The Family Life of Queen Victoria by Stacey Bregenzer

Although Queen Victoria never officially appears in the canon, her presence is felt throughout the Sherlock Holmes stories.  Many later adaptations do in fact include an appearance by her imperial majesty, and many Sherlockian gatherings begin with a toast in her honor.  But, as we have been discussing the stories, I have seen hints of her children mentioned.  When an important person gives a valuable public possession as collateral to a bank in The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet, I see hints of Prince Edward, later Edward VII.  He was a famous gambler, who often got himself into sticky situations.  And when a gentlewoman with a famous face kills Charles Augustus Milverton in revenge for her husband, I speculated that this could be one of Queen Victoria’s younger daughters.  Both Princess Beatrice and Princess Louise lost their husbands at young ages and spent much time in London.

Queen Victoria’s family was very famous and beloved.  Her love for Prince Albert and her life-long grief at his passing were legendary.  The Albert Memorial still stands in Kensington Gardens as a testament to this.  And the family set many traditions in place during the Victorian period - some of which are still in place today.  Queen Victoria’s choice of a white wedding dress has inspired brides for the last 150 years.  The German tradition of Christmas trees was brought to England by Prince Albert and made famous by the royal family.  The children were much more present before the public than was standard at the time, and many photos, paintings, and drawings were shared in the media.  And, of course, Queen Victoria’s mourning for Albert set the example for the infamous Victorian mourning practices.

Victoria and Albert had 9 children.  They were much more hands on parents than most of the age.  Albert, in particular, supervised their education and had very high standards for them to reach.  They made sure they had time out of the public eye by taking them to Scotland and the Isle of Wight for what might now be considered a holiday.  Victoria maintained close relationships with her children, and through them, she became the grandmother of Europe.

I have recently been listening to a series on The Other Half podcast called The Mothers of World War 1: The Daughters and Granddaughters of Queen Victoria.  Her children and grandchildren were involved in the Great War on all sides, so it has been referred to as the war between cousins.  This podcast has helped me become more familiar with her children, who all have distinct and interesting personalities.  I want to share a little bit about each of them.

Princess Victoria, Princess Royal- She was fiercely intelligent and very close to her father.  She loved learning and made it hard for her siblings to live up to her example.  She married the German Emperor and left England at 18.  She was Queen Victoria’s best correspondent, exchanging thousands of letters.  She was the mother of Kaiser Wilhelm II but did not enjoy a good relationship with him.

Prince Edward (Edward VII)- He had a very contentious relationship with his parents.  He could never live up to their expectations.  But he was popular with the English people.  He became quite a playboy and gambler and was a big fan of the American heiresses who were “invading” England at the time.  He fell out with his older sister, due to his marriage to Alexandra of Denmark, whose family had a rivalry with Germany.

Princess Alice- She was extremely kind and a natural peacemaker.  She was usually the only one who could bridge the gap between Edward and the rest of her family.  She was very much into charity work and nursing and was an advocate for women.  As Grand Duchess of Hesse, she founded Alice-Hospital in Darmstadt, Alice Society for Women's Training and Industry, and Alice Women's Guild nursing program.  When her children fell ill with diphtheria, she nursed them herself, catching the illness and dying at 35 with her 4-year-old daughter.

Prince Alfred- He was a prankster and often got into trouble as a child.  He was interested in mechanics, geography, and science, and made toys for the other children.  He joined the Royal Navy at 14 and traveled the world, visiting Australia, Sri Lanka (Ceylon at the time), Malta, Hong Kong, India, New Zealand, and Hawaii to name a few.  He has many places in the British colonies named after him.  He became an alcoholic later in life.

Princess Helena- She was a tomboy who loved the outdoors and gardening but was also very good at needlework.  There was a scandal when she had a relationship with one of her father’s German librarians, and there is still speculation about the extent of the relationship.  She spent her life in England, marrying a much older ousted German Prince, and made many of the royal public appearances.  She became a writer and helped write a biography about her father.  She also became involved in nursing, helping found the British Red Cross. 

Princess Louise- She was considered the most beautiful of Victoria’s daughters.  She was an artist, a feminist, a fashionista, and a social butterfly.  But she was famously moody and could make some very unkind remarks.  She married the Duke of Argyll, who is rumored to have been gay, and it was reported that they each had affairs, although they remained close.  Her husband was Governor General of Canada, so she spent many years living in Ottawa, where they were extremely popular.  They founded the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.  Alberta is named after her (her middle name), as is Lake Louise.  She was the only one of her siblings who did not have children.

Prince Arthur- He was the most well-behaved of the children, so he was therefore considered to be Victoria’s favorite.  He treasured his toy soldiers and dreamed of joining the Army from a young age.  He entered the Royal Military Academy at 16 and spent 40 years in the Army.  He also had a stint as Governor General of Canada.  When he retired, he participated in royal appearances.  Although in his late 80s, he rejoined the Army to inspire recruits during World War II.  He died at 91 in 1942.

Prince Leopold- He was the first of Victoria’s descendants to suffer from hemophilia.  Even though he could bleed to death from the slightest injury, he was fearless and defied the restraints his worried mother placed upon him.  He loved music and the Arts and studied at Oxford University.  He was also a chess lover and sponsored tournaments, and he had the opportunity to travel through Europe and Canada.  Despite his disease, he lived to be 30, and was able to marry and have children.  He was a freemason.

Princess Beatrice- She was the youngest and was called Baby most of her life.  She was spoiled by her father and siblings and was very shy.  However, her childhood was bleaker than her siblings, as her father died when she was very young, and her mother went into deep mourning.  She became her mother’s companion and was expected to remain so for her whole life. But she fell in love with Prince Henry of Battenberg.  When she told her mother, Queen Victoria gave her the silent treatment for 7 full months.  She finally relented but insisted that the couple would have to live with her permanently and she would have to be the priority for Beatrice over her husband.  After her mother’s death, she edited her mother’s hundreds of journals and had them published.

I hope that helps make them a bit clearer in people’s minds.  They are a fascinating family.  If that has piqued your interest, I hope you will check out The Other Half podcast or read more about them.

  

Sources: The Other Half podcast

Osborne House website

Historyextra.com

Photos found on Google