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The Life and Times of Prince Albert  By  cover art

The Life and Times of Prince Albert

By: Patrick Allitt, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Patrick Allitt
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Publisher's summary

How did Prince Albert, an obscure German prince, leave an indelible mark on the British monarchy?

In 10 lectures, award-winning historian Patrick N. Allitt transports listeners to England in the 1840s and 1850s. During those two decades, Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, became one of the most influential people in the country and remains a figure of fascination even today. In fact, the British royal family as we know it wouldn't exist without the private and public actions of this detached, impartial, and upright political figure.

During his brief life of only 42 years, Prince Albert gave the world the new Houses of Parliament and the Great Exhibition of 1851. He helped Great Britain nimbly dodge the violent revolutions sweeping through mainland Europe and played important roles in both the Crimean War and the American Civil War. Trusted by politicians 25 years his senior, Prince Albert was a negotiator with superior insight into the minds of foreign leaders like Abraham Lincoln. Finally, he was husband to an iconic queen who would define an entire era in British history.

Parliamentary leaders come and go, but the British monarchy endures. Listeners will learn what great debt the monarchy owes to Prince Albert. 

©2019 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2020 Audible Originals, LLC.

Our favorite moments from The Life and Times of Prince Albert

Lecture 2, Chapter 2: Albert’s First Years in England
  • Lecture 2, Chapter 2: Albert’s First Years in England
Albert’s first years in England
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Lecture 5, Chapter 5: Victoria and Albert’s Family Life
  • Lecture 5, Chapter 5: Victoria and Albert’s Family Life
An outsider to British life
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Lecture 9, Chapter 9: Idea of the Monarchy in the Era of Victoria and Albert
  • Lecture 9, Chapter 9: Idea of the Monarchy in the Era of Victoria and Albert
What the people thought of Albert
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  • Lecture 2, Chapter 2: Albert’s First Years in England
  • Albert’s first years in England
  • Lecture 5, Chapter 5: Victoria and Albert’s Family Life
  • An outsider to British life
  • Lecture 9, Chapter 9: Idea of the Monarchy in the Era of Victoria and Albert
  • What the people thought of Albert

About the Professor

Patrick N. Allitt is Cahoon Family Professor of American History at Emory University. Professor Allitt won Emory's Excellence in Teaching Award and in 2000 was appointed the N.E.H. / Arthur Blank Professorship of Teaching in the Humanities. A widely published and award-winning author, he has written several books, including The Conservatives: Ideas and Personalities throughout American History; Catholic Intellectuals and Conservative Politics in America, 1950-1985; and Religion in America since 1945. In addition to his many lecture series with The Great Courses, Professor Allitt has written for The New York Times Book Review and other publications.

What listeners say about The Life and Times of Prince Albert

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Very detailed lectures

I sure learned a lot from these lectures about Prince Albert and Queen Victoria! Having seen a series on Netflix or Prime, then listening to this, I was able to ear more of the truth.

I thought their marriage was completely peaches & cream, that’s not how it was. And for a woman who bore 9 children, to find out she really didn’t like kids, that’s terrible.

Albert came into this marriage as an underdog, a German marred to an English Queen. I believe he worked extremely hard to prove his worth to the English people and government. He was devoted to his wife and children and did so much for them.

Well done, nicely presented.

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Recommended

The story abd the way how the author presented it are great and very much enjoyable. It is easy to follow. I also like aoutor's voice. I will recommend this story to everyone.

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completely engrossed

I found it EXTREMELY fascinating and the author kept things fairly light and made events easy to understand the cause, the situation and the after effects. I will probably listen to it again soon

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  • JJ
  • 06-03-20

More interesting than expected

Better than I expected. As an American, I didn't learn much about historical British royalty in school, but I was surprised that there were some tidbits about the American civil war that I hadn't heard before in there as well.

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A great Monarch that also experienced xenophobia but rose from it

It sounds like many monarchs marrying into British Royal family faced a lot of turbulence. So far from reading I have done many went onto prove all the naysayers wrong without complaint or any explain. Princess Diana, Prince Philip, Albert. Modern royals need to take a page from their book of strength. Some facts were repeated but overall 10/10 thoroughly enjoyed

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Wonderful!

The lectures were so informative, yet felt like a great story. The lecturer was excellent !

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Interesting but not a grand slam for a non-history buff

I’m not too big on history or nonfiction novels, so while this was an interesting and informative listen, I’m not extremely partial. Great content and narrator.

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Definitely a lecture!

Don’t know if I learned very much. Mind drifted, couldn’t tell you what I was hearing. Good thing it was free!

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Engaging

While much has been written about Prince Albert, the author added detail and the actor’s pace and voice added to my enjoyment of lectures

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Enlightening

I am not a history buff but have been reading more about it. It is interesting how we develop opinions about people or other countries. I am grateful for books such as this to shed light and present information about a person. It is interesting to see political attitudes at that time vs now. I never realized the impact Prince Albert had. I also was surprised to learn how much power the queen had especially in a time when women's rights had yet to be developed. I also like that the book was concise and to the point.

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