became German Emperor, and her parents became Crown Prince and Princess of a unified German Empire. Still, the Crown Princely couple raised their children away from the Berlin court, which disliked Frederick William and Victoria and their liberal beliefs. The couple hoped to instill these beliefs in their children through an education system similar to the one created by Vicky's father, Prince Albert. Much of Viktoria's childhood care and education was based on that of Vicky's British upbringing, and Viktoria and her younger siblings had British nannies and went on many trips to visit their family in Britain. Raised in a close environment, less strict than that of her elder siblings' childhood, Viktoria was an active and enthusiastic child. She attended weekly dance lessons and enjoyed riding her Shetland pony, a gift from Queen Victoria. She also liked to garden and to cook, and at her mother's suggestion went to the palace kitchens for lessons, though her privileged upbringing meant she knew very little about kitchen work. Young adult years Alexander of Battenberg In 1881, Alexander, Prince of Bulgaria, born Prince Alexander of Battenberg, who had been the sovereign of the Principality of Bulgaria since 1879, visited the Prussian court at the behest of Viktoria's mother. As her mother and Queen Victoria recommended Alexander as a possible match, 16-year-old Viktoria quickly caught their enthusiasm and by the time of Sandro's next visit the following spring, she had fallen in love with the attractive prince. Though her parents wanted the couple to marry, much of Viktoria's Prussian family was opposed. Her elder siblings, paternal grandparents Emperor Wilhelm I and Empress Augusta, and German chancellor Otto von Bismarck were opposed to the match. Alexander of Battenberg's actions in Bulgaria irritated the Russian tsar, and it was feared that if Viktoria married Alexander, Tsar Alexander III would be offended, even though Alexander of Battenberg and Tsar Alexander III were first cousins. Furthermore, Alexander was born of a morganatic marriage, and his position as Prince of Bulgaria was unstable; he had more to gain than Viktoria through marriage to a daughter of the future German emperor. By 1888, pushback from Wilhelm I and Bismarck all but forced Viktoria and her parents to give up on the marriage. Depression and changing life As Viktoria was losing hope of marrying Sandro, her grandfather Emperor Wilhelm I and her father Crown Prince Frederick William were both ailing,