The title refers to what Queen Victoria used to call the collective royals of Europe, usually gathering for the weddings and funerals of royals across Europe, apart from visiting one another across the continent and in British isles for summers and more. She was called Grandmama of Europe, related as she was to almost all of them, in fact by the timeline this book begins, she was in fact grandmother to scores of them across Europe, some in line to thrones and going on to acquire them in due course, some being invited to take over monarchies of nations momentarily without a monarch, and so on.
As one reads this, one begins to realise this is centred on Victoria, Princess of Hesse and Rhine, not only because she was a granddaughter namesake of the Empress, and grandmother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and consort of Queen Elizabeth II, but much more.
Princess Victoria married Prince Louis of Battenberg, a cousin of hers who was employed in British Navy, encouraged by her uncle Alfie (the second son of Queen Victoria), who was then Duke of Edinburgh, and she lived her life mostly in Britain, albeit visiting their homes in Germany and various relatives across the continent through years until it was impossible due to WWII. Reading about her life is reading about the history of those years, and persona involved, providing some information, some insights, and more.
But most important, to those that don't quite know the intricate web of the clans of royals of Europe, is that this family of royals of Hesse and Battenberg, related closely to one another before the weddings further bound them closer, was in their generation as much central to the royalty of Europe, as was Queen Victoria being the grandmother of about half and closely related to others too.
Victoria's younger sister Elizabeth married a Grand Duke of Russia, son of Tsar Alexander II, although their cousin Willy who went on to be Kaiser Wilhelm II wanted to marry her and did propose, and refused to meet the Russian royals or attend weddings in Russia when spurned by her for sake of cousin Serge whom she did marry; they were already related via his mother and further via his sister in law - Empress Marie the wife of Tsar Alexander I was Victoria's paternal great aunt and sister of her grandfather, while Empress Marie the wife of Tsar Alexander II was sister of Alexandra the then Princess of Wales and later Queen Alexandra of Britain.
And then the youngest of the sisters, Alexandra, although Queen Victoria wanted her to marry her grandson George, instead fell in love with and married Nicholas of Russia, son of Tsar Alexander II, and went on to be the Empress of Russia, which as we all know all too well ended extremely tragically for that family, Tsar Nicholas and Alexandra and their four daughters and the son who was the youngest and afflicted severely with the curse of the whole clan, haemophilia. Meanwhile Beatrice, the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria, eventually was allowed by her mother to marry Louis's brother as she wished, instead of the widower of Queen Victoria's daughter Alice who was mother of Victoria.
As if this is not enough, the third sister Irene married Henry, Prince of Prussia, brother of Willy the Kaiser Wilhelm II and son of their aunt the Empress Augusta Viktoria who was the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria. Further, Alice the daughter of Victoria and Louis Battenberg (later changed to Mountbatten) went on to marry a prince of Greece, related to Denmark and Russia once again since the throne of Greece had been offered and taken by the Prince of Denmark, the brother of Queen Alexandra of Britain. Another prince of Greece, brother in law to Alice the daughter of Victoria and Louis Battenberg, was married to Sophie, the daughter of Empress Augusta Victoria who was aunt of Victoria and her sisters - of all grandchildren of Queen Victoria.
There is more, of course, of the web of relationships so very involved. Having constantly referred to the short introduction table given in the first few pages throughout reading the book helps a little. More importantly, one realises quite early during reading that it was all personal to the clan, the quarrels of the nations, the wars, the revolutions, the murders of various relatives, and more. WWII saw the clan not only split forever in reality if not in heart, due to loyalties to their respective nations, but grieving personally at the various disasters, and unable later to meet or attend or invite the relatives across the continent due to the splintering caused by this war. British royalty and not just the Battenberg family were forced to give up their German names and take up English names, and that perhaps was the least, considering just how many relatives they mourned murders of, and later were unable to meet.
At the wedding of the now Queen Elizabeth and her bridegroom Prince Philip who was then newly created Duke of Edinburgh, for example, his sisters the granddaughters of Victoria and Louis Mountbatten were not invited, since they had married into Germany. This royals marrying other royals who were German and usually already relatives was not new, and in fact was facilitated, often encouraged by Queen Victoria for her own grandchildren; but times changed irrevocably post WWII.
One wishes there were a more detailed graph of the various relationships and people, but perhaps a book won't be enough, it would require a net or web that only computer graphics could do justice to - perhaps it could be on internet.
