Vicky gives birth: "One of the worst recorded in obstetrical history"
Photographs - Left: Hand-coloured photograph of Victoria, Princess Royal, now Princess Friedrich of Prussia, with her first son, Prince Wilhelm, later Kaiser Wilhelm II , who is wrapped in a red shawl. Victoria wears a checked dress and red ribbons in hair. Photograph from a daguerreotype. Photograph coloured by Princess Victoria. Right: A black-and-white version of the photograph on the left. Source: Royal Collection Trust.
Barely eleven months after her wedding, Vicky gave birth to her first child in what Cecil Woodham Smith would describe as “one of the worst recorded in obstetrical history.” On January 27, 1859, Princess Frederick gave birth after a prolonged labour brought about my miscommunication in the royal household.
Fritz, writing a letter to his parents-in-law two days
after, shared with them a detailed account of the event:
"After Vicky had been visited by pains of an unusual nature in the few days prior to the 27th, which had more than once given us a false alarm, she experienced sharp pains shortly before midnight on the 26th, and soon thereafter wetness, which induced me to call in Mrs Innocent. She soon informed me quietly that the time had come, but advised Vicky to try and get a little sleep.
"This was no longer possible, as the above-mentioned pain recurred a short time later, & sir James was informed & Wegner and Countess Blucher summoned. Vicky put on some warm loose clothes and placed to and fro for several hours supported by Countesses Perponcher and Blucher and myself, desperately clutching us or at a table whenever the pain set in. At around 1/2 past 2 in the morning, I went to my parents to announce that it had begun, and Vicky went into the bedroom, which had meanwhile been prepared for the decisive event; & there, she spent the night either walking or lying in the chaise lounge.
"The pains gradually increased, & by daybreak were no longer by any means negligible. At around 9 a.m., she lay down on the bed, the very place where my father was born; only somewhat later did Dr Wegner notice by chance as he examined her that the position of the baby was not quite the normal one."
In the midnight of
January 26th, Vicky felt birth pangs and the physician, Dr. Wegner, ordered that
the specialist, Dr. Eduard Martin, had been summoned immediately. However, by
mischance, the note reached the specialist
10am - roughly nine hours
delayed! He arrived too late. The princess was in agony, screaming in terrible
pain. Fritz recorded:
"Vicky’s pain, as well as her horrible screams and wails, became even more severe; however, whenever she was granted a respite from her suffering, she would ask for forgiveness from everyone for her screaming and impatience, but she could not help herself. When the final stage of labour began, I had to try with all my might to hold her head in place, so that she would not strain her neck over much. Every contraction meant a real fight between her and me, and even today [29 January] my arms still feel quite weak."
“To prevent her from gnashing and biting, we made sure that
there was a handkerchief in her mouth at all times,” he continued.
“Occasionally, I had to use all my strength to remove her fingers from her
mouth, & also placed my own fingers in her mouth. With the strength of a
giant, she was at times able to hold off 2 people, & thus the awful torture
escalated until the moment of birth was so near that complete anesthesia with
chloroform was undertaken… Vicky was laid at right angles on the bed; she let
forth one horrible, long scream, & was then anesthetized.”
By the time Martin arrived, he instructed Sir James Clark,
Queen Victoria’s physician who was then detailed to Vicky’s side, to administer
chloroform to the princess. After Martin gave her uterine stimulant, the baby
came out, presumably lifeless.
The child started to breathe a short time later, apparently,
the brain was at loss of brain supply. A 101-gun salute was fired after the
royal baby - a boy - the first of Queen
Victoria’s more than three dozen grandchildren, cried. However, three or four days
after the doctors observed that the prince had withered arms. Perhaps, the
baby’s prenatal position and the extreme pressure that ensued following the
princess’ delayed labour inflicted harm on the infant. This physical strain
would have a long-lasting impact on the life and character of the future
Emperor William II, and Vicky would endure the inflicting emotional pain.
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| A half length portrait of Victoria, Princess Royal, holding an infant Prince Wilhelm. The princess looks down at her son. Image from the Royal Collection Trust |
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| Queen Victoria holds her first grand child, Prince, and later, Kaiser Wilhelm. |
More stories about the Victoria, Princess Royal and Empress Frederick here:
- The birth and childhood of Victoria, the Empress Frederick
- Victoria Princess Royal with the Greyhound Eos
- Vicky gives birth: "One of the worst recorded in obstetrical history"
- The wedding of Victoria, Princess Royal, and the future Emperor Frederick III
- Vicky travels to Berlin
- Victoria and Frederick: A royal love story
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