Only one of Queen Victoria's eight children remained childless, and the other seven provided her with a total of 40 grandchildren. Tracing the lives of all of them, this book unfolds a saga of family life, with all the squabbles, jealousies, love affairs, scandals and feuds that one would expect in a large and wealthy family dominated by a strong matriarchal figure. The author also looks at the wider dynastic and political aspects of the lives and marriages of these privileged princes and princesses, and assesses their contribution to world history. Rare early photographs identify each personality and illustrate the high fashion and decorative style of the period. Lance Salway is the author of A Peculiar Gift (a survey of Victorian children's literature) and many children's novels, including Second On the Right and Straight On 'Til Morning.