... engrossing ... Mr. Wilson makes good use of documents from the period and has consulted experts, particularly on details having to do with Albert’s German background. His most striking contribution, though, is a psychologically astute approach to Victoria and Albert, one that results in a persuasive and humane account of their marriage.
Wilson wastes no time in putting us straight on any lingering illusions we might have. While admiring of Albert’s many gifts, he is uncompromising in laying bare the prince’s emotional shortcomings ... Wilson is particularly perceptive in his analysis of the complicated and often tormented relationship at the heart of the book: the ‘psychodrama’ of Albert’s marriage to Queen Victoria ... While Wilson is uncompromising in his assessment of Victoria’s high-voltage, high-maintenance personality, he also shows how Albert’s admonitory, censorious letters to her about her ‘bad’ behaviour were cold and often extremely manipulative ... One reaches the end of this incisive and entertaining study with an overwhelming feeling of sadness.
... magnificently understanding ... Wilson judges the prince as a 'great' public figure, especially as a major contributor to the evolution of the monarchy into the constitutionally based institution that remains securely in place to this day.
... generously detailed ... brings long-overdue recognition to a complex, brilliant and even tragic figure in history ... Drawing on a vast array of personal correspondence and royal archival documents not previously available, Wilson offers a thorough, deeply engaged and often surprising portrayal of a brilliant yet practical idealist who literally created an indispensable and unprecedented role for himself unlike anything in the history of reigning British monarchs ... Wilson doesn’t simply weave a plethora of exacting data into the fabric of his life. What gives this biography an ever-changing and magnetic texture are the numerous contextual details and commentaries he inserts that give Albert’s story an unusual range of feeling and aesthetic substance ... For anyone enthralled by 19th-century history, Prince Albert is a must-read --- not just once, but at least twice, to savor the full range of Wilson’s abundant research and enticing prose.
The life and times of Prince Albert have been minutely scrutinized in countless biographies. Some have been very well written and others not so well. What makes this one different from all the rest? It’s not really any different, and there aren’t any new earth-shattering tidbits of information. But what Wilson differentiates and excels at is his clear and concise explanation of why Albert is considered by many to be a major influencer of the modernization of British society, as well as the prince’s pivotal role in helping to restore integrity to the crown ... In this comprehensive and well written biography, Wilson has aptly managed to differentiate himself from the well-trodden path of other noted biographers. His deeply moving, well researched, and fittingly appropriate tribute to the enduring legacy of Prince Albert does not disappoint and provides ample reading pleasure for anyone interested in examining British royal life in the 19th century.
Wilson’s book is not overlong, which is a relief when so many biographers bloat their work with windy details. Wilson’s approach is admiring, argumentative and astute. He is a brisk, irreverent revisionist who likes to find other people’s ticklish points.
... excellent ... As usual, Wilson delineates his subject’s life with aplomb ... A delightfully vivid, opinionated biography that pays almost equal attention to Albert’s wife and a colorful supporting cast of early Victorian notables.
