 Frederick followed this up by giving a speech in which he spoke out for "poor, ill-treated Jews" of Europe.Frederick's mother-in-law, Queen Victoria, wrote to thank him for his speech, saying she was proud that her daughter had married someone like him, but within "Junker" circles, Frederick was widely criticised for his actions in support of the Jews.Prominent among the Crown Prince's critics was his eldest son, Prince Wilhelm, who called his father a weak, cowardly man controlled by Wilhelm's British mother and the Jews.