Queen Victoria's Most Famous Grandchildren

Queen Victoria (1819-1901) had nine children with Prince Albert before his death in 1861. Many of their offspring married into other European royal families, leading to the Queen's nickname of "The Grandmother of Europe." Her grandchildren became involved in important moments of 19th and 20th century European history, and some are even related to present-day rulers. A few might even come as a surprise. Learn more in this gallery...

After their 1840 royal wedding, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had nine children over the next 17 years. The family of 11 is seen all together in this 1857 group shot. The royal children eventually produced a total of 42 grandchildren for the Queen. 34 of them survived into adulthood - during an era when the infant mortality rate was higher than it is today.RELATED: Queen Victoria - Her Life in Pictures

Queen Victoria's very first grandchild became one of the principal figures in late-19th and early-20th century European history. Born in January 1859, Wilhelm II was the son of the Queen's first child, Victoria, Princess Royal, who married the German Emperor Frederick III. Wilhelm became Emperor (Kaiser) in 1888 and eventually led the country through its downfall in the First World War. He abdicated in 1918 and later died in 1941, leaving behind a complicated legacy and unfavourable reputation. Wilhelm was also at the bedside of Queen Victoria upon her death in 1901.

Famously described as one of Victoria's favourite grandchildren, Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine was born in 1872 to Princess Alice (the Queen's third child) and Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine. But in 1894, the princess became Alexandra Feodorova, Empress of Russia when she married Tsar Nicholas II. The family, including their five children, were later executed by firing squad in 1918 during the Russian Revolution.

Queen Victoria, of course, was grandmother of the British King who succeeded her eldest son, Edward VII. When Edward died in 1910, his eldest surviving son ascended the throne as King George V. He reigned for 25 years before his death in 1936. George V is also the grandfather of the current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.RELATED: How King Edward VIII's Abdication Scandal Changed Royal History

King George V was not first expected to ascend the throne, as he was the second eldest son of Edward VII (Queen Victoria's son). Prince Albert Victor, who was Edward's eldest son, was viewed as a future king, but he died at the young age of 28 during an influenza pandemic of the early 1890s. He was engaged to Princess Mary of Teck, who also married the prince's brother, George V, after his death in 1892.RELATED: Biggest Royal Scandals of All Time

Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine was the eldest daughter of Princess Alice and Louis IV of Hesse and by Rhine. In 1884, she married Prince Louis of Battenberg, a royal navy officer. Their eldest child, Princess Alice, was the mother of Prince Philip! In this photo, the German princess is seen at right with Philip's mother as a baby, Queen Victoria at left, and Princess Alice in the back — capturing four generations of royalty.

Princess Alice of Athlone was the daughter of Prince Leopold, the youngest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Born in 1883, the princess later became the Viceregal consort of Canada, and lived to be the longest-surviving grandchild of the Queen. She died at the age of 97 in January 1981, which was 80 years after Victoria had died.

Queen Victoria's youngest child, Princess Beatrice, was the mother of Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg. Born in 1887, the princess later became Queen of Spain when she married King Alfonso XIII. They later separated after the Spanish monarchy was abolished, and she died in Switzerland in 1961.

Like King George V and Prince Albert Victor, Maud was born to King Edward VII and Alexandra of Denmark. She married Haakon VII, the King of Norway in 1896, serving as Queen of Norway until her death in 1938. She's also the grandmother of the current King of Norway, Harald V, who is a second cousin of Queen Elizabeth II.