From assassination attempts to dynastic diseases, the life of Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg was rife with royal drama. Her life is so fascinating, in fact, that it has warranted its own TV show, hailed as Spain's answer to The Crown . But who was the real Victoria Eugenie?

Born in 1887, Victoria Eugenie was the daughter of Prince Henry of Battenberg and Princess Beatrice , the fifth daughter of Queen Victoria. Beatrice, the youngest daughter of the desperately lonely Victoria, had only been allowed to marry on the condition that she remain her mother’s full-time companion. As a result, Victoria Eugenie was, unusually, born at Balmoral in Scotland . Her father, Prince Henry, was the product of a morganatic marriage (one of unequal social rank), so traditionally the young royal wou

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