Devastated, Victoria spent the next 10-plus years in seclusion, and wore black as a symbol of mourning for the rest of her life. Albert’s Death and Victoria’s Later YearsĪlbert died in 1861 at the age of 42 from typhoid fever. King Charles III is her great-great-great-grandson. Notable great-great-grandchildren include Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, King Constantine II of Greece, King Michael I of Romania, King Juan Carlos I of Spain, King Harald V of Norway, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece. Nearly all of them married into European royal families and many of her 42 grandchildren, including Kaiser Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor and King of Prussia, ruled monarchies across the continent. The couple had nine children from 1840-1857: Victoria, Edward, Alice, Alfred, Helena, Louise, Arthur, Leopold and Beatrice. Among Albert’s projects was the Great Exhibition of 1851, which brought 6 million people to London in celebration of global industry, technology and culture and is considered the first World’s Fair. his excessive love & affection gave me feelings of heavenly love & happiness I never could have hoped to have felt before!'Īlong with Melbourne, Albert carried great influence in setting the queen’s priorities and projects, which largely centered on arts, sciences, trade and industry. 'I never, never spent such an evening!!” she wrote in her diary following their wedding night. Victoria married her first cousin, the German Prince Albert, on February 10, 1840, whom she loved dearly.

WATCH: How Department Stories Liberated Victorian-Era Women Family and Descendants How Department Stores Liberated Victorian-Era Women In fact, she was the first monarch to ride a train, in 1842, at the age of 23, writing that the “motion was very slight, and much easier than a carriage-also no dust or great heat.” “I am very young and perhaps in many, although not all, inexperienced, but I am sure that very few have more real good will and more real desire to do what is fit and right than I have.”īritish Prime Minister Lord Melbourne became her trusted advisor and confidante, and, under her rule, Victoria began to win back public approval of the monarchy as she worked to modernize the empire, supporting the arts and charities and championing industrial advancements. “I shall do my utmost to do fulfil my duty towards my country,” she wrote in her diary soon after taking the crown.

She almost immediately dismissed Conroy and moved into Buckingham Palace, which had been owned by William, making her the first monarch to reside at the estate. Just a few weeks after turning 18, Victoria ascended the throne as Queen of England on June 20, 1837, following William’s death, with the coronation taking place a year later on June 28, 1838.

The set of strict, manipulative rules were as isolating as they were demanding on the girl, a gifted artist and avid diarist who was made to share her bedroom with her mother and was never left alone. In preparation for her daughter’s reign, Victoria’s mother soon aligned with courtier John Conroy, and the two forced Victoria to follow what came to be known as the Kensington System. When King George died, her uncle, William IV, was named king, and, because Edward’s brothers had no surviving legitimate heirs, Victoria became first in line to the throne. Named for her godfather, Russian Tsar Alexander I, she was fifth in line for the crown at birth.īefore Victoria turned 1, Edward died of pneumonia. Alexandrina Victoria was born on May 24, 1819, at London’s Kensington Palace to Edward, Duke of Kent, the fourth son of King George III, and his wife, Princess Maria Louisa Victoria, who was of German descent.

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