Hair in the 90s: better than in the 80s at least? Also, still modest compared with the 1780s (see also: Marie Antoinette). :)
AU in which young Heinrich and Princess Sophie get married: on the one hand, AU!Catherine, who never bears that name because there is no reason for a change of religion, would have had far less advantageous circumstances for any type of coup. As opposed to Peter, Heinrich is not the heir to the throne, nor ever will be. He's a third brother who until the 7 Years War has exactly zero political power. And since AW quickly produces two sons after that wedding, Heinrich is really far from the throne. What's more, Russia has had three female monarchs before Catherine makes her coup, and Catherine I., the wife of Peter I., has established the precedent that you can, in fact, become the ruling monarch without a single drop of Romanow blood in your vein, based on you being the widow of the deceased Czar and mother of his children. No such circumstances apply for Prussia, with a grand total of three monarchs (F1, FW and Fritz), all male, and all against female rulers in their every uttering. (Not sure Fritz' early last will already has the "no female regent!" clause or not. Also not sure whether FW excluded the possibility of his wife being regent if he should die before his son reaches his majority in the 1722 will, I didn't read it for that, but it's FW, so it's likely.
Still, I would bet that any AU where kids Heinrich and Sophie get married is an AU in which Heinrich does, in fact, take his one shot during the 7 Years War where Fritz is really really depressed post Kunersdorf and goes for the regency. I.e. he and Sophie are the Prussian Macbeths, hopefully with a better ending for either. I'm also sure that Sophie, if Heinrich, as to be expected, won't have sex with her does what Catherine did in RL, i.e. take lovers. Whether Heinrich would be cool with the resulting kids as heirs: impossible to say, since a comparable situation never arose. (Mina never got pregnant, and they were never friends who truly liked each other).
yesssss! Prussian Macbeths, except that Lady, er, Sophie feels no compunction about double-crossing Heinrich afterwards, and vice versa. And also with a happy ending, yes -- for one thing, I can't imagine Sophie ever feeling too bad about causing Fritz' death :P (Heinrich would for a while, but Sophie would be all, "Are you kidding me? Come on, he was the worst, y/y? Look, do I have to remind you of AW?")
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Re: Catherine and Heinrich BFF <3
AU in which young Heinrich and Princess Sophie get married: on the one hand, AU!Catherine, who never bears that name because there is no reason for a change of religion, would have had far less advantageous circumstances for any type of coup. As opposed to Peter, Heinrich is not the heir to the throne, nor ever will be. He's a third brother who until the 7 Years War has exactly zero political power. And since AW quickly produces two sons after that wedding, Heinrich is really far from the throne. What's more, Russia has had three female monarchs before Catherine makes her coup, and Catherine I., the wife of Peter I., has established the precedent that you can, in fact, become the ruling monarch without a single drop of Romanow blood in your vein, based on you being the widow of the deceased Czar and mother of his children. No such circumstances apply for Prussia, with a grand total of three monarchs (F1, FW and Fritz), all male, and all against female rulers in their every uttering. (Not sure Fritz' early last will already has the "no female regent!" clause or not. Also not sure whether FW excluded the possibility of his wife being regent if he should die before his son reaches his majority in the 1722 will, I didn't read it for that, but it's FW, so it's likely.
Still, I would bet that any AU where kids Heinrich and Sophie get married is an AU in which Heinrich does, in fact, take his one shot during the 7 Years War where Fritz is really really depressed post Kunersdorf and goes for the regency. I.e. he and Sophie are the Prussian Macbeths, hopefully with a better ending for either. I'm also sure that Sophie, if Heinrich, as to be expected, won't have sex with her does what Catherine did in RL, i.e. take lovers. Whether Heinrich would be cool with the resulting kids as heirs: impossible to say, since a comparable situation never arose. (Mina never got pregnant, and they were never friends who truly liked each other).
Re: Catherine and Heinrich BFF <3