Thomas asked Clare McHugh:

Hi Clare. I've just started reading A Most English Princess. I'm loving it so far, especially looking into Vicky's relationships with her family, especially Prince Albert. I also love the emphasis on German unification. Did you have the story set before you started doing research? Or did the research lead to the story?

Clare McHugh Thank you for writing to me Thomas. I am so pleased to hear you are enjoying the book. The history of German unification was something that interested me starting in college. I was aware that Vicky played a role but I didn’t know exactly what it was until I researched her life and read her letters. Then I saw the arc of the story….how all these personal circumstances: who she was, who her father was, their view of the world, all impacted the course of history. But also the role of luck, the difficulties of her first delivery etc. It was that interplay between personality and circumstance and luck that made it a story worth telling in my view.

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