25

14-year-old Prince Albert practices his French

Albert; Prince Consort of Victoria of England

Autograph Letter Signed, "Albert," to his unnamed tutor ("Sir"),

in French, listing the reasons that prevented him from replying sooner, written as a student's exercise, with a few scattered corrections in the tutor's hand. 2½ pages, 4to, written on a folded sheet, folds.

"Rosenau" [Rödental, Germany], 18 May 1833.

  • Notes: ". . . I hope that, once I have explained the reasons, you will forgive the delay in my response. The first reason was that I caught the flu, as did my brother and the entire bourgeoisie of Coburg and Gotha, and indeed almost all of Europe; the second is our move, for the fine weather called us back from the city to Rosenau, which, like the flu, deprived us of a great deal of time.
    ". . . Your remarks on epistolary style pleased me greatly, and I ask you to continue them in future letters, as you promised. You will see that they will not have been in vain, that I will take them to heart, and that they will have a very positive influence on my still quite imperfect epistolary style. . . ."

    Earliest letter by him to appear at public auction.
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April 9, 2026 12:00 PM EDT
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