Prince Albert was now a celebrity among Europe's royal houses, though he did not enjoy the same sterling reputation he had in history. For one thing, Britain's educational reforms and abolitionist movement had drawn far less attention than they had during the same period in history.
Their spotlight had chiefly been divided by the succession of wars and major events erupting across continental Europe. Secondly, the news industry Franz had invested in had successfully resisted Britain's cultural invasion.
Britain's educational reforms had not become Europe's benchmark at this time. Of course, Franz would not personally go out and fight the British, and the Austrian Empire's own educational reforms had only just begun. It was far easier to pick faults with them than with the British.
What Franz chiefly promoted was educational reform in the German states, with Prussia as its standard-bearer.
In fact, Prussian education was one of the most successful and influential educational models of the modern age. Even today, many countries in both East and West continued to follow the Prussian model, merely adapting it slightly to suit their national conditions—for example, Japan and Korea.
Franz's praise did not make King William IV of Prussia suspicious in the slightest. On the contrary, it was one of his few sources of happiness.
Now and then, when William IV was alone, he would shout, "Prussian education is number one in the world!" and burst into loud laughter.
The other German states also believed their own education systems were highly successful, so no wave of British enthusiasm swept across continental Europe.
Moreover, one of Prince Albert's greatest historical achievements had been promoting the abolitionist movement worldwide. Yet that movement itself had depended to a great extent on the strength of the British navy and the immense influence of the British Empire.