From Queen Victoria to the Empress Frederick – 6 December 1891

From Queen Victoria to the Empress Frederick – Windsor Castle, 6 December 1891

Since yesterday the great event of Eddy’s¹ engagement with May Teck² has taken place. People here are delighted and certainly she is a dear, good and clever girl, very carefully brought up, unselfish and unfrivolous in her tastes. She will be a great help to him. She is very fond of Germany too and is very cosmopolitan. I must say that I think it is far preferable than eine kleine deutsche Prinzessin (a little German Princess) with no knowledge of anything beyond small German courts etc. It would never do for Eddy. What Mary³ will do without May, I cannot think, for she was her right hand. I can well understand that many things must make you very sore, but many are really unavoidable…

Tonight we have Prince Napoléon here. He is very good-looking with a fine presence and pleasing. We met him at Farnborough Hill at the Empress’s⁴ yesterday where we lunched. On coming home I found Eddy who came himself to announce the news of his engagement to me…⁵

1. Prince Albert Victor, the eldest son of the Prince of Wales
2. Princess Mary of Teck
3. Princess Mary’s mother, Mary Adelaide of Cambridge
4. Empress Eugénie
5. Beloved and Darling Child – Edited by Agatha Ramm