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A review by xxstefaniereadsxx
A Magnificent Obsession: Victoria, Albert, and the Death That Changed the British Monarchy by Helen Rappaport
informative
slow-paced
3.0
Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was born in 1819 in Germany. He married his first cousin, Victoria. Victoria became Queen of Ireland and Great Britain in 1837. Together, they had nine children. He struggled with the role of consort, because he did not have political power or run his household. He got involved in a lot of public things. He was President of the Society for the Extinction of Slavery. He managed to modernize the finances of the royal family, designed their home and landscaping, and had a great deal to do with their children. He also supported raising the working age to end child labor. Despite his lack of political power, he had a lot of influence with Queen Victoria. She valued his opinions and absolutely adored him. He had been complaining of stomach pain for at least two years before his death. It is very likely that he had some manner of cancer, Crohn's Disease, or something similar, though he was diagnosed as having typhoid fever and dying from that.
Queen Victoria never got over his death. She blamed it on her son, who Albert had last went to see to tell him to cut the shenanagins and stop having illicit romances, as though she had never noticed he was ill before then. She wore black mourning clothes for the rest of her life. She kept his rooms exactly as he left them. She insisted that his sheets were changed, hot water and fresh towels were brought in daily, and his clothes were sorted. She absolutely adored Albert, and her personality changed so much once he died. She withdrew from public life and began comfort eating, gaining quite a lot of weight. Because she stopped doing public appearances unless absolutely vital, public opinion of the royal family started to decrease.
Both Albert and Victoria had really interesting wives, and their children certainly did as well. I think everyone can see how much she adored him and how disturbed she was by his death. This book paints a detailed picture of their marriage and her feelings about his death. I never really thought about how his death impacted public opinion or her actions and policies for the remainder of her reign. Helen Rappaport is a great historian of the Victorian Era, and I also really enjoy her work about the Russian monarchy. Pick this book up, it is worth the read.
Queen Victoria never got over his death. She blamed it on her son, who Albert had last went to see to tell him to cut the shenanagins and stop having illicit romances, as though she had never noticed he was ill before then. She wore black mourning clothes for the rest of her life. She kept his rooms exactly as he left them. She insisted that his sheets were changed, hot water and fresh towels were brought in daily, and his clothes were sorted. She absolutely adored Albert, and her personality changed so much once he died. She withdrew from public life and began comfort eating, gaining quite a lot of weight. Because she stopped doing public appearances unless absolutely vital, public opinion of the royal family started to decrease.
Both Albert and Victoria had really interesting wives, and their children certainly did as well. I think everyone can see how much she adored him and how disturbed she was by his death. This book paints a detailed picture of their marriage and her feelings about his death. I never really thought about how his death impacted public opinion or her actions and policies for the remainder of her reign. Helen Rappaport is a great historian of the Victorian Era, and I also really enjoy her work about the Russian monarchy. Pick this book up, it is worth the read.