I started reading this book and found that it was not for me. It didn't seem fair for me to review a book that I didn't finish.

Oh...how I love a great historical novel. A MOST ENGLISH PRINCESS pulled me in from the first chapters and kept me greedily reading until the very end. Not only is there an instant transportation to a different era, but the reader gets to see historical figures in a whole new way. A must read.

Queen Victoria is one of England’s more memorable monarchs, and is perhaps even more so thanks to the British TV series, Victoria. Anyone who is familiar with Victoria knows about her sweeping romance with husband Prince Albert, but if you are not a British history super fan, you may not know much about her nine children. That’s where Clare McHugh’s ambitious biographical fiction debut, A Most English Princess, comes in. At 512 pages, this historical fiction novel is a comprehensive, well-researched account of the life of Victoria, Princess Royal, Queen Victoria’s first child.

Told in four parts - daughter, bride, wife, mother - A Most English Princess introduces us to Victoria, Vicky, as a young child, and follows her throughout her life and shows how her role and relationships changed over time. This novel is thorough and exhaustive, showing how Vicky responded to and was affected by the major historical events of the time. McHugh’s scrupulous storytelling is both this novel’s positive and negative point. Readers who are interested in history will love this book, as it is highly-detailed and covers events and people that aren’t well-known and oft-covered in fiction. On the other hand, for those who love to read biographical fiction for the intimacy it provides by taking you into all of the personal moments of the subject’s life, A Most English Princess will likely disappoint.

I unfortunately fall into that latter group, as I read biographical fiction to learn all of the things about a person that a history book WON’T tell me. I got very little “Vicky” in this book and way too much war and political strife. It often felt like I was reading a string of historical facts with very little imagination or storytelling. The parts of the book that detail Vicky’s relationships with her family and friends were enlightening and enjoyable, but unfortunately, these moments were few and far between. Instead, A Most English Princess read like a political tome. It is not badly done, but it was just not the book I was expecting to read.

This is a sweeping and fascinating historical fiction novel about the life of Victoria princess of England. Eldest daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, she marries Fritz, the heir to the Prussian empire and gives birth to the boy who will become the infamous Kaiser Wilhelm. This is a well-researched and richly detailed account of both the time period and the historical figures.
I highly recommend this book. It will be appealing to fans of historical fiction, British royalty, and the Victorian era. I'm sure it will be in high demand for book clubs everywhere.

This was such an interesting look at Queen Victoria's family from the perspective of Vicky. I didn't know much about her before reading this novel and it has certainly piqued my interest, and Clare's writing style is so obviously well researched and informed.

This book was so enjoyable and an absolute must-read for any fans of historical fiction. The book follows the life of the princess Victoria, daughter to Queen Victoria. We follow her life as a child through adulthood, giving us a front row seat to the lives of her parents, her siblings, then her husband and her children. Clare McHugh's historical research is made obvious in the details of Prussia's royal family, as well as the militarization of Germany. A Most English Princess has everything necessary for a masterful story. A definite recommend!

Historical fiction featuring Queen Victoria’s oldest daughter, and the unfolding of the unification of the German states. Raised by Albert to be opinionated and outspoken, will she adapt to her new role in Prussia, or will she alienate those around her? Will the marriage form an untreatable alliance between the English and Prussia? Will she be accepted as German? After all, her mother was half German, and her father was German, or will she forever been seen as English?

2.5 Stars

A fictional account of the life of Princess Victoria, daughter of Queen Victoria, and mother to Kaiser Wilhelm. This book takes you though her childhood until 1871, after the Franco-Prussian War. (Victoria lived for about 19 years after the events in the book.)

While I didn't really enjoy the way the story was told, all of the characters seemed very interesting and I imagine I will read more about them in the future. The book had a way of making Princess Victoria always someone else's person (daughter, wife, mother) and never actually herself (as evidenced even in the title of the book). She was written it seemed almost as a 21st century girl with independence, forward thinking ideas, and behaviors while still being held to the standards of the time (having to ask the King's permission to visit her family after even the death of her father). Maybe she was ahead of her time, but the way it was executed, I kept feeling removed from the story when her personality clashed with the events around her.

Another issue I had that kept pulling me from the story were the miniature time jumps. The author would be moving right along about one thing or another and then jump ahead for a paragraph or two telling you how this even would affect things 2 or 5 years (or more) in the future. I kept wondering, "Why do I need to know that now as opposed to when that event actually happens?"

I think theses issues combined led me into a small reading slump. I normally read a book in a few days to a week where as this book took me nearly the whole of September to get though and put all my other reading plans behind, which was quite frustrating.

All that being said, I did like the characters and if nothing else this book has piqued my interest in learning more about them in a more non-fiction capacity. I think the relationship between Princess Victoria and Prince Frederick William of Prussia was sweet and unusual for their time being that they were royals and wed still for love. I am very interested to know if that was actually the case or just the author romanticizing the couple. I am curious to know where her children wound up in life given that Princess Victoria seemed so intent on instill them with an education and a moral attitude.

I would recommend to very big fans of historical fiction based on actual events, those just wanting to get a small feel for this time period in Prussia/Germany, or people interested in fictional accounts of royalty.

I love a good novel about Tudors or Windsors as much as the next person. But I also admire—and enjoy books by—novelists who go beyond the “short list” of literary favorites to explore the lives of often undeservedly ignored historical figures. Princess Vicky, the eldest daughter of Britain’s Queen Victoria, is one such personage. Raised in the knowledge that, no matter how competent or knowledgeable she might be, she would probably never have the opportunity to fill her mother’s shoes, Vicky entered into a typical royal marriage and did her best to cope with the expectations of a country that had little use for her strong personality or her liberal ideas. It is in some ways not a happy story, but as told by Clare McHugh, it is both a compelling and a rewarding one.

Interview with the author at the link below (9/24/20 and later)

Princess Victoria was the daughter of Queen Victoria. This historical fiction gives us a wonderful view of her life from a young age, through her wedding to Prince Frederick of Prussia, her married life, and her death. I really liked the way this story was written. I was given so an intimate view into Princess Victoria's life. Her marriage to Fritz was a strong one, but his Prussian court is one of intrigue and terrible people

Fritz and Victoria's son, Wilhelm, will become the future Kaiser, and I was really interested in the development of his character, which is a big focus in the book. Despite Victoria's best efforts, her son grows into a hard, unsympathetic person. I found that this story provided me new views on how the first world war was possible with her son as the future Emporer.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I liked the writing, and the way the story was told. It was a bit longer than I needed it to be, but it provided a huge amount of well-researched information that I loved!

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

If you have enjoyed Victoria on PBS Masterpiece, you want to read A Most English Princess by Clare McHugh. McHugh focuses on Queen Victoria oldest daughter, who is also named Victoria. This fictional biographic account of her life begins as a young girl and continues throughout her adult years. While focused on the life of Victoria, the lives of her siblings and parents are included. However, the most attention is given to Victoria's relationship with her husband's father and with her son, Kaiser Wilhelm II.

With the title A Most English Princess, one might think that the book is only for women. While women will definitely enjoy the book, the emphasis is not on romance but on history. Any history buff will enjoy the behind the scenes look at Prussia and the royal families. Reading this book provides much insight into the militarization of Germany and why conditions were set for World War I. McHugh provides just the right mix of an enjoyable story that is well-researched and historically accurate.

I received a complementary copy of A Most English Princess from William Morrow Paperbacks via NetGalley. I was not required to provide a positive review and all opinions are my own.

I really love the story of Albert and Victoria and was very excited to read this book. It just fell a little flat for me. The pacing seemed slow and it just didn’t grab me like I wanted it to.

This is an uneven book: filled with fascinating information and details about Victoria’s daughter, Vicky, in her early life in England and her first decade in Prussia as a young mother and wife. Author Clare McHugh brings the settings and history alive and the book moves quickly, in spite of an overly detailed investment in Prussian internal political drama. My frustration is that the book ends 30 years before Vicky dies and I have no idea why. Will there be a second book about her? This book only covers half of her life and I’m left wondering why the author made the choices she did. The book opens with her death but we are left with 30 missing years. I feel angst at the ending of an otherwise good book. The author does provide a good post script with photos and follow-up. Here’s hoping there’s another book to complete the story of a remarkable woman. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Victoria, Princess Royal, was the oldest daughter and first-born child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. At age 17, she marries the Prussian prince who will later become Emperor Frederick III and moves to his home in Prussia. While their personal lives are happy and they have eight children together, the political climate in Prussia and the German states is tense. Their subjects do not trust Vicky because of her Englishness and fear that she will support English causes at all costs. She and her husband Fritz favor a parliamentary government which brings them into constant clashes with Fritz's father and his chancellor Bismarck. A great deal of historical research went into this novel, but the constant political turmoil and war grew repetitious. I would have preferred to hear more about the last 30 years of Vicky's life, rather than just a very quick synopsis in the epilogue.

I received an advance Kindle copy of this book from Netgalley for a fair and honest review.

Clare McHugh’s debut novel, A Most English Princess, will add to a very sparse collection of historical fiction books featuring Victoria, the Princess Royal of England. Vicky, as she is most often referred as, is the first born child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. She would ultimately marry Fritz, heir to the Prussian Empire and later become the mother of Kaiser Wilhelm II.

This well-researched offering is brimming with details of Vicky’s life from her English childhood education directed by her father, to her marriage and move to Prussia at age seventeen, to raising her family of eight with Fritz, to German unification in 1871. Through each stage of her life the reader inspects her educated responses to patriotism, marriage, gender roles required of her, and her lack of sufficient power in this male dominated society to be a positive influence in world events. How different Germany’s future would have been if she and Fritz were allowed to participate more positively throughout the years.

Once again a book has piqued my interest in a period I knew little about. The “Cast of Characters” at the beginning of the book, both in England and in Prussia, was most helpful as the information helped me quickly understand the many relationships between the major participants. I was especially inspired to research the events between June, 1871, and the epilogue dated November, 1940 as this chronicle needs a sequel!

A Most English Princess most definitely deserves five stars!

A MOST ENGLISH PRINCESS – Clare McHugh
William Morrow Paperbacks
ISBN-10: 0062997602
ISBN-13: 978-0062997609
September 22, 2020
Historical Fiction

England and Prussia 1847 to 1901

The Prologue takes place in 1901 with the approaching death of the oldest child of England’s Queen Victoria, Vicki, who lives in Germany. Her mother the queen died earlier that same year. Through the years, her father and mother have written many letters to her. The dying empress asks an old friend visiting from England to smuggle her saved collection of letters and papers back to her family in England.

Victoria, called Vicki by her family, is a cherished daughter and England’s Princess Royal. Her father, Prince Albert, is from Prussia. He is forward-thinking and liberal in his thoughts and believes that all people should be able to take part in governing, an outlook he teaches Vicki. His daughter is a smart child, who at age ten meets nineteen-year-old Prince Friedrich Wilhelm, called Fritz, from Prussia. His uncle is the king of Prussia. Four years later Fritz asks Vicki to marry him. Vicki’s parents are elated but won’t allow their daughter to marry until she is seventeen. Their marriage is based on love.

Once living in Prussia, Vicki finds those of the Hohenzollern dynasty who rule Prussia dismiss her. She is too liberal and outlandish, and they find her too ‘English’ and unworthy of her position. Her plans to help advance Prussian society are crushed, but she never gives up.

The story is divided into four parts: Daughter, Bride, Wife, and Mother, and is based on the letters smuggled out of Prussia. It is an interesting look at a historical era that ultimately led to her son, the Kaizer of Germany, being involved in World War I to advance Germany’s power in Europe. I don’t believe many of us understand what it must have been like for so many royal women to be married off to men from other royal dynasties, but this story gives an interesting glimpse into that world and its many difficulties.

Robin Lee

Princess Victoria, the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria, grew up extremely privileged. She was smart, well educated, and determined. She was ready to make a difference in the world, however, as a woman, she can only do that through marriage. She finds that person in the heir to the Prussian throne. Her life in her new country is not a fairy tale and her enthusiasm and progressive ideas are ignored.

An enjoyable read for any lover of European history. Victoria has a front role seat to the politics of the 19th century. What is unclear from the description, is that this book is only the tale of the first half of her life. Readers will be left wanting to know what happens next in this remarkable woman's life.

An impeccably detailed and incredibly researched account of Vicky, Princess Royal, from Clare McHugh. Fans of Masterpiece’s Victoria will love this fascinating story, an intimate look at the life of Vicky and her family. 4/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Queen Victoria's oldest daughter Vicky met her future husband Fritz, the heir to the king of Prussia, when she was nine, became engaged at fifteen, and married him shortly after she turned seventeen. Vicky's father Price Albert supervised her education and she studied history, philosophy, politics, and government and was acquainted with royalty and politicians in England and on the continent to prepare her for her future role of queen consort. She kept up a voluminous correspondence with her father and mother and continued hey liberal education in politics in that way.

Vicky gave birth to the future Kaiser Wilhelm when she was 18, and this novel details the formation of his character and the simultaneous formation of a unified Germany. Despite Vicky's best efforts (or possibly because of her strictness and criticisms), Wilhelm expects adulation as his birthright, takes excessive pleasure in victory, and is unable to feel sympathy, gratitude, or compassion. The novel ends at the victory parade following the Franco-Prussian War when Vicky is 30 and Wilhelm is 12, and it is easy to understand how Wilhelm's character, the German national character, and the reparations demanded of France at the end of that war planned the seeds for the first world war.

Despite its length this book was a very fast read and an interesting blend of character study and history. Highly recommended.

Thank you to William Morrow/Harper Collins and NetGalley for letting me read an advanced copy of this book. I found this book to be a fascinating read of the married life of Princess Victoria and her marriage to Prince Frederick of Prussia. It was interesting to read about the dynamics of her upbringings and views of her father and mother and how it shaped or hindered her life away from England in Prussia. I found myself having to stop reading and venture to Wickipedia to read about all of her children, look up the home she created and the death of her husband. Excellent historical details and incredible imagining of German court life.