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As many readers requested pictures in the book, these have been included in the paperback version.
The Kindle version of the book has also been updated and re-edited with a 'clickable' contents page.
I am equally happy to announce that my biography of Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse, will also be released shortly in Kindle format, to be followed by a paperback version soon afterwards.
In the meantime, while this blog has been inactive, I have been carrying out research for a new biography of Prince Albert, and, the more I have discovered, the more obvious it is that the myths about his megalomania and lack of kindness to his children (and Queen Victoria's!) is utter nonsense. It is fascinating that witnesses who actually knew the Queen and Prince Consort, were frequently impressed by the affection shown to the royal children, and the warmth within the family.
It seems clear that the myth of their unkindness stems primarily from their treatment of 'Bertie', the Prince of Wales. Queen Victoria's reluctance to allow him to participate in affairs of state is seen as the reason why he adopted such a sybaritic lifestyle while he was Prince of Wales, because he had nothing worthwhile to do. It is obvious, however, that he did nothing to 'earn' the trust, which the Queen might have placed in him. When the Queen and Prince Albert were first married, the Queen did not allow Albert to participate in her work, but, rather than wallowing in self-pity or wasting his time, he worked on improving the running of the palaces and learning all he could about the British political system. Within a short time, he was participating fully in the Queen's duties. Perhaps, if Bertie had had more about him, he, too, could have earned the Queen's trust, and the myth of her supposed 'cruelty' would not have been handed down through the generations!
