cahn

Same here. I mean, all the other tips are actually useful in a "how to survive FW and keep on his good side" manner, but "erect boundaries with Wilhelmine" from Grumbkow has to come either from FW or be caused by direct observation that FW is displeased by sibling closeness and wishes them apart. Which, if you think about it, makes coldblooded sense: with her marriage, Wilhelmine loses her value as a hostage. She's in Bayreuth, FW can't threaten her anymore with anything but cut her and her husband off from money. Certainly not with shutting her away from the world. So Fritz and Wilhelmine remaining close has no more plus, and only a minus, because a tyrant always wants to remain the sole focus of emotional attention.

If I find more time, I might to cheer you up get some quotes from 1730s letters from Fritz to Wilhelmine proving that despite what he says to Outsiders like Mitchell or Catt about FW, this did not work, because towards Wilhelmine, he sounds as jaundiced about dear old Dad as ever. Which is presumably yet another reason why Grumbkow (and/or FW) want them apart. Note that Wilhelmine in her memoirs also mentions people keep telling her through the 1730s Fritz has cooled off on her and later that he doesn't love her anymore. At a guess, that might courtiers in Grumbkow/ other FW employees as well.

And that's leaving aside SD as testified by Seckendorff Jr. badmouthing her daughter to her Father. That family...