From the Introduction:
What were the facets of Queen Victoria''s character and position that resulted in her name encapsulating the values of an entire era? There was her unique status as a female sovereign (the fifth since 1066); her longevity; and the brilliant political and military successes that had been achieved in her name. Then, the Queen was gifted with precisely those personal qualities that she admired in the young Princess May of Teck,* whom she enthusiastically appraised in 1890 as a bride for her grandson, Prince Albert Victor of Wales, heir to the heir apparent in the direct line to the throne. As a potential Queen Consort, May personified Queen Victoria''s own ideals. In a letter to her daughter Vicky, the Queen described May as "the reverse of oberflachlich [shallow]...May is a particularly nice girl...reserved ''til you know her well...always occupied...[and] well-informed" (Pope-Hennessy, 1959, p. 207). In fact, May Teck was almo
