Victoria's own betrothal was carefully planned by her uncle Leopold. Years before it was time to marry his choice had already fallen on his gifted and politically astute nephew Albert, the second son of his brother, the ruling duke Ernest I of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, and he had prepared Albert purposefully for his future position. The Queen knew about these plans, and after she made the acquaintance of her cousin in 1836, who was exactly her age, she had no objection to her uncle's choice. When she saw him again at the age of 20 she fell in love with him on the spot and proposed marriage to him – as was befitting her higher rank – two days later. Prince Albert was one of the most fascinating characters of the nineteenth century. And surely one of the most "modern". The harmonious marriage between Victoria and her German prince consort that lasted 21 years and brought forth nine children was a stroke of luck for English history.