I enjoyed this book and found the writing style easy, not stuffy like some historical factual books.

I found the interaction between Victoria and the Queen fascinating and saw the human side of the Royals.

Such a tragedy that befell the Tzar and his family. If only things has turned out differently and Alix and Nicky had ruled for the people from the start. Alix should have listened to the Queen.

I did get a bit confused with the names as there were so many Victorias, Alices etc but I liked the way the Queen had abbreviated versions for them eg Ernie, Alicky, I suppose to individualise them.

Thankyou netgalley for this Arc.

I requested and received an eARC of Queen Victoria's Favourite Granddaughter: Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, the Most Consequential Royal You Never Knew by Ilana D. Miller. I was glad I was granted access to this title soon after finishing a wonderful volume about Queen Victoria and the Prime Ministers who served during her reign. When it comes to Victoria’s children and grandchildren, perhaps aside from Vicky and Edward VII, it becomes difficult to remember who is who! So, who is Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine? The daughter of Victoria’s third child, Princess Alice, who married Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine.

Victoria lived a long life that witnessed many tragedies which is something Miller highlights in the introduction to the text. Born in 1863 and dying in 1950, a month after the birth of Princess Anne, she lived through both world wars and the downfall of many of her family members (i.e the killing of the Romanovs.) She enjoyed a special relationship with her grandmother and they exchanged many letters during their lifetime (I’m not sure how Queen Victoria managed to do much more than write letters continuously for the entirety of her reign!) The introduction is accompanied by an overview of Princess Victoria’s immediate family with brief descriptions of who each individual is. I found this very helpful, because as I’ve mentioned it is difficult to distinguish one member of the family from another thanks to Queen Victoria and Albert’s bounty of children and their subsequent marriages.

I found this to be a fun and informative read that really complimented my previous reading of Queen Victoria’s family. This is much more than a look at Victoria’s life, but also an exploration of a very turbulent time in history, spanning from the late nineteenth century through two world wars. My favorite sections were those that delved into Victoria’s childhood, with her siblings, and the death of her mother, Princess Alice, but I also enjoyed the later bits that explored the death of Alix and Ella. Miller does a terrific job of relaying these events in a well-rounded way that prioritizes how deeply affected Victoria was by them (all while trying to spare Ernie from some of the more horrific details.) Phenomenal work with just the right blend of history and gossip that kept my attention the entire time (and often made me say to myself, “If only they had listened to Victoria!”)