Prince Friedrich III, the son of Emperor Wilhelm Friedrich of Prussia, was handsome and friendly. He was a superbly talented student and he especially excelled at foreign languages, becoming fluent in English and French and well-versed in Latin. He was also above average in gymnastics and became very good rider. At the age of ten, as a Prussian prince, he was commissioned second lieutenant in the First Infantry Regiment of Guards and invested with the Order of the Black Eagle. Friedrich studied law, history and literature at Bonn.

On January 25, 1858, in London, he married Victoria, Princess Royal of Great Britain and Ireland, the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. It was a warm and loving marriage and the couple, who espoused many modern liberal ideas, had eight children, the eldest being the future Kaiser Wilhelm. The family travelled to England frequently through the years and Friedrich admired and liked the English people. His (mostly German) mother-in-law, Queen Victoria, allowed him to deputize for her on numerous occasions.

Friedrich distinguished himself in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 and was awarded the Order Pour le Mérite as a mark of personal gallantry on the field. He also did a great deal as far as establishing schools and churches and raising Berlin to a great world cultural center.

Friedrich had become Crown Prince at the age of twenty-nine on January 2, 1861 when his father became King. As fate would have it, he remained as such until 1888 because of his father’s long life. By the time his father died at aged 90 on March 9, 1888, Friedrich had developed cancer of the larynx and he ruled for only 99 days. In spite of his illness, the Emperor was determined to fulfill his obligations as Emperor although he could no longer speak. Friedrich III died on June 15 and was buried in a mausoleum at Friedenskirche in Potsdam. He was succeeded by his son,Wilhelm II.