Archduke Franz Ferdinand has been assassinated!
However, in this timeline, cooler heads have prevailed and a world war is averted. The threads of history which began unweaving with the premature death of Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, in Victoria II are now sewing themselves into a new and different European tapestry.
Much of the extended royal family which rules Europe looks a little different. The British King, the German Empress, and the Tsarina of Russia are all siblings. These close familial ties have guided Europe into a peaceful 20th century. But there are threats from outside this close-knit circle which could be the undoing of all as the children of Queen Victoria II fight to keep their crowns.