This 19th century drama queen knew everyone…and probably hated them
One of my favorite parts of history is reading old letters and diaries. Sometimes they make you feel closer to the person who wrote them. Sometimes they contain predictions for the future. And sometimes, they deliver devastating insults where the only possible reaction is to shout “BURN” like Ashton Kutcher’s character on That 70s Show.
Meet Sophie
A princess of Württemberg unhappily married to King Willem III of the Netherlands, Sophie hated both her husband and his mother.
She hated the Dutch language and the smell of Amsterdam’s canals. She hated Prussia’s arrogance and Bismarck’s…well, everything. She hated the greedy, lazy kids of the next generation.
When I read her published letters, I ended up with 10 single-spaced pages of notes on the sick burns she meted out to everyone in the firmament of European monarchies, from Queen Victoria to Emperor Franz Josef.
Living Her Dullest Life
But why was Sophie so grumpy?
