Queen Victoria had over thirty surviving grandchildren, and to maintain and increase power in Europe, she hoped to manoeuvre them into dynastic marriages. Yet they often had plans of their own, and her matchmaking was further complicated by tumultuous international upheavals. Queen Victoria's Matchmaking travels through the glittering, decadent palaces of Russia and Europe, weaving in scandals, political machinations and family tensions. It is both an intimate portrait of the royal family and an examination of the conflict caused by the power, love and duty that shaped these arranged marriages. At its heart is Queen Victoria herself: doting grandmother one moment, determined manipulator the next.
