Princess Victoria, the Princess Royal

A carte-de-visite portrait of Princess Victoria, the Princess Royal (1840-1901), Crown Princess of Prussia, later Empress of Germany.

The eldest child of Queen Victoria, 'Vicky' was already married to Crown Prince Friedrich of Prussia at the time that this portrait was made. Her husband, known as Fritz within the family, was Queen Victoria's favourite son-in-law. When he finally succeeded to the throne as Emperor Friedrich III in 1888, he was already dying of throat cancer.

Although she felt excluded and homesick at the Prussian court, she and her husband were devoted to one another. Her extensive correspondence with her mother, first published in the 1920's, gives fascinating insights into the private life of both royal families.

Photographed by Camille Silvy on 3 July 1861.