Baron Christian Friedrich von Stockmar was a native of Coburg who had entered the service of Prince Leopold (later King Leopold I of the Belgians) as private physician in 1816, at the time of the Prince's first marriage to Princess Charlotte of Wales. After her untimely death, Stockmar remained with the Prince, acting as his private secretary and Comptroller of his Household until 1831, when the Prince became King of the Belgians. Stockmar would take no official post in Belgium but returned to Coburg in 1834; the King, however, continued to rely on his judgment, especially with regard to the projected marriage of the King's niece, the future Queen Victoria, and his nephew, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Stockmar had known Princess Victoria as a child, and had begun to form a high opinion of Prince Albert's character after accompanying him on an Italian tour in 1838. He played an important part in arranging the terms of the royal treaty of marriage, and was to become the trusted friend and adviser of both the Queen and Prince Albert, who frequently sought his opinion on many matters.