Princess Victoria (Vicky), Empress Frederick (1840-1901)

[sinulord]

Originally Posted by magnik

Sites which I like about Victoria:


Photogalerie - Kaiserin Friedrich - link to great photos of her

Victoria's Daughters pictures from history photos on webshots

QUEEN VICTORIA: IMAGES OF HER WORLD - people around queen Victoria

Very Interesting photos of the Empress Friedrich & her family, some of which I never seen before. Many thanks magnik.

[PssMarie-Elisabeth]

Vicky c1861

[Leslie2006]

Originally Posted by iowabelle

I know I saw a blurry photo from her wedding, I think it was in Victoria Longford's biography of Queen Victoria.

It's also in Hannah Pakula's biography of Vicky.

[Emerald12]

Hannah Pakula's book on her is very interesting. In the 80s I stayed a few times at the Schlosshotel Kronstein, which was her residence after Frederick died. It then belonged to her grandson, who operated it as a hotel, but left so many family possessions sitting about that it felt almost as if one were visiting her. Photos on tables, books, small items on tables, etc. Also Monets, Degas, etc. paintings on the walls, NOT reproductions. The place is beautiful, grounds designed in the English style (much of the property is now a golf course but remains as it was right around the house). The schloss was built for her, is somewhat castle-like but small & intimate, a family home. I loved standing where I had seen photos taken of the family, some when Edward VII, Victoria's brother, visited. Her children called him "Uncle Tum-Tum." Fitting!

I felt very sorry for her. After her husband's death she was pretty much marginalized & it was very difficult for her. As Wilhelm grew up he treated her even more poorly. Her own death was horrifying. She was in excruciating pain & German doctors refused to give her painkillers. Servants said they could hear her screams all the way out in the stables.

I read a bit ago, can't unfortunately remember where, that her jewelry was found fairly recently during some repairs, stashed under the basement floor, where it had been hidden during WWI and forgotten. No info as to what was there or what became of it after that.

[LadyCat]

Why would her jewelry been hidden in the basement during WWI? She had been dead several years at the time. I loved the way Vicky managed to get her personal papers and correspondence out of the house prior to her death, just as sh and Frederick had the foresight to spirit the same away from Prussia prior to Frederick's death. These two were true visionaries and had no illusions when it came to their eldest son.

Cat

[Mermaid1962]

I often wonder how different our world would be now if Frederick had lived to a ripe old age. If there was no World War I, Iraq wouldn't even exist.

[Warren]

Originally Posted by iowabelle

I know I saw a blurry photo from her wedding, I think it was in Victoria Longford's biography of Queen Victoria.

The pic quality is better in Hannah Pakula's book and here's a scan.

Vicky's Wedding, January 25 1858
"Queen Victoria was so nervous that she moved..."
.

[gogm]

Here's another pic of Vicky's wedding:

[Lady Marmalade]

Beautiful...her wedding picture.

I think it is so sad..the relationship she had with Willy, Charlotte, and Henry. At least her three youngest daughters gave her unconditional love and support.

Her last days echo those of Queen Marie and her son Carol, when he refused treatment for his mother, and then made her take a train trip back to her home knowing full well that it did her more damage to her health and probably hastened her death.

How could two sons do this to their mothers?

[Emerald12]

Originally Posted by LadyCat

Why would her jewelry been hidden in the basement during WWI? She had been dead several years at the time.
Cat

Cat, the jewels were still in the family & her house, Friedrikshof (now Schlosshotel Kronberg), was still used by them. I guess they hid them to keep them safe in case of invasion -- succeeded too well. How can you possibly FORGET you hid a cache like that? Wouldn't happen in my basement (for more reasons than one)!

Emerald

[Roderick]

Originally Posted by Lady Marmalade

Beautiful...her wedding picture.

I think it is so sad..the relationship she had with Willy, Charlotte, and Henry. At least her three youngest daughters gave her unconditional love and support.

Her last days echo those of Queen Marie and her son Carol, when he refused treatment for his mother, and then made her take a train trip back to her home knowing full well that it did her more damage to her health and probably hastened her death.

How could two sons do this to their mothers?

If one studies the life and character of the Empress Frederik it becomes apparent that she was not always the most benevolent of mothers and unfortunately this resulted in several of her children rejecting her and the ideals of herself and her husband.

[Lady Marmalade]

I agree.. Her relationship with her three eldest has always fascinated me. I think some of that comes from the fact, that she was, shall we say, a bit over-confident in herself and a perfectionist. Her father and mother treated her like the princess she was and lavished their love on her. Albert's tutelage of her made her incredibly brilliant, that with her self-confidence, made her a very independent thinking princess at the time.

When she had Willy, and he was injured during birth physically with his arm, I don't think she could ever really accept a child who had somewhat of a physical handicap.

That coupled with his paternal grandparents' impressions on him, left him somewhat at a difficult crossroads with his mother.

Many of these women in this family seem to have such difficult and sad relationships with their oldest son...you see somewhat of a pattern.

[Martha]

I read that Vicky had a lot problemas with her son William.

[Leslie2006]

Vicky was the little perfectionist, but only because Queen Victoria was so quick to point out all her faults shortly after complimenting her daughter---she was that way with all of her children, and as a result, Vicky was that way, especially with her eldest three. Prince Albert was too confidant that his daughter was going to change the Prussian royal family in a good way, and he and his wife both refused to let Vicky forget the fact that she was born an English princess and should remain as such, therefore she was never able to fully become a Prussian---which is what would have saved her alot of scrutiny from her in-laws and her subjects. Vicky may very well have been in love with Fritz, but she was in a bad situation---her mother married her off way too young, and only did she realize this after Vicky had given birth to Charlotte in 1860. QV expected Vicky to write her all the time and any minute error that was made, she harped on her daughter for it. So being overly critical of her children (and herself) was not entirely Vicky's fault.

[windsorbrides1]

The picture identified as Vicky's Wedding is actually Edward and Alexandra's Wedding.

[Menarue]

Originally Posted by Roderick

If one studies the life and character of the Empress Frederik it becomes apparent that she was not always the most benevolent of mothers and unfortunately this resulted in several of her children rejecting her and the ideals of herself and her husband.

That still doesn´t explain how a son could let his mother die in the most excruciating pain.

[Warren]

Originally Posted by windsorbrides1

The picture identified as Vicky's Wedding is actually Edward and Alexandra's Wedding.

Possibly, but both Elizabeth Longford in Victoria RI and Hannah Pakula in An Uncommon Woman caption the same photograph as Vicky at her own wedding in 1858.

[Avicenna]

Originally Posted by Mermaid1962

I often wonder how different our world would be now if Frederick had lived to a ripe old age. If there was no World War I, Iraq wouldn't even exist.

It would have been worse.

Actually Friedrich had the possiblity to take over the throne in 1862 when his father was willing to abdicate in his favour. Fortunatly for Prussia he hesitated and refused. The man was a big hesitator, no or poor will-power. Whereas his wife was willing to change the monarchy according to the English system, but refused all kind of social reforms. Remember, end of the 1860 ies Bismarck introduced a whole series of social reforms. All refused by the Crown Prince Couple and most of all the Crown Princess. She was so terribly focused on the English way of life that she forgot reality. Pathetic indeed.

WW1 would have come anyway. At this time there was a mood for war throughout Europe. Barbara Tuchman (Ambassador Morgenthau's grandchild) has described it clearly in her book "The guns of August".