Maria and Alexander had an exceptionally happy marriage. She was widely recognized as "the only person on the face of the earth in whom the Autocrat of all the Russias puts any real trust. In his gentle consort, he has unlimited confidence." Despite her anti-Russian sentiments, Queen Victoria wrote favorably about Maria and Alexander's marriage. She wrote that " seems quite happy and contented with her fat, good-natured husband who seems far more attentive and kind to her than one would have thought...I think they are very domestic and happy and attached to each other; he makes a very good husband."