Title: Agnes the Secret Princess: An Australian Story
Author: Belinda Dettmann and Jane Stevens
Publisher: XlibrisAU
ISBN: 9781543400762
Pages: 176
Genre: Non-Fiction
Reviewed by: Krista Schnee
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Pacific Book Review Star
Awarded to Books of Excellent Merit
For many, researching family history only yields the expected results – grandparents of humble origin, for example. The lucky may find a tenuous connection to a famous ancestor who was infamous in their time. Very few, however, discover royal ancestors. An amethyst ring has been passed down through the generations in the Dettmann family of Australia. This family heirloom was said to hold a connection to the Prussian royal family. The story said that Agnes, their great-great grandmother, received the ring from the daughter of the Emperor of Germany. This family myth prompted her descendants to begin searching for proof of Agnes’ parentage.
Agnes appeared to be the daughter of Joseph Kroll, a German restaurateur; there was no record of her birth, though. Further research into the newly revealed Kroll letters as well as personal interviews provided only pieces of Agnes’ life and death. The assistance of German genealogists gave them the possible link to royalty which they desired. Agnes was perhaps the daughter of Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, the illegitimate offspring of his annulled marriage with Princess Elisa Radziwill of Poland. Could the gap in the letters between Elisa and Wilhelm hint at their greatest secret, that of the birth of Agnes? Her descendants sought to prove this very fact with their later research into Agnes’ parentage.
In Agnes the Secret Princess: An Australian Story, Belinda Dettmann and Jane Stevens chronicle their quest to discover the origins of their family myth and their royal ancestor. Through their extensive research in archives as well as DNA tests on her descendants, the authors provide convincing proof that Agnes was indeed the daughter of Prince Wilhelm and Princess Elisa. Dettmann and Stevens quote from a variety of primary resources to illuminate their theory of Agnes’ parentage; although there is some supposition in parts of their story, it is on the whole a detailed historical account. The book is not a dry recounting of historical evidence, however, but rather a riveting tale of palace intrigue and forbidden love.
Belinda Dettmann and Jane Stevens have written a unique record of their attempt to discover the true background of their royal ancestor. Through their combination of traditional archival research and DNA genealogy, they have taken the historical account to a higher level. Too the inclusion of vignettes and dialogue make the book more accessible to those readers who are not professional historians. Agnes the Secret Princess: An Australian Story would surely be an inspiration to aspiring genealogists and amateur historians, but even those readers simply wanting an interesting tale would do well to read the book. Agnes the Secret Princess: An Australian Story by Belinda Dettmann and Jane Stevens is highly recommended for its groundbreaking research and captivating story of royal love.
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