From my book shelves (mostly in German, sorry, but it might help German speakers/readers around here...):
[urlhttps://www.amazon.de/K%C3%B6nigin-Luise-Friedrich-Wilhelm-III/dp/3499226154/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1544625090&sr=8-13&keywords=dagmar+von+gersdorff]Dagmar von Gersdorff, Königin Luise und Friedrich Wilhelm III.: Eine Liebe in Preußen[/url]´
Not very in-depth but an interesting look at the marriage of Queen Luise and King Friedrich Wilhelm III. They were happy in spite of her health problems and the political upheavals of the times - and in spite of her enthusiam for the Russian Czar.
Heinz Ohff, Ein Stern in Wetterwolken: Königin Luise von Preußen. Eine BiographieThis must have been my first book about any royal - I bought it many years ago. It's probably not up to date and not very critical but it gives a good view of the Prussian court, Luise's life and character and the time of the Napoleon wars.
Günther de Bruyn, Preußens Luise: Vom Entstehen und Vergehen einer LegendeNow this is very interesting. Queen Luise was turned into a legend, and generations of girls revered her. She became the Prussian Madonna who struggled against the demon Napoleon, a symbol of nationalism in front of whose sarcophagus her son kneeled before fighting against France and uniting Germany. This legend underwent all kind of changes over the years. Today, she is mostly rememberd as one of the pretty princesses in Schadow's famous Princess Group sculpture.
I like the way the author followed Luise's myth and reputation through the recent history of Germany.
Karin Feuerstein-Prasser writes a lot about royal women but I have read only two of her books:
Die preußischen KöniginnenDie deutschen Kaiserinnen I like the idea of showing the seven queens and then the three empresses in sequence - times change and so do the ladies "at the top". The empresses interest me most, and the tragic way in which they don't get along. It's really weird since Empress Augusta valued Queen Victoria's friendship - and yet didn't appreciate her daughter/daughter in law. And the Vicky-Dona-tragedy is really horrible.
The books don't portray the persons in depth and they're not written according to strict professional standards but if you want to get a first overview, they're decent enough. (It seems the author is doing for the Prussians what Thea Leitner did for the Habsburg women...)
Andrew Sinclair, Victoria - Kaiserin für 99 TageNot as good as Pakula, but like Pakula focused strongly on Empress Victoria's troubles with Bismarck... and there is quite a bit about the unfortunate Moretta-Sandro romance.
The best of all my books is without a doubt this one:
Frank Lorenz-Müller, Der 99-Tage-Kaiser: Friedrich III. von Preußen - Prinz, Monarch, Mythos´
I love Fritz and Vicky, and this book really shows what a tragedy his life and death were. (I think this book is available in English, too.)
Then there is a wonderful catalogue that i bought in Coburg after I visited an exhibition about the Coburg family and its ties to England:
W. Rogasch, Victoria & Albert, Vicky & The Kaiser: Vicky and the Kaiser Lots of pictures, not only the well-known family pics but also photos of things that belonged to the family, and interesting essays. I keep returning to this book, it's lovely.
When I was in Berlin, I bought a litte catalogue about the Empress Frederick:
Auf den Spuren der Kronprinzessin Viktoria, about her time as crown princess, with some lovely pictures of her own paintings, but also the lovely Angeli portraits.
And in the library, I found Karina Urbach's highly interesting
Royal Kinship. Anglo-German Family Networks 1815-1918 (Prinz-Albert-Forschungen, Band 4)Highly recommended!!!
I'll write about Willy separately ;-)
