death. The drama of his upbringing, the passion of his marriage, his political and diplomatic velvet glove and of course the Crystal Palace-all are here. And the toddler (future Kaiser) Wilhelm met his grandpa before Albert's tragic demise. I am left with what ifs?