A Most English Princess

A Novel of Queen Victoria's Daughter

By: Clare McHugh

Narrated by: Katharine Lee McEwan

""In this sweeping, immersive novel, Clare McHugh draws readers into the mesmerizing world of the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria – Princess Vicky – as she emerges into a powerful force in her own right and ascends to become the first German Empress.” —Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling author of The Only Woman in the Room

Perfect for fans of the BBC's Victoria, Alison Pataki's The Accidental Empress, and Daisy Goodwin's Victoria, this debut novel tells the gripping and tragic story of Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter, Victoria, Princess Royal.

To the world, she was Princess Victoria, daughter of a queen, wife of an emperor, and mother of Kaiser Wilhelm. Her family just called her Vicky…smart, pretty, and self-assured, she changed the course of the world.

January 1858: Princess Victoria glides down the aisle of St James Chapel to the waiting arms of her beloved, Fritz, Prince Frederick, heir to the powerful kingdom of Prussia. Although theirs is no mere political match, Vicky is determined that she and Fritz will lead by example, just as her parents Victoria and Albert had done, and also bring about a liberal and united Germany.

Brought up to believe in the rightness of her cause, Vicky nonetheless struggles to thrive in the constrained Prussian court, where each day she seems to take a wrong step. And her status as the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria does little to smooth over the conflicts she faces.

But handsome, gallant Fritz is always by her side, as they navigate court intrigue, and challenge the cunning Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, while fighting for the throne—and the soul of a nation. At home they endure tragedy, including their son, Wilhelm, rejecting all they stand for.

Clare McHugh tells the enthralling and riveting story of Victoria, the Princess Royal—from her younger years as the apple of her father Albert's eyes through her rise to power atop the mighty German empire to her final months of life.

Very good

I’m a history buff and this book answers a lot of my questions. The personality of Willham was scary. They way they treated his arm was torture.

A Decent Story with An Abrupt Ending.

I found this story interesting, but the end was sudden. it was just like the author met the minimum required amount of words and done! The structure has a Dickensian feel too it.

A Pragmatic Telling Of Vicky’s Life

I found this book to be good, but not particularly riveting. It reads a little bit almost like a historical account of events in sequential order, less so like a novel. I don’t necessarily have anything against it in general, and if you like history, and the history of the British monarchy, as I do, it’s definitely worth the listen to get some context surrounding this time frame in Europe. But if you are looking for more of a compelling literary piece with a clear crescendo and an ending that ties up everything in a neat little bow, this is not quite that. It’s good. It’s seemingly accurate. There are some tender moments. There are some contexts surrounding the early life of Kaiser Wilhelm that make some of his later behaviors seem more understandable, so for those reasons I’m glad I listened to it. Narrator has an excellent German accent when needed and I could clearly distinguish the characters in how she delivered them, so that was also well done.

Well researched. Good historical story.

This was a thoughtful story and I enjoyed it. I think the end was too sudden when there is more to this story. An interesting look at autocratic leaders and how it shaped the current, modern history today.

Light listening. Very light listening

It was just Ok for me. At times it felt like a soap opera. The scope of the story is somewhat narrow and focused on Victoria's marriage, her politics and the drama inside the royal family. There is lots of filler and over it felt too long.

I often judge a book by how often I think about it and the characters once it is finished and if it touches me in some way. I was glad this one was over. I am even surprised I finished it as I got so impatient with the drama and Victoria constant opinionating..