Prince Waldemar of Prussia (1817–1849) was a senior officer in the Prussian army who travelled throughout India in 1844-6 and witnessed three of the battles of the First Anglo-Sikh War. On his return to Europe, he received an audience with Queen Victoria at Buckingham Palace which she recorded in her journal: ‘At 1 I received Pce Waldemar of Prussia, 2nd son of Pce William, who distinguished himself so much in India. He is very pleasing & unaffected, tall, & nice looking. He was in uniform, wearing the Order of the Bath, which I gave him. He told us very pleasantly a good deal about his travels & his campaign, & afterwards presented his 3 Gentleman.’ (QVJ 2nd July 1847, Buckingham Palace). He later stayed with the royal family in Cambridge and at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight.
In 1849, aged 32, the Prince died following a hunting accident. From his papers, Alexander von Humboldt collated and edited a diary of the Prince’s Indian journey, which he published in 1853. The two large volumes of text are accompanied by lithographs of the many watercolours Prince Waldemar painted during his travels. This is Queen Victoria’s copy.