The news of Prince Constantine's embarking on a sea voyage, though not widely publicized, spread among the German nobility.
A prince leaving Europe to endure hardships in Africa was indeed perplexing, so the curious nobility sought after literature about Africa.
Germany lacked a seafaring tradition, so most of the information and records came from foreign sources and some earlier explorers' novels.
However, due to the long-standing nature of these records, some even dating back hundreds of years, the African narrative was still stuck in the tone of being the "white man's grave."
And the explorers' novels, many were aimed at exaggeration, with tales of hundreds-of-meters-long serpents, terrifying venomous insects, cannibal tribes...
Good heavens! Prince Constantine must have hit his head against a tree to so rashly decide on going to Africa!
