This copy of The Princess was given by Queen Victoria to Prince Albert as a Christmas present. This narrative poem by Tennyson is a satire on the state of women’s education. The choice of this gift perhaps demonstrates the royal couple’s interest in women’s education, and certainly their shared admiration for the poet laureate. The flyleaf is inscribed: 'To my beloved Albert / from / his ever devoted & loving / wife / VR, Christmas 1859'.