 Before her marriage , Louise served as an unofficial secretary to her mother , the Queen ( 1866 – 1871 ) . The question of Louise 's marriage was discussed in the late 1860s . Suitors from the royal houses of Prussia and Denmark were suggested , but Victoria wanted new blood in the family and therefore suggested a high @-@ ranking member of the aristocracy . Despite opposition from members of the royal family , Louise fell in love with John , Marquess of Lorne , the heir to the Duke of Argyll , and Victoria consented to the marriage , which took place on 21 March 1871 . Despite a happy beginning , the two drifted apart , possibly because of their childlessness and the Queen 's constraints on their activities . 
