The courtship and engagement of Victoria, Princess Royal and Prince Friedrich of Prussia

Like themselves, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert wanted their children to marry for love, as well as convenience. However, before their eldest child, Princess Victoria, had even left the schoolroom, it was decided that she would marry Prince Friedrich of Prussia, who was nine years her senior!

The two first met in 1851 when Friedrich – also known as Fritz – visited the Great Exhibition with his parents and younger sister, Princess Louise. Although ten-year-old Victoria was officially acting as companion to thirteen-year-old Louise, she was asked to guide Friedrich around the exhibition. Despite her young age, Victoria saw this as an opportunity to show off her advanced intellect, something she was never modest about. The Princess memorised everything in the exhibition, as well as where it was located. On top of this, she only communicated to Friedrich in his native German language. With this in mind, it’s no surprise that the nineteen-year-old Prince was impressed by the attractive young Princess.

Upon Friedrich’s return to Germany, the two began regularly exchanging letters. In September 1855, the Prince was invited to visit to royal family at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. The aim had been for him to meet Victoria – also known as Vicky – once more and to decide whether a match between the two would work.

Once again, Friedrich was mesmerised by the now fifteen-year-old Princess. On 20th September, just days after his arrival, Friedrich asked Queen Victoria and Prince Albert for permission to propose. In a letter to the Earl of Clarendon, Prince Albert’s wrote that they “accepted … as far as we are personally concerned” but on the condition that he ask Vicky himself to “receive the answer from her own lips”. They also agreed that, should she accept, the wedding wouldn’t take place until after her seventeenth birthday.

Nine days after receiving the Queens approval, Friedrich joined the family for a walk around the grounds of Balmoral, where they were all photographed. At this time he told Queen Victoria that he hoped to visit again next year. Later that day, the group were out on a pony ride, when Fritz winked at the Queen, “implying that he had said something to Vicky,” who the Queen noticed to be “extremely agitated & nervous”.

Upon returning to the castle, Queen Victoria met her daughter for a private talk on the matter. In her journal, Queen Victoria noted that Vicky had “suspected nothing until the last 2 days when various little things put it into her head & when I asked whether she felt the same about Fritz as he did about her, she said eagerly “Oh! Yes”, with an indescribably happy look.”

Following the talk with her mother, Princess Victoria joined Friedrich in her father’s room. It was here that, after some discussion, she accepted his proposal. Queen Victoria writes that “they expressed their joy & gratitude … it was a beautiful sight to see the expression of real happiness in their faces”.

Due to Victorias age, it was decided that the engagement would remain private until after her confirmation the following March. The news was made public on 17th May 1856, and was faced with mixed feelings both in Britain and Germany. Like always weddings, there was also much debate over where the wedding should take place. As the eldest child of the sovereign and second in line to the throne, Queen Victoria felt it was most appropriate for Vicky to be married in England. However, as heir to the Prussian throne, it was expected that Friedrich be married in Berlin. After several discussions, Queen Victoria finally won the argument and the young couple got married at the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace on 25th January 1858.

Following their short honeymoon at Windsor Castle, the couple moved into a wing of the Berlin Palace, where Victoria found herself incredibly isolated and homesick. On 27th January 1859, almost exactly a year after the wedding, Victoria gave birth to the couples first child, Prince Wilhelm (later Kaiser Wilhelm II). Over the next fifteen years, she would go on to have a total of eight children. Fortunately for Vicky, her wedding had been a success. She and Friedrich were united by their liberal views and stood for the same causes. On 9th March 1888, Friedrich succeeded his father as German Emperor and King of Prussia. However, his reign was cut short when he passed away from Laryngeal cancer just 99 days later.

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Queen Victoria’s journal: The engagement of Victoria, Princess Royal, to Prince Friedrich of Prussia, 29th September 1855

Letter from Queen Victoria to her uncle Leopold I, King of Belgium, 22nd September 1855, on the engagement of Princess Victoria.