A very enjoyable book to read as other than the first daughter in law (Alexandra) I can’t say i knew about the others, so from a history point of view it was a good read. It was then interesting to read about the various connections that Queen Victoria’s offspring’s had thought Europe so when WW1 came round it was almost a case of relative v relative depending on which branch the offspring had originated from!

Anyone familiar with John van der Kiste previous royal biographies will not be disappointed by his latest monograph centered around the lives of the four talented daughters-in-law of Queen Victoria.

With Alexandra of Danemark, Maria Alexandrovna of Russia (Duchess of Edinburgh), Louise Margaret of Prussia (Duchess of Connaught) and Helen of Waldeck-Pyrmont (Duchess of Albany) the author offers us four fascinating portraits of royal women and their lives within the extended royal family. An exquisite glimpse at Victoria's entourage, full of delightful anecdotes and fascinating details about the various relationships within the royal family.

Many thanks to Pen & Sword and Netgalley for this terrific ARC

Queen Victoria had nine children including four sons, three of whom survived into the 20th century, one of whom becoming King Edward VII. All of them got married. This book tells the story of their wives. Queen Victoria wasn't the easiest of women and got on with some better than others.
To be honest although I enjoyed this well researched and well written book at first first, I ultimately felt a bit swamped with all the detail and lost interest. This is not the author's fault, however and I generally would recommend this to anyone interested in the subject.

I always have had a fascination with Queen Victoria. Therefore I have really enjoyed learning more about her 9 children and their husbands/wives

It's a well researched and written book.
Thank you for letting me read it.

Never knew much about the women who married Queen Victoria's sons. This was a fascinating read. These women knew triumph and tragedy. The only one who actually became queen was Alexandra and she was known to speak her mind. She was protective of her children and her husband at times. She appeared to be ell liked by the people of Britain. It was rather shocking how they were chosen as often royals married within the family .
Highly recommend this book for those who love reading about history especially British history.

Very interesting look into the women who married into the Dynasty of Queen Victoria and what they had to deal with regarding her strong personality.

I thought this was an interesting overview of the daughters in law of Queen Victoria. I was especially interested to learn about Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia and Princess Helen of Waldeck and Pyrmont. Going into the book, I knew about Princess Alexandra and Grand Duchess Marie. I did catch some historical errors, like King Ferdinand of Romania becoming king after the death of his father when it was his uncle who was the previous king. And there were times when it wasn't clear, because of son's having the same first name as their fathers, who the author was talking about. At moments, I found the writing a bit dry to read. However, if you want to learn more about the daughters in law of Queen Victoria, this book is an excellent overview.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook.
Wow what a fascinating book! The author did a great job on the research and I didn't really know much about these women.
I have been ready all about the Tudor era and Queen Victoria herself, but I am looking to branch out and learn more. Highly recommend for history buffs.

As ever, van der Kiste is familiar with the papers of the Saxe-Coburg-Gothas and adept at teasing out the interpersonal relationships. It’s an interesting mix of high and low — Victoria’s relations with her daughters-in-law are as much to do with domestic things like breastfeeding or taking (or not being permitted to take) the grandchildren to foreign postings as they are with matters of state, such as the Schleswig-Holstein affair or her difficult relations with Russia at times I think this could be given in more detail - more direct quotations from the letters, more overt analysis of the difficulties of being both royalty and family - but it’s an interesting book and an enjoyable one.

A great look at the women who were brave enough to marry Queen Victoria’s sons and endure her micromanagement. Queen Alexandra, being the wife of the oldest son is frequently a focus of books about her husband, but the other women are frequently overlooked.

I have read so much about Queen Victoria and her family but this is the first about people that are not directly her family. I loved how deep this book went into their lives, not skipping even minor details.

One thing: this book does not exist on Goodreads.

While you normally read about Victoria and her daughters I don’t think I’ve ever read one that focused on her daughter-in-laws. Just if they were mentioned in passing as the wife of whatever son. And this book brings to life the lives her daughter in laws. And shows who they were in their own right. And though this book you can see how and why Victoria was given the nickname the grandmother of Europe.