Description:
When the young, insignificant scion of an unremarkable German principality first came to England to serve as consort to the youthful Queen Victoria, no one could have guessed that he would grow to become one of Britain's great--if uncrowned--kings. Albert's life could not have been an easy one; a man of great intelligence, pride, and ambition, he was forced to move behind the scenes, playing major roles in running the Crimean War and working to keep Britain out of the Civil War being waged in the United States. He was interested in industry and technology, and worked to stage the Crystal Palace exhibition--the first World's Fair. Yet, while his wife adored him, his adopted people scorned him for his German accent, his foreign ways, and his covert activities as a surrogate ruler. Biographer Stanley Weintraub has penned acclaimed biographies on such renowned figures as Benjamin Disraeli and Queen Victoria, and in Uncrowned King he turns his attention to Prince Albert. Tapping previously unexplored sources, Weintraub chronicles every aspect of Albert's life--from the political to the sexual--in lively, accessible prose, sure to please even the most avid follower of the royal family.
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