Grandmama of Europe : The crowned descendants of Queen Victoria

The family that shaped Europe’s ruling classes in the twentieth century.

Although rarely documented as the warmest of monarchs and often criticised for her surly attitude to motherhood, Queen Victoria did successfully heir nine children. By the late nineteenth century, she had over thirty surviving grandchildren.

Understanding the important role of marriage in upholding Britain’s power and influence over Europe, she inserted herself as somewhat of a royal matchmaker in her grandchildren’s lives, recommending or despairing at their varied suitors.

In this comprehensive delve into Victoria’s offspring, Theo Aronson describes the intersection of cultures as princesses with British upbringings experienced the courts of Spain, Romania, Greece, Russia, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. He also explores how the queen’s best intentions for royal diplomacy failed to prevent World War I but did, at least, have a significant influence on the absorption of British customs into other courts and a globalising effect that makes for interesting reading in a post-Brexit world.

Theo Aronson is the author of over twenty works of royal historical biography, published in eleven languages. Among the widely read are Grandmama of Europe, The King in Love, Napoleon and Josephine and a biography of Princess Margaret. In the course of researching and writing these books he has interviewed major and minor members of Britain's royal family and members of the royal households, as well as various officials, servants, friends and others whose lives are in some way connected with the monarchy.