Queen Victoria's Matchmaking

The Royal Marriages That Shaped Europe

By: Deborah Cadbury

Narrated by: Charlotte Strevens

A captivating exploration of the role in which Queen Victoria exerted the most international power and influence: as a matchmaking grandmother.

As her reign approached its sixth decade, Queen Victoria's grandchildren numbered over 30, and to maintain and increase British royal power, she was determined to maneuver them into a series of dynastic marriages with the royal houses of Europe.

Yet for all their apparent obedience, her grandchildren often had plans of their own, fueled by strong wills and romantic hearts. Victoria's matchmaking plans were further complicated by the tumultuous international upheavals of the time: revolution and war were in the air, and kings and queens, princes and princesses were vulnerable targets.

Queen Victoria's Matchmaking travels through the glittering, decadent palaces of Europe from London to Saint Petersburg, weaving in scandals, political machinations, and family tensions to enthralling effect. It is at once an intimate portrait of a royal family and an examination of the conflict caused by the marriages the Queen arranged. At the heart of it all is Victoria herself: doting grandmother one moment, determined Queen Empress the next.

©2017 Deborah Cadbury (P)2018 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"[An] absorbing book... The fall of the Romanovs occupies the superb last pages of Cadbury's book... Dynastic mergers, we may deduce from Deborah Cadbury's account, offer no defence against the whims of history. This catastrophe-laced slice of royal history offers a ripping read." (Miranda Seymour, The Observer)

"A rich history of Queen Victoria's canny use of political power." (Bookpage)

"Engrossing...Cadbury engagingly presents [Queen Victoria] as a mesmerising Mrs Bennet, summoning her children and then her grandchildren to Balmoral. ..The stories of [Queen Victoria's] descendants are mesmerising and often stranger than fiction...From the pen of a writer of skill and style, this surprising narrative leaves you wanting more." (Paula Byrne, The Times)

More interesting than I expected

Good vivid writing with beautiful narration. Lots Interesting nuggets of information and little details that I didn’t know before even though I was familiar with most of stories

Very Interesting

This is a nonfiction discussion of European politics during the late Victorian era as seen through the lens of the marriages of Queen Victoria's children and grandchildren. The title suggests that it will tell of the Queen's personal involvement in the marriages, which was not actually a lot, but the subtitle truthful shows that it only features those marriages that affected European politics. I found both aspects to be somewhat disappointing, as I would have enjoyed learning about some of the Queen's lesser-known children and grandchildren. Nonetheless, I found it generally well-written and thoroughly entertaining and informative; I would certainly recommend it to other armchair historians also interested in this area.

Wow that was very good

That was possibly one of my favourite history books I ever read. I loved how the author brought the story and these historical figures to life using their own words and about a million sources. It made Queen Victoria’s attempt at matchmaking seem like a narrative story told like an episode of Downton Abbey. Then the downfall of all the European families that Queen Victoria’s grandchildren had married into was told beautifully like a cascading avalanche of fate that could not be avoided. Although Prince Albert and Queen Victoria had a vision of royal European marriages that could facilitate peace in Europe, the world of the 20th century was so different from that of the 19th century that their grandchildren could not outrun their fate as these monarchies fell. Prince Albert who died in 1861 could never have foreseen the world he was sending his descendants into. I enjoyed this book immensely.

Much more interesting than I thought it would be

I have read a lot about Q. Victoria and her children. I did not expect to much, but this shed some interesting today bits on the minor branches and how all of the interactions amongst the cousins ended up impacting WWI.

Interesting perspective on history

The upheavals in Europe from the admittedly perspective of one family. I gained new appreciation for Victoria’s capabilities and aspirations despite the ultimate failure of her and Albert’s aim (self-serving but not entirely without general benefit) to keep the peace on the continent.

Beautifully written and narrated

Loved the peek into the last, especially the letters to and from the Queen and her family members

Much more serious than you might think

I bought this expecting a light entertaining listen but I got much more than I anticipated. Well written and researched. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. There was much more to Victoria’s matchmaking than just a meddling granny. I loved how it was wrapped up at the end. Much to consider.

A surprisingly thorough and interesting read

To be honest, I went into this book - having read several books related to the period in general, and biographies of several of the people involved in particular - not expecting a whole lot. Given the topic, I expected more interfering, old-biddy grandmama, and no serious scholarship about the political situation in the generations leading up to the First World War. I was pleasantly surprised! While there was a bit of interfering old-biddy (because let's be honest, that is well documented), there was also some really good perspectives of the complex family and political relationships that were occurring, and some quite humanizing details as well.

A note on the audiobook version - while really well done, many of the people discussed in this book were named Victoria, Margaret, Mary, Elizabeth, Albert, etc., and while there is a good effort to keep them all sorted, it could be confusing at times to keep track of who exactly was being referred to.

Extremely interesting and full of new tidbits

• When it came to the Royals I knew well, I was riveted to learn new details about them.

• When it came to the Royals I knew a little, I feel like I learned more about them and the book held my interest.

• When it came to the Royals I knew nothing about, I was completely lost!

Never Let Your Grandmother Decide on Your Partner

I think Cadbury's book is a wonderful example of Victoria's propensity to cause disaster through marriage. Most of the marriages she tried to arrange turned out to be miserable or were ultimately unsuccessful due to their not achieving their goals. It also shows how controlling she was in her later years, especially after her children married and left (she almost ruined the chances of her youngest daughter's marrying because she expected Beatrice to stay with her forever).

Vicky's marriage to the Prussian prince Fritz is a good example of a failed scheme; they were supposed to become rulers of a liberal kingdom but that didn't come off as planned when Fritz's father turned out to be non-liberal and Fritz died early in life, leaving their megalomaniac and resentful son to become Emperor of Germany. Victoria's scheme for her favorite granddaughter Alexandra marry her grandson (and heir to the throne) Eddy failed when she and her sister married into the Russian royal family (which Victoria tried to prevent), as did her attempt to match him with Mary of Teck when he died prematurely. But probably the worst marriage she arranged was the one between Princess Victoria "Ducky" Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Ernest, Grand Duke of Hesse, who hated each other and eventually separated. The one marriage that seemed to have been successful that Victoria arranged was Mary of Teck's marriage to George V after Eddy's death; though the pair weren't in love, they did become fond of each other and make a successful and sustaining partnership that kept England afloat during WWI.

It can be hard to unravel how everyone in the British and European royal families were related because of Victoria's matchmaking schemes touched nearly every royal family. But this book encapsulates how while Victoria was a powerful ruler of an empire, her matchmaking was wanting. All together a fascinating listen.