Before 1914 there were political observers in both countries who were convinced that these close family bonds would prevent the outbreak of war between the two nations. As we well know, this proved to be wishful thinking. When William entered the throne in 1888, the future of European politics no longer lay in the hands of kings or emperors. The deeper causes of Anglo-German antagonism, which was most clearly evident in the race to build up the two naval forces culminating in World War I, lie in the economic, military and political sphere, in the "integral" nationalism of the modern industrial societies of Europe during that period of time. Up until the First World War the ceremonial world of the European monarchies was an indispensable factor in politics. Dynastic strategies and representation, family happiness as well as unhappiness of the European aristocracy affected people's lives and preoccupied the imagination of millions of citizens. Sometimes it was in fact the illusions of this late period of the European monarchies that had drastic political consequences. Still clearly evident today are the cultural bonds that were forged through dynastic relations - such as the influence of the Arts and Crafts Movement on the German "Jugendstil". However, an exhibition on "Victoria and Albert, Vicky and The Kaiser" that takes into account the close network of Anglo-German interconnections within the higher aristocracy is not only a reconstruction of half-forgotten reality.