Victoria, Princess Royal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Victoria
Princess Royal
Photograph by T. H. Voigt, 1900
German Empress consort Queen consort of Prussia
Tenure	9 March – 15 June 1888
Born	(1840-11-21)21 November 1840 Buckingham Palace, London, England
Died	5 August 1901(1901-08-05) (aged 60) Schloss Friedrichshof, Cronberg, Kingdom of Prussia
Burial	13 August 1901 Friedenskirche, Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Spouse	Frederick III, German Emperor ​ ​ (m. 1858; died 1888)​
Issue	Wilhelm II, German Emperor Charlotte, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen Prince Henry Prince Sigismund Viktoria, Princess Adolf of Schaumburg-Lippe Prince Waldemar Sophia, Queen of the Hellenes Margaret, Landgravine of Hesse
Full name Victoria Adelaide Mary Louisa
House	Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Father	Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Mother	Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom
Signature

Victoria, Princess Royal (born Victoria Adelaide Mary Louisa; 21 November 1840 – 5 August 1901) was a German Empress and Queen of Prussia. She gained these titles as the wife of German Emperor Frederick III.

Victoria was the oldest child of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert. In 1841, she was given the special title of Princess Royal. For a short time, she was the next in line to the British throne. This changed when her younger brother, who would become King Edward VII, was born. Victoria was also the mother of Wilhelm II, German Emperor.

Her father made sure she had a very open-minded education. At 17, Victoria married Prince Frederick of Prussia. They had eight children together. Victoria and Frederick both believed that Prussia and the future German Empire should become a constitutional monarchy. This meant the ruler would share power with an elected government, like in Britain.

Because of her British background and her modern ideas, Victoria faced challenges. Many at the Prussian court, especially the Hohenzollern family, did not like her. This became even harder after Otto von Bismarck became powerful in 1862. He was one of her strongest political opponents.

Victoria was empress for only 99 days in 1888. During this short time, she tried to influence German policies. Her husband, Frederick III, died from laryngeal cancer. Their son, Wilhelm II, became emperor. He had much more traditional views than his parents. After her husband's death, Victoria was known as Empress Frederick. She moved to Kronberg im Taunus and built a castle called Friedrichshof. It was named after her late husband.

Empress Frederick became more isolated as her younger daughters married. She died of breast cancer in August 1901. This was less than seven months after her mother, Queen Victoria, passed away.

Victoria's letters to her parents have been kept. There are thousands of them. They show a detailed look into life at the Prussian court from 1858 to 1900.

Growing Up as a Princess

Princess Victoria was born on 21 November 1840 at Buckingham Palace in London. She was the first child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. When she was born, the doctor said, "Oh Madame, it's a girl!" The Queen replied, "Never mind, next time it will be a prince!"

As the Queen's daughter, Victoria was a British princess. She was also the next in line to the throne until her brother, Prince Albert Edward (who became King Edward VII), was born in 1841. On 19 January 1841, she was named Princess Royal. This is a special title for the oldest daughter of the ruler. Her family called her "Vicky."

She was baptized on 10 February 1841, on her parents' first wedding anniversary. Her godparents included her great-aunts, great-uncles, and grandparents.

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert wanted their children to have the best education. Queen Victoria felt she wasn't ready to rule when she became Queen at 18. Prince Albert had received a very good education.

Prince Albert wrote a plan for how the royal children should be raised. Another plan, written by a close family friend, Baron Stockmar, gave more details on how to teach the princess. The royal couple had some unusual ideas. For example, Queen Victoria thought it was a sign of bad manners if her baby sucked on bracelets!

Victoria was very smart and learned quickly. She started learning French at 18 months old and German at age four. She also studied Greek and Latin. By age six, she was learning arithmetic, geography, and history. Her father taught her about politics and philosophy. She also studied science and literature. Her school days were long, from 8:20 AM to 6:00 PM, with three hours for play. Unlike her brother, Victoria loved to learn. She was also very determined.

The Queen and Prince Albert wanted their children to have a normal childhood away from court. So, they bought Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. Prince Albert built a Swiss-style cottage there for the children. In this cottage, they learned practical skills like cooking and carpentry. Prince Albert was very involved in their education. He taught some lessons himself and played with them. Victoria looked up to her father and shared his modern political ideas.

Meeting Her Future Husband

In 1851, Prince William of Prussia visited London with his family for The Great Exhibition. This was the first time Victoria met her future husband, Frederick. Even though she was 11 and he was 19, they got along well. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert asked their daughter to show Frederick around the exhibition. Victoria spoke perfect German, while Frederick knew only a few English words. Frederick later remembered how impressed he was by Victoria's intelligence and kindness.

Frederick was also impressed by the British royal family. Life at the London court was less strict than in Berlin. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had a warm relationship with their children, which was different from his own parents.

After Frederick returned to Germany, he and Victoria started writing letters to each other. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert hoped this friendship would lead to a stronger connection between Britain and Prussia.

Engagement and Marriage

A Royal Engagement

In 1855, Prince Frederick visited Victoria and her family in Scotland at Balmoral Castle. He came to see if Victoria would be a good wife for him. Many at the Prussian court wanted Frederick to marry a Russian princess instead. Even King Frederick William IV, Frederick's uncle, had to keep his approval of a British marriage a secret because his wife disliked the English.

Victoria was 15 during this visit. She was not very tall, and her appearance was not considered ideal beauty at the time. Queen Victoria worried Frederick might not find her daughter attractive. However, it was clear that the two young people still liked each other. After only three days, Frederick asked Victoria's parents for permission to marry her. They were very happy but said the wedding could not happen until Victoria turned 17.

Their engagement was announced on 17 May 1856. Many in Britain were not happy. They criticized Prussia for staying neutral during the Crimean War. Some newspapers called the Prussian royal family "miserable." In Germany, opinions were mixed. Some royals and conservatives were against it, but liberals welcomed the idea of a union with the British crown.

Preparing for a New Role

Prince Albert wanted his daughter to help bring modern, liberal ideas to Germany. He taught Victoria a lot about history and European politics. He even wrote essays for her about events in Prussia. However, Prince Albert may have overestimated how ready Germany was for these changes. Victoria was going to a very traditional and conservative court in Prussia.

Wedding Plans and Challenges

The British Parliament gave Victoria a large sum of money for her dowry and an allowance each year. However, Frederick's allowance from the Prussian King was not enough for their royal lifestyle. Victoria often had to use her own money.

Frederick's aunt and mother chose the staff for their new home. They picked older people who had served the court for a long time. Prince Albert wanted his daughter to have some British ladies-in-waiting her own age. This was not fully allowed, but Victoria did get two young German ladies-in-waiting. Prince Albert did succeed in getting his friend's son, Ernst Alfred Christian von Stockmar, appointed as Victoria's private secretary.

Prince Albert believed that marrying a British princess was a great honor for the Prussians. He insisted that Victoria keep her title of Princess Royal after the wedding. However, the Prussian court was very anti-British, and this decision made things worse.

The biggest argument was about where the wedding should take place. The Prussians thought it should be in Berlin. But Queen Victoria insisted her oldest daughter marry in her home country. In the end, the Queen won. Victoria and Frederick were married at the Chapel Royal of St James's Palace in London on 25 January 1858.

Life as Princess of Prussia

Early Challenges and Criticism

After moving to Berlin, Victoria started writing many letters to her parents. She wrote to her father every week, often commenting on German politics. These letters are now a valuable source of information about the Prussian court.

However, these letters also show that Queen Victoria tried to control her daughter's every move. She wanted Victoria to be loyal to both her home country and her new country. This was very difficult. For example, when a distant royal relative died, London had a month of mourning, but Berlin had only one week. Victoria followed the Prussian custom, but her mother criticized her. Queen Victoria believed that as a Princess Royal, Victoria should follow English customs.

Victoria also faced constant criticism from anti-British people at the Berlin court. Many in Prussia, especially the nobles, admired Russia's strict society and disliked British democracy. Victoria was often hurt by their unkind comments.

Victoria loved gardening and tried to create English-style gardens in Prussia. This led to what was called the "Anglo-Prussian garden war." The Prussian court preferred Italian-style gardens and strongly resisted Victoria's efforts to change them.

Official Duties and New Homes

At 17, Victoria had many tiring official duties. Almost every evening, she had to attend formal dinners, plays, or public events. If foreign relatives visited, her duties increased. Sometimes she had to greet guests at the train station at 7:00 AM and attend receptions past midnight.

When Victoria arrived in Berlin, King Frederick William IV gave Frederick and his wife an old part of the Berlin Royal Palace. The building was in poor condition and didn't even have a bathtub. The couple moved to the Kronprinzenpalais in November 1858. In summer, they lived at the Neues Palais.

The Birth of Her First Child

Just over a year after her marriage, on 27 January 1859, Victoria gave birth to her first child, who would become Wilhelm II. The birth was very difficult. The baby was in a difficult position, and the delay could have harmed both Victoria and her son.

Doctors managed to save both. However, the baby's arm was injured. As he grew, his left arm did not develop normally and was shorter than his right. Some also believe the difficult birth might have caused other problems for the future emperor.

Doctors tried to reassure Victoria and Frederick that their baby would recover. The couple decided not to tell the British court about Wilhelm's condition. After four months, it was clear the arm would not recover, and Victoria finally told her parents. Luckily, her second child, Princess Charlotte, born on 24 July 1860, arrived without problems.

Crown Princess of Prussia

New Titles, Old Problems

When King Frederick William IV died on 2 January 1861, his brother became King William I. Frederick became the new Crown Prince of Prussia. However, his situation at court didn't improve much. His father refused to give him more money, so Crown Princess Victoria continued to pay for much of their family expenses.

Frederick and Victoria faced other problems too. As heir, Frederick needed the King's permission to travel outside Prussia. It was rumored this was to limit Victoria's visits to Britain. King William I received a letter from Prince Albert suggesting that Prussia's constitution should be a model for other German states. This made the King dislike Albert even more, and also Frederick and Victoria, who shared these modern ideas.

Family Loss and Political Turmoil

On 14 December 1861, Prince Albert died. Victoria was heartbroken because she was very close to her father. She and Frederick went to England for the funeral.

Soon after, Frederick and Victoria faced a major crisis in King William I's reign. The Prussian Parliament refused to give the King money for his army reforms. King William I thought these reforms were vital and dissolved the parliament on 11 March 1862. This started a big fight between the King and the Parliament. The King even thought about stepping down.

Victoria tried to convince her husband to accept his father's decision to step down. But Frederick disagreed. He supported his father, saying that a king should not give up his throne because of a conflict with Parliament. He believed it would set a bad example.

In the end, William I did not step down. Instead, he appointed Otto von Bismarck as Prime Minister of Prussia on 22 September. Bismarck was a strong conservative who was willing to rule without Parliament's approval. The King was happy, but his wife, Queen Augusta, and especially Frederick and Victoria, strongly criticized this choice. Bismarck remained in power until 1890 and made sure the Crown Prince and his wife were isolated.

Growing Isolation

The conflict in Prussia created a big divide between liberals and conservatives. Frederick and Victoria were suspected of supporting the Parliament against King William I, and they faced harsh criticism. When they traveled to the Mediterranean in October 1862 on Queen Victoria's yacht, conservatives accused Frederick of abandoning his father during a political crisis. They also pointed out that he traveled on a foreign ship with an English warship.

Victoria's position became even weaker when her brother, the Prince of Wales, got engaged to Princess Alexandra of Denmark. Denmark was a rival of Prussia. Many Germans believed Victoria was responsible for this alliance between Denmark and Britain.

Frederick caused a stir when he openly criticized his father's and Bismarck's policies. During a visit to Danzig, he publicly rejected an order from Bismarck that allowed authorities to ban newspapers. King William I was furious and threatened to remove Frederick from his military duties and even from the line to the throne. Many conservatives wanted Frederick to be punished severely.

Victoria was also blamed for Frederick's speech in Danzig.

While they were criticized in Germany, their actions were praised in Britain. However, support from a British newspaper caused more problems. The article contained private details, suggesting Victoria was leaking information to the press. An investigation was opened, and Victoria's private secretary had to resign.

The War with Denmark

Bismarck wanted to unite Germany under Prussia. He aimed to reduce Austria's power and make Prussia the leader. In 1864, Bismarck led Prussia into the War of the Duchies against Denmark. Austria also joined the fight.

Despite the Prince of Wales's family ties to Denmark, the British government did not get involved. This caused divisions within the British royal family. Many in Berlin suspected that Victoria was unhappy about Prussia's military successes against her sister-in-law's country.

Despite the criticism, Victoria supported the German troops. Like Florence Nightingale in the Crimean War, Victoria helped wounded soldiers. She and Frederick created a fund for soldiers' families who were killed or seriously injured.

Frederick fought bravely in the Prussian army. He played a key role in the Battle of Dybbøl (7–18 April 1864), which led to Denmark's defeat. Victoria hoped Frederick's military success would help people see her as the loyal wife of the heir. She wrote to Frederick, complaining that she was constantly criticized for being too British in Prussia and too Prussian in Britain.

After Denmark's defeat and the Treaty of Vienna (30 October 1864), the regions of Schleswig, Holstein, and Lauenburg were to be governed by Prussia and Austria together. But this new arrangement soon caused problems between the two former allies.

War with Austria

After the war with Denmark, Germany had a short period of peace. However, disagreements over the new territories quickly led to conflict between Austria and Prussia. On 9 June 1866, Prussia took over Holstein, which Austria had been managing. Austria then called on other German states to unite against Prussia.

Prussia declared the German Confederation dissolved and invaded several states, starting the Austro-Prussian War. Crown Prince Frederick played a key role in the Battle of Königgrätz (3 July 1866), where Austria suffered a major defeat. With the Peace of Prague (23 August 1866), Austria left the German union. Many territories were then added to Prussia.

After the victory, Bismarck asked Parliament for more money for the army, causing another debate with liberals. Frederick was happy about the creation of the North German Confederation, which united Prussia with some German states. He saw it as a step towards German unification. However, this Confederation did not adopt the liberal ideas Frederick wanted. The new German constitution gave a lot of power to Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Victoria was less excited than her husband. She saw the North German Confederation as just an extension of the Prussian system she disliked. Still, she hoped for a united and liberal Germany.

Family Life and Challenges

During the Austro-Prussian War, Victoria and Frederick faced a personal tragedy. Their fourth child, Sigismund, died of meningitis at 21 months old on 18 June 1866. This devastated Victoria. Neither her mother nor her in-laws offered much comfort. Queen Victoria, still grieving for Prince Albert, felt that losing a child was less severe than losing a husband. Queen Augusta demanded that Victoria quickly return to her royal duties.

With peace restored, Frederick often traveled abroad to represent the Berlin court. Victoria rarely joined him, mainly to save money. She also didn't want to leave her children for long periods. After Sigismund's death, the family grew with four more children between 1866 and 1872. While the older children (Wilhelm, Charlotte, and Henry) were raised by governesses, Victoria personally raised the younger ones (Victoria, Waldemar, Sophie, and Margaret). This caused arguments with both her mother and mother-in-law.

Victoria's life in Berlin remained difficult. Her relationship with Queen Augusta, who also had liberal ideas, was still tense. Augusta criticized Victoria for small things, like choosing a modern carriage instead of a traditional one. Their disagreements grew so much that Queen Victoria had to ask William I to intervene for her daughter.

The Franco-Prussian War

The Franco-Prussian War began on 19 July 1870. Frederick actively participated in the fighting. He led the 3rd German army and played a key role in several battles, including the Battle of Sedan during the siege of Paris. Bismarck, jealous of Frederick's military success, tried to undermine him. He accused the Crown Prince of trying to protect France due to pressure from his mother and wife. At a dinner, Bismarck publicly accused the Queen and Victoria of being pro-French. This incident quickly spread to the newspapers.

Victoria's efforts to help wounded soldiers were not recognized by the German press. She built and ran a military hospital in Hamburg and visited wounded soldiers in other cities. However, she was accused of taking on duties that belonged to the Queen. King William I eventually ordered her to stop this "charity theater" and return to Berlin.

German Crown Princess

The German Empire is Born

On 18 January 1871, the princes of the North German Confederation and South Germany declared William I as the hereditary German Emperor. This happened in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles. They symbolically united their states into a new German Empire. Frederick and Victoria became German Crown Prince and Crown Princess. Otto von Bismarck was appointed imperial chancellor.

Later, the Catholic states of South Germany officially joined the new Unified Germany.

A Modern Princess

Frederick was named a field marshal for his military service. However, he was not given command of any troops after the Franco-Prussian War. The Emperor did not trust his son because of his "too English" ideas and kept him away from state affairs. Frederick was appointed "Curator of the Royal Museums," a task that interested Victoria. Following her father's advice, Victoria continued her education in Germany. She read works by famous writers and thinkers like Goethe and Stuart Mill. She and Frederick spent time with intellectuals. Victoria was even interested in Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution and the ideas of geologist Lyell. She often visited the Berlin Observatory and was interested in astronomy. To understand socialism, she read Karl Marx's work.

Unlike many people at the time, Victoria and Frederick rejected antisemitism. Victoria strongly criticized writings that attacked Jewish people. Frederick publicly visited synagogues when hatred against Jews grew in Germany in the early 1880s. When some people tried to remove rights from German Jews, Victoria called the leaders "lunatics." She wrote that she was ashamed of her adopted country because of how some people treated those of a different faith.

Victoria and Frederick attended synagogue services in Berlin and Wiesbaden to show their support for German Jews. Queen Victoria was proud of her daughter and son-in-law for standing up for Jewish rights. The Crown Prince and Princess welcomed many ordinary people, including Jewish figures, to their homes. This often upset the Emperor and the court.

Victoria loved art and painted herself. She also supported education. She founded schools for girls, taught by British teachers, and nursing schools based on the English model.

Raising a Large Family

Victoria's oldest son, Wilhelm, received many treatments for his injured arm. Some methods were unusual, like putting his arm in the insides of recently dead rabbits. He also had electric shock treatments. Victoria insisted he learn to ride well, even though it was painful for him. He fell many times but eventually succeeded. Wilhelm later wrote that these riding lessons were "torments" from his mother.

Victoria felt her son's disability was a disgrace. Her letters show her sadness and guilt about his arm. Some historians believe this led to her distancing herself from Wilhelm, which affected his behavior. However, others say she was very loving with her children. She wanted them to be like her father, Prince Albert, and tried to follow his teaching methods. In 1863, Victoria and Frederick bought a cottage so their children could grow up in a similar environment to Osborne House. However, her sons also received military training from a young age, which Victoria worried would change their values.

Victoria and Frederick hired a strict but smart teacher, Georg Ernst Hinzpeter, for their sons. He gave Wilhelm and Henry a very strict upbringing. The princes were sent to a school in Kassel, despite the King's objections. Wilhelm later went to the University of Bonn. Their education did not make them as open-minded as their parents had hoped.

Victoria faced another loss when her 11-year-old son, Waldemar, died of diphtheria on 27 March 1879. She was devastated, especially since her sister and niece had died from the same disease just months before. Victoria tried to hide her pain, as only her husband offered comfort.

While her sons caused some worries, Victoria's daughters rarely did. The only exception was Charlotte, her oldest daughter. She had a difficult childhood, with slow growth and frequent tantrums. As she grew up, her health was delicate, and she was often irritable. Some historians believe Charlotte suffered from a genetic condition called porphyria, which could explain her health problems.

Marriage Plans and Conflicts

As her children grew up, Victoria began looking for partners for them. In 1878, Charlotte married her cousin Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, which pleased the Berlin court. Three years later, Victoria started talks for Wilhelm to marry Princess Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein. This angered conservatives in Germany. Chancellor Bismarck opposed it because the princess's family had been removed from power by Prussia in 1864. The Hohenzollerns also thought Augusta Victoria was not high enough in rank to marry the heir. After many months, Victoria got her way, but she was disappointed that her daughter-in-law was not as liberal as she had hoped.

Victoria was not as lucky with her daughter Viktoria's marriage plans. In 1881, Viktoria fell in love with Prince Alexander I of Bulgaria. Victoria tried to get the Emperor's permission for them to marry. Although Alexander was a ruler, he was born from a morganatic marriage, which meant his family was considered lower in rank by the proud Hohenzollern family. Also, Russia, a Prussian ally, disliked Alexander's policies in Bulgaria. Bismarck feared that a marriage between a German princess and Russia's enemy would harm the alliance. The Chancellor convinced William I to disapprove of the marriage, much to Victoria and Frederick's sadness.

This conflict led the Emperor to replace Crown Prince Frederick with Prince Wilhelm at official events. Wilhelm often represented the Berlin court abroad.

German Empress

A Brief Reign

In 1887, the 90-year-old William I's health quickly declined. This meant the succession was near. However, Crown Prince Frederick was also ill. He was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer. A British doctor, Morell Mackenzie, examined him and initially found no signs of cancer.

Frederick and Victoria went to Britain for Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in June 1887. They secretly took three boxes of personal documents to Windsor Castle to keep them away from Bismarck and the Hohenzollerns. Bismarck continued to plot against Victoria.

Frederick's health did not improve, so Mackenzie advised him to go to Italy for treatment. Frederick and Victoria went to San Remo in September 1887. This angered Berlin, as they did not return despite the Emperor's worsening health. In early November, Frederick lost his voice completely. German doctors were called to San Remo. He was diagnosed with a malignant tumor, and the only treatment was to remove his larynx, but Frederick refused. Victoria supported his decision. This caused a serious argument with their son Wilhelm, who accused his mother of being happy about Frederick's illness.

In Berlin, William I suffered for several months until he died on 9 March 1888. His son succeeded him as King of Prussia and German Emperor, taking the name Frederick III.

Empress for 99 Days

Immediately after becoming Emperor, Frederick III made his wife a Lady of the Order of the Black Eagle, the highest honor in Prussia. However, when she returned to Berlin, Victoria realized that she and her husband were just "shadows ready to be replaced by William."

Frederick III was very ill and could only take a few symbolic actions. He declared an amnesty for all political prisoners and dismissed a conservative Interior Minister. He also honored people who had supported him when he was Crown Prince.

Victoria tried to use her new position to arrange her daughter Viktoria's marriage to Prince Alexander I of Bulgaria, a plan that had been stopped in 1886. However, she eventually advised her daughter to give up on the marriage due to the difficulties it caused.

Frederick III's Death and Aftermath

Frederick III died around 11:00 AM on 15 June 1888. As soon as his death was announced, his son and successor, William II, ordered soldiers to occupy the imperial residence. Frederick and Victoria's rooms were searched for incriminating documents. However, the search failed because all their letters had been taken to Windsor Castle the previous year. William II later said he was looking for state documents. But many historians believe he wanted to find documents that could harm his reputation.

Frederick III's funeral took place shortly after in Potsdam, without much ceremony. Victoria, now empress dowager, did not attend the service at the Friedenskirche but went to a mass in memory of her husband. From her husband's death, Victoria became known as Empress Frederick.

In the following weeks, William II removed all people and institutions close to his parents. The home of a lawyer was searched, and the widow of Victoria's former private secretary was questioned by police. Frederick III's long-time advisor was tried for high treason for publishing parts of the Emperor's diary. The Justice Minister was also dismissed.

Empress Dowager

New Home and Life

After becoming a widow, Empress Frederick had to leave the Neues Palais in Potsdam because her son, Wilhelm II, wanted to live there. She bought property in Kronberg im Taunus and built a castle called Friedrichshof in honor of her husband. She had inherited a lot of money, which helped her pay for the construction. Once the castle was finished in 1894, she spent most of the year there with her younger daughters. She only left to travel abroad. Empress Frederick formed her own court and stayed in touch with liberal groups, even though her son preferred her to leave Germany permanently.

Growing Loneliness

In October 1889, Princess Sophia, Victoria's second-to-last daughter, married the future King Constantine I of Greece. The next year, Princess Viktoria married Prince Adolf of Schaumburg-Lippe. Finally, in 1893, Princess Margaret married Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse. Although happy with these marriages, Empress Frederick felt more and more alone as her daughters left home.

Empress Frederick was largely kept out of public life by Wilhelm II. When her mother-in-law, Empress Dowager Augusta, died in 1890, Empress Frederick hoped to take over her roles as patron of the German Red Cross. However, her daughter-in-law, Empress Augusta Victoria, took on these roles instead, which deeply disappointed Empress Frederick.

The empress dowager did not hesitate to strongly criticize her son's policies and behavior.

Final Years and Death

In her later years, Empress Frederick spent time painting and visiting an artists' colony. She often met with the painter Norbert Schrödl. In her last days, she enjoyed morning walks and spent hours writing letters or reading in her castle library.

In late 1898, doctors diagnosed the empress dowager with breast cancer that could not be operated on. By autumn 1900, the cancer had spread. She worried about her personal letters, which contained her concerns about Germany's future under her son. She asked her godson, Frederick Ponsonby, to take the letters back to Britain. He did so during his last visit to her in February 1901. These letters were later published in a book.

Empress Frederick died at Friedrichshof on 5 August 1901. This was less than seven months after her mother, Queen Victoria, had died.

Victoria was buried next to her husband in the royal mausoleum of the Friedenskirche at Potsdam on 13 August 1901. Her tomb has a marble statue of her lying down. Her two sons who died as children, Sigismund and Waldemar, are buried in the same mausoleum.

Archives

All of Victoria's letters, which she left to her youngest daughter Margaret, are kept in the Archive of the House of Hesse in Eichenzell, Germany.

Honors and Titles

Royal Symbols

As Princess Royal, Victoria was allowed to use the royal coat of arms. This included a special shield for Saxony and a white label with red crosses and a red rose.

Victoria's coat of arms as Princess Royal of the United Kingdom

Lesser coat of arms of Empress Victoria

Monogram as Princess Royal of the United Kingdom

Monogram as German Empress

Her Children

Image	Name	Birth	Death	Notes
	Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia	27 January 1859	4 June 1941	married (1), 27 February 1881, Princess Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg; died 1921; had 6 sons; 1 daughter (2), 9 November 1922, Princess Hermine Reuss of Greiz, no issue
	Charlotte, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen	24 July 1860	1 October 1919	married, 18 February 1878, Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen; had 1 daughter
	Prince Henry of Prussia	14 August 1862	20 April 1929	married, 24 May 1888, his first cousin Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine; had 3 sons
	Prince Sigismund of Prussia	15 September 1864	18 June 1866	died of meningitis at 21 months; the first grandchild of Queen Victoria to die.
	Viktoria, Princess Adolf of Schaumburg-Lippe	12 April 1866	13 November 1929	married (1), 19 November 1890, Prince Adolf of Schaumburg-Lippe; he died 1916; no issue (2), 19 November 1927, Alexander Zoubkov; no issue
	Prince Waldemar of Prussia	10 February 1868	27 March 1879	died of diphtheria at age 11
	Sophia, Queen of the Hellenes	14 June 1870	13 January 1932	married, 27 October 1889, Constantine I, King of the Hellenes; had 3 sons; 3 daughters (including: George II, King of the Hellenes; Alexander I, King of the Hellenes; Paul, King of the Hellenes; and Helen, Queen Mother of Romania)
	Margaret, Landgravine of Hesse	22 April 1872	22 January 1954	married, 25 January 1893, Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse, later Landgrave of Hesse; had 6 sons

See also

In Spanish: Victoria del Reino Unido (1840-1901) para niños