The 'Sailor Prince' in the Age of Empire: Creating a Monarchical Brand in Nineteenth-Century Europe

This book explores the puzzling phenomenon of the remarkable revival of monarchy in nineteenth-century Europe through a new prism: the public persona of the ‘Sailor Prince’. It highlights how four usually overlooked dynastic figures – the younger sons and brothers of monarchs such as Queen Victoria or Emperor William II – decisively helped to advertise their respective dynasties in the fiercely contested political and popular mass market, by aligning them with one of the most myth-invested cultural presences and power-political symbols of the Age of Empire: the navy. The 'Sailor Prince' in the Age of Empire traces the unusual professional careers, the adventurous empire travels and the multifaceted public representations of Prince Alfred of Britain (1844-1900), Prince Heinrich of Prussia (1862-1929), Prince Valdemar of Denmark (1858-1939) and Prince Georgios of Greece (1869-1957). Through the prism of these four personality brands, the study also investigates issues such as the role of the maritime sphere in national identity, the nature and extent of nineteenth-century monarchical modernization, the relevance of intra- and inter-imperial royal diplomacy in the Age of High Imperialism, and the curious collaboration of middle-class opinion-makers and entrepreneurs with Europe’s monarchical establishment.

About the Author

Miriam Schneider studied at the universities of Bayreuth, Cambridge and St Andrews, UK. She has published several essays and articles both in journals and edited volumes on royal history, popular culture and youth fiction.