Sterile Queen Victornia

We've had a number of threads about Queen Victoria either not being
born or dying as an infant, leaving Ernest Augustus as King of
Britain. However, I was thinking on how things much go if Victoria was
sterile.

In OTL, Victoria was *incredibly* fertile. Her oldest, the Princess
Victoria was born nine and a half months after Queen Victoria's
wedding at age 20 (February, 1840) and Edward, her eventual successor
just under a year after his older sister. By Queen Victoria's and
Prince Albert's Tenth wedding anniversary, Queen Victoria is pregnant
with their seventh child, Prince Arthur. All nine (4 boys, 5 girls) of
her children survived until at least age 35 and all but one of them
(Louise) had children. A nation which in the 1820s had been concerned
about having anyone in the line of succession now had a bumper crop.

In the ATL, Victoria is sterile. Her marriage with Albert is still a
happy one, but by the 1850 there is concern over her inability to bear
children (she is 30 at this point). First consideration, unless there
is some *obvious* outward sign, doctors would be unable to tell if the
problem was with Victoria or Albert or some combination. I think that
Victoria would stridently resist any attempt to have her divorce
Albert.

In 1851, Ernst Augustus dies, leaving his son and Victoria's cousin
George V as King of Hanover. Unlike OTL where George V has dropped to
8th in line for the British throne, in the ATL, he is heir
presumptive. Fifteen years later in OTL, George V is without a throne,
with Hanover being annexed as part of the Unification of Germany after
the Austro-Prussian war. Would the British try to help Hanover and
Austria? Would it make any difference if they did? (The war was only 7
weeks, had no naval component and as far as I know the Russians were
willing to sell food and other supplies to the Prussians). (OTOH,
perhaps this might have convinced George V to stay neutral, which
might have saved them)

Assuming that they either don't or that it makes no difference, you
have a blind ex-king with a bad record of working with the Hanoverian
parliment who presumably makes his way to Britain as the heir
apparent. When *he* dies in 1878, his son, Ernst Augustus II becomes
heir apparent and ultimately succeeds Victoria.

While in OTL, Ernst Augustus II reconciled with the German Royalty to
the point where the British stripped him of his titles there (as Duke
of Cumberland), but in this TL, you have a man who spent his childhood
in Hanover, had as his first language German and lost the kingdom he
expected to have as a child only to get the British crown at age 56
(Presuming Victoria dies at the same age). His relationship with the
German leadership should be interesting...
 
Who the German leadership is would be interesting also! Frederick III to be will have to marry someone else since Vicky isn't even born. There won't be a Kaiser Bill as we know him

IIRC Ernest Augustus II was also renowned as one of the ugliest men in Europe!

Best Regards
Grey Wolf
 
Who the German leadership is would be interesting also! Frederick III to be will have to marry someone else since Vicky isn't even born. There won't be a Kaiser Bill as we know him.

The eventual successor to Frederick III follows Bismarck's advice and carefully makes sure to keep good relations with Russia. No World War I and Adolf Hitler is only remembered as an obscure Austrian aquarelle painter in the first half of the 20th century. He doesn't even merit a wikipedia article.

:eek:

Let's build a time machine and sterilize Queen Vicky already!
 
If line of succession passes through the Duke of Cumberland that means we get Ernest Augustus V as King of UK and Caroline of Monaco as his Queen now?:p
 
Oh boy, I don't know much about European dynastic politics, but this'll be interesting enough to merit watching.

Haemophilia won't be passed on and though butterflies will begin to eradicate/change individuals by mid century, we would be looking at analogues at least of historical characters no longer tainted by it

Best Regards
Grey Wolf
 
Haemophilia won't be passed on and though butterflies will begin to eradicate/change individuals by mid century, we would be looking at analogues at least of historical characters no longer tainted by it

Best Regards
Grey Wolf

Think of the butterflies in Russia! Rasputin doesn't gain the families confidence and so forth.
 
Somewhat simplistic analysis. Victoria and Albert were fiercely pro-Prussian, they believed it was Prussia's duty and right to assume leadership in Germany and they actively encouraged this as part of part of British foreign policy which was examplified by their decision to marry their daughter off to the future King of Prussia when she was just an infant.

To me a childless Victoria and Albert are almost a politically impotent couple, tolerated but not given much say. Remember Albert was fiercely disliked.

Assuming Albert had died in 1861, leaving his childless widow to reign alone, George of Hanover suddenly becomes a figure of huge significance,
just as in the 1860s we saw politicians swarming around the future Edward VII, they will start to make overtures to George. If Victoria behaves as badly as she did, there may be more of a political support for her to be deposed to save the monarchy from another mad monarch.

Prussian attitudes to Hanover are going to be fundamentally different when the King of Hanover is also heir to the British throne.
 
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