Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

Princess Louise seemed to like these topics very much. Not only did she attract women such as Queen Victoria and Queen Sophie, but also William III, his brother Crown Prince Edward, and his fiancé Crown Prince Frederick looked over with curiosity. Even William IV Shi Ye was surprised.

Princess Louise seemed to be envious and said:

“British aristocratic ladies, including me, like many European ladies, are also customers of these world-renowned Dutch luxury goods such as Alexandra Royal Cologne and Alexandra Royal Louis Vuitton, and the British , the French royal family and the aristocrats of the two countries are still the largest consumer markets for these luxury goods groups.

What many people don’t even know is that Queen Eugénie, who is currently regent of France, is also a major customer of Katia Jewelry, a subsidiary of Alexandra Luxury Group. Apart from Queen Alexandra’s personal use, it is also a major customer of the group. Queen Eugenie was also the first royal customer from other European countries for these luxury goods, and was also the largest personal customer. "

When Queen Victoria heard this, she couldn't keep her calm face. For the first time, she showed a panic that shouldn't be seen with the monarch of the world's most powerful country. Obviously, she seemed to have guessed something incredible.

Several other people also thought of many things. Therefore, these people couldn't help but think of William IV's emphasis on mentioning that the ruler of Paris was Queen Eugenie instead of Napoleon III, who was defending the city of Landy on the front line.

Princess Louise didn't seem to know that just a few words made several people feel shocked.

She continued: “It took these brands four years from 1863 to 1866 to really become famous.

Because I am also a senior member of these brands, I know that 90% of the plans of the British royal family and aristocrats have been swept away. Brother, the perfume you are wearing now is also a series of royal colognes. "

Ignoring Crown Prince Edward's change of expression, she followed: "It is said that King Louis I of Portugal liked the Alexandra Cartier jewelry brand very much. Before the fifth anniversary of his accession to the throne in November 1866, he was at a celebration dinner in Lisbon At that time, he specially ordered 27 tiaras from this brand for the celebration ceremony. This caused a sensation in Europe at that time, and then letters of appointment from royal jewelers from more than a dozen countries continued to flow to this brand. It is precisely because of the influx of orders from royal families in various countries that nobles from all over the world have followed suit. After 4 years of glory, this brand has been called 'the jeweler of emperors, the emperor of jewelers' by all over the world."

Finally, Princess Louise said to William IV: "In just 7 years, Queen Alexandra became the director general of the world organization International Women's League, and at the same time created the world's largest jeweler, perfume, luxury bag The Alexandra Group, a luxury brand that integrates bags and other products, is terrifying.

It must be said that Queen Alexandra has become the idol of many of our young European women. "

As Princess Louise "revealed" all kinds of "truths", everyone present except William IV couldn't help but feel cold.

Queen Sophie, who was a little dissatisfied with the guidance of Queen Victoria just now, heard the emergence of this group of data and realized that she had underestimated her eldest daughter-in-law before.

Especially when she heard the envious tone of Princess Louise, the second daughter-in-law after tomorrow, she actually felt a little proud.

Alexandra is my daughter-in-law!

No matter how promising she is, she will also be the wife of my eldest son.

Thinking of this, when she looked at Queen Victoria again, she showed a little complacency.

This made Queen Victoria a little strange.

Seeing the change in his mother's attitude, William IV smiled wildly. If they knew, these brands now sell goods worth more than 10 million pounds a year, and their sales are second only to the East India Company, the largest enterprise in the Netherlands, and the second largest enterprise in the Netherlands. Far East Group has become the third largest enterprise in the Netherlands.

Even in terms of profits, it is almost on par with the two major companies, which is amazing.

And recently, Alexandra Group is also working hard to enter the clothing industry.

The Krinolin-style long skirt currently popular in European courts has become a new highlight of the clothing company under the Alexandra Group.

In its previous life, it was designed by Voss, the palace designer who was extremely beloved by Queen Eugenie of the French Empire, in 1868. However, under the guidance of William IV, Alexandra had already recruited this person in 1864.

In 1866, a skirt made of a kind of cloth made of horsetail warp was made into a conical "Crinoline". In order to commercialize it, William IV also reminded Alexandra that it could be used when expanding production. Use starched woolen fabrics, silk, or cotton fabrics to replace the limited number of horsetails. You can also use ropes to tie wires and whale bones.

The Crenolin-style skirt caused a sensation among European aristocrats when it came out in 1866. It is considered by Europeans to be the most beautiful skirt in history. The skirt is greatly stretched by the cone shape, and the skirt circumference reaches 5 to 9 meters.

At present, almost all European ladies wear drop-shoulder sleeveless tops, tower-sleeved shirts, and trousers. This is also the most perfect style of romantic long skirts in the future.

Not only that, the current hairstyles and headwear in Europe have also changed with the popularity of the Krinolin dress launched by the Alexandra Group.

Her hair is combed into a bun, she wears a soft hat with a narrow flower brim, and flowers on her temples. The hairstyle is relatively simple, which highlights her exposed neck and chest because it coordinates with the fluffy skirt.

William IV was laying the groundwork for the Netherlands to become the pinnacle of trends in Europe and the world in the next few hundred years.

The emergence of the Krinolin dress has made European royal families and aristocrats unknowingly infiltrated by the cultural influence of the Netherlands without even realizing it.

Take Queen Eugenie this time. In fact, before coming here, she knew that lending the Duchy of Luxembourg to Prussia would definitely arouse the anger of the French, but he still dared to do it because he knew that in the upper class Europe in the 19th century, the anger of ordinary people , in fact, it can allow the upper class to exchange for more benefits that are better for themselves. Queen Eugenie is a person who likes to compromise. Of course, because many people forget that Queen Eugenie was Spanish when she was young.

Moreover, Queen Eugenie's mother, Countess Montijo, was Isabella II's attendant when she was a child, and could also be said to be a wet nurse. Therefore, although the relationship between Isabella II of Spain and Napoleon III was at loggerheads, Queen Eugenie and Isabella II still had a deep love for each other as sisters in private.

Isabella II had long been the go-between between him and Queen Eugenie. It has to be said that William IV discovered that he had a different experience after coming to this world, because he discovered that many women in Europe at this time were actually Their ambitions are very strong. Isabella II, Queen Eugenie, and the two mother and daughter Queen Victoria and Princess Louise in front of them are all more calculating than the other.

It is precisely because of this that after he married Alexandra in 1863, he began to assist Alexandra in setting up a network linking upper-class ladies and royal women in various European countries.

With jewelry, perfume, bags, crenolin-style dresses, etc., she can attract upper-class ladies and become an intelligence network run by Alexandra. She slowly masters the European royal palaces and the pillow style of noble ladies. With every move, of course, the International Federation of Women's Societies made Alexandra more legitimately involved in women's affairs in various countries.

It can be said that although it is only the first few years, it has achieved remarkable results.

Queen Victoria suddenly asked: "His Majesty William IV is indeed very good at economics. The British Empire also hopes to have such a capable person. But having said that, if Queen Alexandra is willing to transfer these brands to us, we I can give her a good price."

William IV shook his head, "This is just Alexandra's joke, and it can be regarded as an unexpected surprise. However, if Her Majesty the Queen agrees, we will not object to the transaction. I wonder if the Queen is interested?"

"How to deal?" Queen Victoria did not expect William IV to agree, and others could not help but look at him curiously.

Anyone with a discerning eye knows that these brands are extremely valuable brands, and they are still on the rise. William IV should also know this. They don't think this deal will be so cheap. Because of this, Queen Victoria was also interested in how William IV proposed a price.

Queen Sophie was afraid that her son would suffer, so she immediately gave her a wink. However, William IV's unwavering look made her feel powerless. This guy has grown up, but he is much more stubborn than before. He can't help his mother when he grows up. .

William IV said loudly: "The Queen should have some idea of ​​the value of these brands. If the Queen agrees, I am willing to transfer the Royal Cologne to Her Majesty the Queen. Last year it sold for 50 million guilders, well, just £2 million worth of perfume”

As this data appeared, even though the people present had guessed that the amount would not be small, they were still stunned by the 2 million pounds for 5 seconds.

What can £2 million buy in this day and age?

A steam battleship sold by the Netherlands to the Commonwealth of America sold for £200,000.

The price of a next-level European first-class sailing battleship is 100,000 pounds.

Currently, the Kingdom of the Netherlands has the highest per capita annual GDP in the world at 150 pounds.

The UK, which comes second, only has 120 pounds.

The United States of America is now only 70 pounds

The current per capita income in the Russian Empire is 20 pounds.

Looking at these figures, don’t you know how much these 2 million pounds are worth?

Because of this knowledge, a few people couldn't help but take a deep breath and try to be more gentlemanly.

£2 million! Queen Victoria was also shocked by this number.

It’s not that she has never experienced such large data. She has handled more and more than this before, but she did not expect that a small perfume business could form such a large industry. And currently, it seems that the European perfume business is concentrated in the Netherlands. In her hands, as far as she knew, the Netherlands accounted for more than 90% of the business.

William IV actually traded 2 million pounds of business with her. Even she couldn't help but think about what William IV was planning.

Fortunately, William IV didn't have to wait long for her.

"If the Queen agrees and the British Parliament agrees, I am willing to purchase the New Zealand Islands of the British Empire with sales channels, patented formulas, production processes, etc. I don't know, what does the Queen think?"