We Two: Victoria And Albert: Rulers, Partners, Rivals

European History can be complicated

This biography of the lives of Queen Victoria and Princess Albert was fascinating for its detail, insight into personal issues and the effect of Albert's reach for power despite the priority of Victoria. The tension between Victoria and her mother, the effects of Albert's Uncle Leopold to place him on the throne in England and other conflicts in the lives of royalty are the time make this a very fascinating reading. Albert tried to rule England even though he was not made more than Prince Consort. In this sense Victoria and Albert were rivals. It turns out that the prudishness of the "Victorian" era came significantly from Albert's views of proper behavior and a reaction within England to the behavior of the previous Hanoverian Kings. The impact of Victoria's many children marrying into other royal families - specifically the hemophilia gene- is also covered and illustrates the effects of individuals and personalities. Lots of information is known because the letter correspondence of both royal figures was kept and reveals a lot. Another contradiction is the effect of Victoria after Albert's death to document all his virtues and conceal his imperfections. The book does not sugarcoat the situation since a number of peole attempted to manipulate Victoria for their own purposes.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

A Really good read! I would recommend to anyone who has any interest in history, especially English History, or one who just wants an imteresting book.

The characters appear to come alive from the written pages. You have the feeling you are right there with them. Victoria was so young when see married Albert and then the rate of having her children was really alarming. It is a wonder she survived the birth of each child considering the lack of knowledge, at that time, in child birth.She was highly respected as a Queen, yes and loved too. I had the opinion Albert was quite frustrated as he never obtained the control or responsibilies he felt he should have. He felt entitled because he was her husband. No doubt they truly loved each other and Victoria took his death very hard. Lots of good character building of persons who surrounded her and also members of Parliment.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

We Two - GREAT!

This is one of the very best biographies I have ever read. Incredible detail/research - just amazing. Gill pulls back the veil from not only the marriage of Victoria and Albert, but from the intrigues of the royal houses of Europe in the 19th century. Scholarly but reads like a novel...compelling to the very last page. Don't miss this!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A Prince Who Was Really A King

I thought that this book was a wonderful new look at an often written about relationship. The author shows that Albert and Victoria were pawns within their family. The marriage between two cousins, was planned from childhood. Theirs was ineffect an arranged marriage, but they happened to find a true partnership and even love.
Victoria had the crown, but very early on Albert was King. He delt with the demands of the political role of the Monarchy, and the private tantrums of his wife. The demands of his private and public life aged him rapidly, and probably contributed to his early death.
Victoria mourned him for the rest of her life.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is a terrific biography

This is a fascinating biography that turns upside down the love story of Queen Victoria and her consort Prince Albert as they cherished one another while battling for dominance of their relationship, which denoted dominance of the British Empire. In other words the early period until Albert's death could easily be labeled Albertan-Victorian age. Prince Albert was a classic example of employing a defense mechanism of being everything his family was not and not being anything they were. Thus he came across as prim, proper and starched, which ironically set the future's look back at the Victorian Age are his belief on how a ruler should behave. He kept his Queen seemingly pregnant all the time and was a major supporter of science and technology. When he died in 1861, Victoria grieved her loss for several years. However, when she finally moved on, the Victorian Age blossomed as if the student had learned from her late master while she described his virtues and buried with him his faults.

This is a terrific biography of the nineteenth century's most powerful "power couple" as each thrived in their love and rivalry, especially Victoria. Gillian Gill makes a strong case that Albert was in some ways her mentor as much as her partner. With numerous illustrations and letters included, fans will relish this profound fresh look at We Two: Victoria and Albert: Rulers, Partners, Rivals.

Harriet Klausner

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Worth Reading

Excellently written. New twist on the V & A dynamic. New opinions IMO astleast as far as P.A. is concerned... Still a good read

Brings royalty to our level

This book is amazing. I took a Hanoverian/Victorian class in college because I love that era but the teacher focused more on the political and military aspects. I was interested in learning about Victoria and Albert a bit more but they were glossed over as background figures. This book turns these untouchable figures into human beings. The author uses excerpts from Victoria's and Albert's diaries and letters, allowing the reader to see the personal side of the rulers, both the good and the bad. You learn things you won't normally learn in an academic setting. Overall, this book is very good. I don't want to put it down. Great work!

Not a historical novel - think history lesson

This book is like reading a history text book of German and English royality. Much as I love English history, I am finding it slow going with detail upon detail of who's who. Disappointing.

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