Victoria, Tsarina of Bulgaria

Victoria, Tsarina of Bulgaria formerly Victoria, Princess of the United Kingdom (b. July 6 1868) is the fourth child and second daughter of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, and the younger sister of the late King George V. She is the current Tsarina of Bulgaria since her marriage with Ferdinand I of Bulgaria in 1920. Before her marriage with Ferdinand she was a bachlorette her whole life as men had a hard time making proposals to her.

## History

### Early Life

Victoria Alexandra Olga Maria was born on 6 July 1868 at Marlborough House, London. She was the fourth child of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales and his wife Alexandra, Princess of Wales. Victoria's father was the eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Her mother was the eldest daughter of King Christian IX and Queen Louise of Denmark. Among those close to her, the princess was known as Toria. From birth, as the granddaughter of the British monarch, she had the title *Her Royal Highness Princess Victoria of Wales*.

She was baptized at Marlborough House on 6 August 1868 by Archibald Campbell Tait, Bishop of London.

### Youth

In 1885, Victoria was a bridesmaid at the wedding of her aunt Princess Beatrice to Prince Henry of Battenberg. She was also a bridesmaid at the wedding of her brother George, Duke of York and Victoria Mary of Teck, the future King and Queen of the United Kingdom.

Princess Victoria was educated at home with her sisters. The princess grew up at Marlborough House and Sandringham under the supervision of tutors. She occasionally spent the summer in Denmark, her mother's homeland. In her youth, she was described as "a lively, mischievous girl ... smart, tall and elegant; she had a wonderful sense of humour and was a good friend to everyone; she had big expressive blue eyes; there was no pretense or hint of a high position in her." Victoria loved horse riding, cycling, reading, listening to music and dancing. The princess's particular passion was photography. She compiled several albums of family photographs. Victoria's works have been displayed at different exhibitions. She was very fond of animals. Her favorites were dogs named Sam, Mas and Punchy. For six years Victoria had a tamed pigeon, which she took with her on walks and travels in a small basket.

Victoria maintained friendly relations with her cousins in Russia and Greece. The future Emperor Nicholas II of Russia in his youth was in love with her. The Tsarevich liked Victoria for her seriousness, thoroughness, and "unfeminine mind." In 1889, describing the princess, Nicholas told his close friend, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich: "She is a truly wonderful creature, and the more and deeper you delve into her soul, the clearer you see all her virtues and qualities. I must confess that it is very difficult to figure it out at first, i.e. to learn her view of things and people, but this difficulty is a special charm for me, which I am unable to explain." The princess also caught the eyes of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, and later Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich was fascinated by her.

One of the closest people in Victoria's life was her older brother George, who in 1910 became king and emperor. Throughout their lives, they maintained a warm relationship, as they had similar characters and a mutual sense of humor. She was heartbroken after the death of her brother and his family and she prayed that her brother's son Edward will be safe and have a family that will help their family survive.

Victoria was particularly close to her parents. The princess accompanied them during official events and ceremonies, and helped them in private life. She was heartbroken after her mother's death and felt that she had no reason to live until she met Ferdinand.

### Massacre of her Family by Germans

Maria Feodorovna was visiting Alexandra and the rest of the royal family in England until she returned to Russia at the start of World War I. The Germans then invaded her home during the invasion of Britain which was successful due to Germany sending Air Force units and Zepplins to bomb Britain from Belgium and ships from Norway to land troops in Britain. The army, Navy and Air Force of Germany ravaged the countryside and destroyed many houses in their path. George V, Mary and his Children decided to stay back in London as the rest of the royals retreated from Britain. Edward, Prince of Wales escaped from London and headed towards Canada believing that he is the heir of the United Kingdom and he can't die or the Empire cannot continue.

When Britain was being bombarded by German planes, Maria Feodorovna was called by her sister to let her come to Russia for safety. Maria told Alexandria that it would not be possible because Russia was conquered and occupied by the Germans, but she retreated to Denmark to live in the villa of Hvidøre which is near the Royal Palace of Denmark as Alexandra and Victoria moved there themselves. They lived there until Alexandra died in 1925 in which Victoria and Maria moved to Crimea.

### Crimea Stay

During their time in Crimea, the Khan who was great pals with Ferdinand I told Ferdinand about Victoria, the maiden Princess of the British Royal Family. Ferdinand then met the woman when he was visiting Crimea and as the womanizer he is he had an affair with Victoria. She rejected him at first because she refused to marry at all, but she accepted his proposal since she feels like "Ferdinand needs a lovely woman like her to be his Queen"

### Marriage with Ferdinand

When Marie died, Victoria who acknowledged Ferdinand's feelings for her moved to Sofia and married him. Despite being British, the Kaiser felt the marriage between his cousin and Ferdinand was appropriate due to the fact they were close in age. Victoria was crowned Tsarina of Bulgaria after the marriage. Like her deceased family members, Victoria is close with her husband and step children, especially her step-daughter acknowledges her decision not to marry.