It has been rumoured that Adelaide was almost called Edelweiss. In 1834, when Victoria was a young princess, she...
...asked the king of England, who she knew as Uncle William, if she could own a town, when she grew up, named after that flower.
Young Princess Vicky used to sing a song about the flower quite frequently, especially in her bath, and continued to do so throughout her happy marriage. She only stopped singing the song once her Dear Albert died.
Old Uncle William, however, was married to another young princess whose family was of Germanic origin. Her name in England became Adelaide. William decided to name a new town after Queen Adelaide, but it seemed a shame that he chose one that would be so far away. It was on the other side of the planet and Uncle William, Princess Vicky and Queen Adelaide never managed to have any holidays in Australia.
The people of Adelaide are probably grateful that the town was never called Edelweiss. What would members of the media say whenever there was an armed robbery, drug-related disaster, police high speed chase, or unpleasant incident at 2am in Hindley Street? Would they call the place Idle Vice?
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