Queen Victoria - Part 4 - The Elder Children

On discovering that her first child was a daughter, Queen Victoria remarked, The next one will be a prince. The Queen had no reason to be disappointed that the baby was a girl, for Princess Victoria, known in the family as Vicky, would bring great comfort and support to the Queen throughout her life. Vicky was a charming, confident and sometimes precocious child, who had inherited her father's brilliant intellect and artistic appreciation. Prince Albert doted upon her, which at first aroused a slight jealousy in Queen Victoria. In time, though, the Queen would come to rely on Vicky as a confidante and friend, as well as a daughter. It seemed that the child could do no wrong, and when she was fourteen years old, she even conveniently fell in love with her parents' first choice of marriage partner, the handsome Prince Frederick, Prince of Prussia, who would one day become the German Emperor. Vicky's departure for Berlin was torture to her parents, but even as German Empress and mother of the future Kaiser Wilhelm II, Vicky never lost her love for her homeland, and she even requested that she be buried with the British flag on her coffin a request, incidentally, that her son denied her. Queen Victoria was correct in her prediction that the next one will be a prince, but if Vicky pleased her parents in every way, Prince Albert Edward, known as Bertie, brought a great deal of anxiety. Desperate to ensure that he bore no resemblance to her wicked Hanoverian uncle, and determined that he should become a model prince, the Queen and Prince Albert consulted Albert's mentor, Baron Stockmar, about the best way to raise the child. Stockmar's regime was oppressive and taxing, and it was clear to everyone, not least to Bertie himself, that he would never live up to the high standards expected of him. The Queen, constantly comparing him unfavourably with his father, frequently pointed out his shortcomings, while failing to appreciate his natural gifts of diplomacy and friendliness. In his frustration Bertie flew into rages, for which he was beaten or sent to his room. His parents decided he needed constant supervision, and even when he attended university he was accompanied by minders who ensured that he did not stray from the straight and narrow. Unsurprisingly, at the first opportunity Bertie rebelled, and, as will be seen in a subsequent video, his actions led to tragic consequences. It is sometimes said that if Vicky inherited her father's intellect, Alice, Queen Victoria's third child, inherited his heart. Although somewhat overshadowed by her elder and more brilliant sister, Alice was devoted to her sibling. It was she who, when Bertie was sent to his room, would pass sweets and biscuits to him beneath the door. In later life her spiritual seeking and eagerness to discuss unsuitable subjects would often shock her mother, but her willingness to carry out even the most menial tasks for the poor and the sick won many hearts. Alice would go on to become the mother of the ill-fated Alexandra, the last Tsarina of Russia, and it was through Alice that the devastating conditioned Haemophilia came into the imperial family. Although she was known for her quick sense of humour, Alice's life was blighted by many tragedies, as will be seen in other videos in this series.