Victoria, Empress, consort of Frederick III, German Emperor, 1840-1901
On August 14, 1862, a second son, Prince Henry, destined to be Germany's
Sailor Prince, was born. The choice of his name seems to have troubled
his grandmother, Queen Augusta. She wrote to her son from Baden: "My
dear Fritz, your first letter moved me deeply, because of your
affectionate heart, and because of all the particulars it contained
about our beloved Vicky. I certainly anticipated that your son would be
called Albert, for that name, no matter whether it is more or less
German, really ought to be handed down as a legacy from the
never-to-be-forgotten grandfather--and I believe that Queen Victoria
expected it too."
As a matter of fact the baby was christened Albert William Henry, but
probably what Queen Augusta meant was that he ought to have been
generally known as Prince Albert instead of Prince Henry.
It might have been expected that the birth of three healthy children,
two of whom were boys, would have, at least in a measure, disarmed the
hostility with which the Crown Princess was regarded by a powerful
section in Prussia. But these people were dissatisfied because the
arrival of the children naturally strengthened the position of the
Princess, and they also feared that the Princes in the direct line of
succession to the throne would be brought up under English rather than
Prussian influence.
There was, it must be admitted, a certain justification for the belief
that the Crown Princess had never really ceased to be an Englishwoman.
In 1855 there had been presented to Prince Albert a remarkable young
Englishman who was destined to play a considerable part in the life of
the Crown Princess. This was Robert Morier, already well and
affectionately known to Baron Stockmar, who even styled him his "adopted
son." It was natural that Prince Albert should take a warm interest in
the young man who came to him with such credentials--indeed, Morier was
quickly made to understand that the Prince wished him to prepare
himself in every way for diplomatic work in Germany. And in January,
1858, at the time of the Royal marriage, Prince Albert did everything in
his power to have Morier appointed attaché to the British Embassy in
Berlin.
Morier had another good friend in the Princess of Prussia, the Princess
Royal's mother-in-law. She had known, not only Morier but his
distinguished father, for many years, and it was her personal wish,
which she expressed to Lord Clarendon, that the young man should be sent
to Berlin in order that he might be of use to her son and her
daughter-in-law. It need hardly be said that Morier was also on intimate
terms with Ernest von Stockmar, who at the same time was appointed
private secretary to the Princess.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account