Prince Bertie continues his military training but he is taken to deceiving his superiors and sneaking off with his friends to the music halls. His parents continue their search to find Bertie a suitable wife. Their preference is for a German bride but eventually they settle on Princess Alexandra of Denmark, known to her family as Alix. A brief meeting is arranged for the two at the cathedral in Speyer, but no final decision is made. Relations with his father deteriorate even further when the Prince Consort receives a confidential letter from a friend telling of Bertie's dalliance with a music hall singer. Bertie is clearly a disappointment to his father, but the elder Prince Albert falls ill and dies of typhoid toward the end of 1861. Albert is concerned as trouble between Denmark and Prussia grows. Albert endeavours to avoid war with the United States. President Lincoln proposes an alliance with France to conquer Canada.
