Queen Victoria: A Life From Beginning to End (Biographies of British Royalty), by Hourly History.

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Queen Victoria: A Life

From Beginning to End

(Biographies of British Royalty),

by Hourly History.

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"Victoria’s new determination to officially assume the title of empress was met with serious opposition. Two recent Reform Acts had changed the way the British government worked for the better. Many believed the Royal Titles Act, which would give Victoria her new desired title, was a step backward for political progress and smacked of imperialism. Imperial titles were associated with Russia, Napoleonic France, and Germany, aggressive nations where ordinary citizens came under the rule of a single, often despotic, ruler.

"But Victoria got her way, and the diverse population of India became the subjects of Queen Victoria of Great Britain and Empress of India. Victoria’s new title was proclaimed at an event on January 1, 1877, by Lord Lytton, viceroy of India, and was as magnificent an affair as could be. Dripping in the exotic jewels of the Orient, including the Koh-i-Noor diamond of the Maharajas of Lahore, Victoria commissioned a number of new family portraits, and a photograph of herself sat upon an ivory throne."

There's no such thing as "Maharajas of Lahore". Lahore was capital of Punjab until 1947, and the said Maharaja was of Punjab, with state of Kashmir including Jammu, Gilgit, Baltistan and Ladakh part of the state.

Koh-i-Noor, won back by Maharaja Ranjit Singh from Iran where Nadir Shah had taken it after his perpetration of the genocide in Delhi, was one of the priceless objects stolen by various European persons and powers from India.

Another was Hope diamond, and apart from sackfuls of fiamonds stolen by Tavernier, British commenced looting India, impoverishment the land from third wealthiest in world before arrival of British, to one dying of starvation during WWII by millions, due to British theft of harvest.

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"“I will be good.”

"—Queen Victoria"

If that required, as it seems it did, from quote above, A stern determination over and above a natural inclination, well, one wonders what were the repressed inclinations that she battled with!

Did those get expressed in the descendants?

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"But, in 1817 the only clear and legitimate heir to the British throne, Princess Charlotte, died in childbirth along with her child. This tragic event created a dynastic crisis that threw the entire royal family into action. The Hanoverian dynasty was unpopular with the public, who thought their days as powerful rulers were numbered. King George III famously suffered from mental illness, and most of his sons lived a lifestyle the British public deemed excessive and immoral. The family knew that key to keeping the Hanoverian dynasty alive was to secure an heir."

Just so the family could live off England, presumably.

"The middle-aged Hanoverian dukes, whom Victoria often referred to later as her “wicked uncles,” immediately sought out new wives to give them a legitimate heir. The Duke of Kent was the winner of this unsentimental race up the aisle as in 1817 he promptly discarded his mistress of some 27 years, Madame de Saint-Laurent, and rushed into an arranged marriage to Victoire of Saxe-Coburg."

Just how old was this guy, and wasn't the bride a widow with two, if not more, children from her earlier marriage?

These half-brother and sisters of the then future queen of England and grandmother of Europe are sort of kept secret, via half truths given out to public.

"This union was the result of a careful dynastic calculation that saw the political benefits of uniting the houses of Saxe-Coburg and Hanover. Victoire was the sister of Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, the husband of Princess Charlotte. Leopold had recently lost both his wife and unborn child and any claim to the British throne along with it, and he hoped that by marrying his sister to the Duke of Kent he could still stage a Saxe-Coburg takeover of the British crown."

And he did it doubly, at the very least - he saw to it that his English Hanover niece married a Saxe-Coburg cousin of hers.

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"“Conceived, born and bred . . . to mount the summits of greatness.”

"—Edith Sitwell"

It's unclear what exactly is the virtue attached meant here, unless it's one common to all of middle-class grandmothers of yore.

At that, most of the latter must win, since few escaped housekeeping, feeding family and childcare.

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"In 1820, both Victoria’s father the Duke of Kent and King George III died within six days of each other. Victoria was just eight months old at the time. The Prince Regent succeeded to the throne as King George IV, and Victoria’s position shifted to third in line to the British throne after her uncles, the Duke of York and Duke of Clarence, neither of whom had children."

It's unclear why that last bit was not only settled but assumed so.

"Thanks to financial support from her Uncle Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, Victoria was raised at Kensington Palace in England by her mother, the formidable Duchess of Kent. Despite the fact that Victoria was in fact three-quarters German, she was raised to speak English as her first language and was always addressed as Your Royal Highness. By Victoria’s own admission in letters written later in her life, she was a spoiled child raised by a suffocating but affectionate single mother. Energetic and healthy and, in portraiture, cherubic, Victoria was often described as a willful child. Despite Victoria’s sylvan surroundings, her life at Kensington Palace was one of confinement. Moreover, she often described her childhood as an unhappy one."

Why did the then presumed heir to English throne require financial support from a maternal uncle, that too a German one?

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"Victoire’s resolve to raise Victoria as a future monarch was not completely selfless. King George IV was still on the throne but was in very poor health. The Duke of Clarence William was next in line to the throne, and should William die before Victoria reached her 18th birthday the duchess wanted to assure that she would be appointed regent in her place. The duchess was successful in achieving this ambitious aim, and the Regency Act received royal assent on December 23, 1830.

"In the year 1831, at the age of 14, Victoria first learned the exact nature of her royal destiny thanks to a genealogical table slipped into one of her history books. Her response to learning that she was a clear and close heir to the British throne was to say simply, “I will be good.”"

Heartbreaking!

"It later became known that what Victoria endured under the direct tutelage of the duchess and her accomplice Lord Conroy was nothing short of abuse. Victoire was essentially Victoria’s jailer. Victoria slept in the same room as her mother and was constantly watched by members of her house. It is said that she was not allowed to walk downstairs without having someone hold her hand. Victoria was raised in complete isolation from others her own age, and she later admitted to being bullied by her mother and Conroy, who taunted and insulted her all the way into adulthood."

It's unclear why, what were they thinking, unless it was yo break her down into complete submission, as a subconscious revenge for their inability to enjoy their own lives and rage at the young girl's secure future!

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"“I trust to God that my life may be spared for nine months longer, after which period, in the event of my death, no Regency would take place.”

"—King William IV"

If he was aware of the abuse suffered by his niece and heir, why was he unable to put a stop to it, and what's the use of being king of England if this inability were real?

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"The aging King William IV was not ignorant of the designs the duchess had on his throne, nor of the undesirable influence of Lord Conroy. The king expressed animosity time and time again towards the household at Kensington Palace sparing just one member—Victoria. On August 21, 1836, the king hosted a dinner party at Windsor Castle in celebration of his 75th birthday. Victoria was in attendance, and the king laid out his feelings towards the household at Kensington with characteristic frankness, saying:

"“I trust to God that my life may be spared for nine months longer, after which period, in the event of my death, no Regency would take place. I should then have the satisfaction of leaving the royal authority to the personal excise of that Young Lady, the Heiress Presumptive of the Crown, and not in the hands of a person now near me, who is surrounded by evil advisors and who is herself incompetent to act with propriety in the situation in which she would be placed.”

"There was now no real chance of the duchess becoming regent; furious at this very public snub, Victoire took her anger out on Victoria. King William was very ill, close to death in fact, as Victoria celebrated her 18th birthday on May 24, 1837. Victoria’s birthday was not as happy an occasion as it should have been, as a terrible row broke out between Victoria and her guardians. King William had offered Victoria an establishment of her own, a clear attempt to break the control the duchess and Conroy had over her. The duchess refused the king’s offer without ever speaking of it to Victoria, and Conroy threatened Victoria in an attempt to coerce her into officially appointing him as her political advisor.

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"Around the same time, a scandal from Victoria’s court hit the headlines of the British press. At the center of the scandal was Lady Flora Hastings, one of Victoria’s ladies-in-waiting who had been under the orders of the duchess when Victoria was a child. Victoria wrote to Lord Melbourne that she believed Lady Flora was with child and that the father was undoubtedly Sir John Conroy. The gossip reached every level of Victoria’s court and, eventually, to clear her name, Lady Flora submitted to a medical examination. It was proven she was not, in fact, pregnant but gravely ill; she died soon after, possibly of liver failure or some other disease that caused her abdomen to swell.

"Lady Flora’s family were horrified at how Queen Victoria had treated their daughter, and when they received no form of apology, they sent letters to the newspapers for publication. The reporters jumped at the chance to publish such a scandal, and the Duchess of Kent, still haunting the remote reaches of Buckingham Palace, jumped on the bandwagon and shared stories with the press of how badly Victoria had treated her. At this point in her reign, Victoria is said to have been as unpopular with the British public as George IV had been at the time of his attempted divorce. How could the queen win back the hearts and minds of her public?"

It's understandable how family of Lady Flora felt, but the senior person that Victoire was, shouldn't she have been quietly making amends, calming and soothing them, even if denied presence of the daughter who had only unhappy memories of her - and, worse, of a man who'd been allowed to expect to control the future queen?

That she, the mother, chose instead to be vindictive - and publicly so, maligning a daughter and a queen - in fact justified every possible deprivation that she'd been made to suffer after coronationof the daughter, and only making one wonder why the daughter hadn't banished her to Saxe-Coburg instead!

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"“He comes to take ‘for better or worse’ England’s fat Queen and England’s fatter purse.”

"—Popular mid-nineteenth century cartoon"

Kind, weren't the English!

No wonder England lost India.

"England’s fat Queen"????

What was Henry VIII, slim???

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"Years before Victoria was crowned queen of Great Britain, all of the great royal houses of Europe had designs on who should be her king. One such design came from Duchess Augusta, the matriarch of the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha dynasty and Prince Albert’s grandmother. Although Prince Albert and Queen Victoria were first cousins, Albert was groomed for the sole purpose of becoming Victoria’s husband and king."

No, that's a convenient lie, and in reality he was only offered as an alternative in case Victoria didn't like the one meant for her, which was a younger brother of Albert - after all, Albert was to inherit Saxe-Coburg, and it couldn't be combined with England.

But Victoria preferred Albert, who'd rather have not been forced into this alternative, unlike the younger cousin who did like her. And her will would prevail, since otherwise she might have refused the younger cousin and they'd lose the match.

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"Victoria and Albert were married on February 10, 1840, in the Royal Chapel of St James’ Palace, London—a day Victoria described as the happiest of her life. Despite her newlywed status, Victoria was unwilling to sideline her responsibilities as queen. On Albert’s suggestion that they take a long honeymoon, Victoria snapped, “You forget, my dearest Love, that I am the Sovereign, and that business can stop and wait for nothing.”

"On a visit in 1840, Victoria and Albert’s Uncle Leopold expressed his opinion that Albert “ought to be in business as in everything necessary to the Queen.” Leopold told Victoria that Albert should be her walking dictionary of reference and should be called upon by her to answer any questions she may have about pretty much anything. Essentially, Leopold thought Albert should be Victoria’s advisor. However, Victoria had been warned against taking on an advisor as, in the eyes of her court and Parliament, it amounted to an admission that she was not up to the task of ruling Britain. Victoria still refused to share any officialdom with Albert."

Good for her!

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"“There is great happiness and great blessedness in devoting oneself to another who is worthy of one’s affection . . . still men are very selfish and the woman’s devotion is always one of submission which makes our poor sex very unenviable.”

"—Queen Victoria"

She knew only one half of a happy marriage - one where she was subjected to discipline and required to submit, despite her stature as a queen, and never seen as an equal, despite husband's lower status as her subject.

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"Victoria and Albert’s marriage may have continued along this vein for many years, with frequent arguments over power and precedence, had it not been for Victoria’s first pregnancy. Within weeks of their marriage, Victoria discovered that she was pregnant, and her emotional reaction to this discovery was clear-cut—she was absolutely furious. Albert immediately moved his writing table into Victoria’s sitting room in Windsor and placed it alongside hers. As Victoria was pregnant, Albert was appointed regent in the event that she should die in childbirth and on the birth of their first child, Albert was given the keys to the Cabinet Boxes and unofficially appointed Her Majesty’s Private Secretary.

"It was at this time that Queen Victoria experienced the first attempt on her life.... Victoria’s apparent bravery and level-headedness in the face of her would-be assassin led to a definite upswing in her popularity with the public.

"Victoria’s opinion on pregnancy, childbirth, and child-rearing, at least in the early days of motherhood, was that it was an unpleasant but unavoidable duty of marriage. In her letters, Victoria refers to her role as a mother as die shattenseite, “the shadow side” of marriage, a reference perhaps to both her dread of it and the hidden, shadowy way in which it was handled. Each time Victoria became pregnant and was forced into confinement, into the secret world of motherhood where so much was deemed unspeakable, Albert moved a step closer to his goal of ruling Britain as Victoria’s superior."

It does paint an unpleasant portrait of both Albert and England, eager to deprive the Queen and hand reigns over to a male, a foreigner at thst!

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"To speed up his attempt to make Victoria subservient to him, Albert isolated her from her two closest companions. Until the day Albert came into her life, Lord Melbourne had been the most dominant male figure in Victoria’s life and her closest friend. Melbourne had retired from his role as prime minister after suffering defeat at the 1841 election and frequently wrote letters to Victoria from his retirement. The letters were for the most part friendly notes with little mention of politics or royal matters, but nonetheless, Albert put a stop to them, effectively banning correspondence between Victoria and Melbourne.

"A more difficult relationship to break was that between Victoria and Baroness Lezhen, Victoria’s former governess. Victoria put Lezhen in charge of her court and household, something Albert was very much against. In January 1842, Victoria had recently given birth to her second child Edward when her first child, Victoria, became ill. Albert seized the opportunity to blame the child’s sickness on Lezhen, accusing her of mismanaging the household and neglecting the child. A furious row ensued at which time Albert left the family home and refused to communicate with Victoria except through letters passed through a third party. In one of his letters, he said, “Take the child away and do as you like, and if she dies you will have it on your conscience.”"

Horrible guy. Does it run in the family, treating a effect horribly? Would seem so, looking at various descendents, a prime example being those who were among the branch relocated to Greece.

"Eventually, Victoria capitulated and dismissed Baroness Lezhen, a woman who had been by her side since childhood. This marked a turning point in Victoria and Albert’s relationship. From this point on Victoria became consumed by her loyalty to and love for Albert and agreed to submit to his wishes in all things. Victoria re-wrote her own history, destroying many of the letters she had written before her marriage to Albert, dismissing them as “mere amusement, flattery, excitement and mere politics.” Everything that had come before Albert was meaningless; Victoria was now entering the most important stage of her life and was determined to succeed in her role as a good wife and mother."

Who, of course, could not possibly have a mind of her own! And if she did, it must be killed.

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"Following Lezhen’s dismissal, Albert carried out a complete overhaul of the running of the palace. It did seem that the management of the queen’s household left a lot to be desired. In 1838, a young boy was discovered in the palace kitchens. He had been living there unobserved for the past 12 months, and in 1840 another young boy was discovered sleeping under a sofa in a room next door to the queen’s bedroom. Such lax security would not do, and the household, in general, was incredibly chaotic and wasteful. Albert appointed a Master of the Household, and wasteful expenditure was immediately cut. In contrast to Victoria’s court during the early days of her reign, which was a joyful place, jokingly referred to as “Camelot,” Albert’s court was more somber. Albert was of the opinion that a royal court should set a moral example; he introduced strict etiquette and forbade any discussion of politics or gossip. Victoria’s amusing social life became a distant memory."

This was reflected in clothes and couture, all the more - with black from head to foot replacing bright colors.

"By the time Victoria had her third child, Alice, born in 1843, Albert had begun to attend meetings with ministers and sat on a throne directly alongside hers in the House of Lords. Albert’s new status may have quashed the tension between man and wife, but it had intensified the tension between man and state. By his own design, Albert was the natural head of the family, manager of the queen’s private affairs, private secretary, confidential political advisor and assistant, tutor of the royal children, and permanent minister. Albert could hardly be considered a minister if he was not accountable to Parliament and there were many layers to his power. As Albert saw it, he was king in all but name, and Victoria was now merely an ornamental queen."

How did England change that, and bring him back to earth to his own status?

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"In 1845, Victoria and Albert moved to an isolated spot on the Isle of Wight where Albert bought a seaside home known as Osborne using the queen’s private funds. Victoria was thrilled to leave London, where she felt she and her family were under increasing scrutiny from the press. She loathed living at George IV’s Pavilion in Brighton and complained that she was regularly mobbed in the streets. Victoria had also recently been subjected to two further assassination attempts while riding in her carriage at Constitution Hill. Both attempts left her unharmed but gave her ample ammunition to defend her seclusion from criticism. At Osborne, the royal family became completely separated from court life and led a quietly productive lifestyle, just as Albert had wanted."

In short, the German cut an English Queen not only down to reproduction but off and away from her Queendom, except nominally!

"In the first ten years of Victoria and Albert’s marriage, Victoria gave birth to seven of her nine children. At this time women were encouraged to take a “lying-in” period of six weeks following each birth. Add these periods to seven nine-month periods of pregnancy, and Queen Victoria spent seven of the ten years between 1840 and 1850 bringing her children into the world. This arrangement suited Albert perfectly. Albert was free to take on more and more responsibilities during the time his wife was otherwise engaged, and a large family was his idea of domestic bliss as well as an important tool in dynasty-building."

As they say in US, he kept her barefoot and pregnant - well, pregnant, anyway!

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"Victoria’s view of motherhood was unsentimental. Time and time again she reveals in her letters how unpleasant motherhood could be and how much she resented what pregnancy did to her body. Victoria considered the first two years of her marriage “utterly spoilt” by childbearing and referred to her babies as “little plants” that are “frightful when undressed.” And yet, completely in thrall to Albert, emotionally, sexually, intellectually, Victoria was content to be his subservient wife and mother to his children. As a result of her marriage, Victoria’s attitude to her crown changed. Women, she decided, were not meant to govern."

Did England have to fight him without the help of his wife, by now no longer existent but for a body that only housed a reproductive machine that hated its own products, but no thoughts and no willpower?

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"Biographers of Queen Victoria set themselves an incredibly difficult task: the task of getting inside the mind of the queen. Victoria’s disposition, her nerves and sulks and tantrums, and her famous stubbornness have been recorded in anecdotes by any number of people who came into contact with her. However, Victoria was also a great chronicler of her life, keeping a journal for many years and writing hundreds upon hundreds of letters, and she frequently recorded her struggles to contain her emotions.

"From the earliest days of their marriage, Albert had set himself the task of molding Victoria in his own image, to create a woman who was always patient, always calm, and always collected. Albert convinced Victoria that her essential character was deeply flawed as a result of her upbringing and that he would teach her the valuable lesson of self-control. He certainly taught her subservience, but to eradicate the stubbornness and irritability that had been a facet of Victoria’s complex personality since she was a child was a much greater challenge.

"There are many references to violent scenes and terrible rows between Albert and Victoria in her letters. As one might expect, Victoria was prone to tantrums and anxiety attacks more often when she was pregnant than when she was not. By the time Victoria gave birth to her ninth child at the age of 37, her outbursts had become frequent and hysterical. Albert had a habit of quietly walking away from Victoria when she made a scene, punishing her later with patronizing notes that criticized her behavior."

Obviously he never was, never had been, in love with her. Obviously she did feel it subconsciously, even if she was inexperienced as far as matters of heart go.

Obviously that was why she was unhappy with her pregnancies, because they were not born of love, only of a German man getting his wife pregnant, whether out of his own physical need or out of sense of duty of his role, or a need to subjugate the queen he'd married, if only via getting her pregnant and keeping her out of office in fact, if not de jure.

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"Victoria’s physician, Sir James Clark, recorded that he feared for Victoria’s sanity in 1863, and there were some who thought that Victoria had inherited the “madness” that had taken hold of George III, Victoria’s grandfather. Contemporary historians do not agree on the nature of George III’s mental illness. Some point to a metabolic disorder known as porphyria as the cause of George’s insanity, while others have diagnosed him as bipolar with manic episodes. Either way, it seems unlikely that Victoria genetically inherited George’s malady, but it was clear that she was prone to anxiety attacks and had a violent temper."

Or she simply saw the injustice of a misogyny whereby a woman must forego one part of life, and if married, stop bring a queen except in name. She was dealing with an unfair husband who took it all away from her and gave her only pregnancies in return, apart from a treatment of disdain coupled with treatment a schoolmaster would have meted out to a pupil recalcitrant in not being putty.

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"The next few years were difficult ones for Victoria. Albert retreated from her, spending more and more time on the mountains of paperwork he had created. Victoria did not wish to become pregnant again, and it is possible that the marriage became chaste at this time, something Victoria struggled with. For years Victoria had made mention of the glorious intimacy shared by husband and wife and the everlasting passion she had for her lover and now, still in her thirties, all that had come to an end.

"Victoria had struggled to build close and supportive relationships with her children and was characterized as a controlling and harsh mother. Perhaps Albert’s lifelong project of controlling Victoria had simply caused her to direct her anger and disappointment elsewhere—towards her children. ... "

Or she'd had no better role model for a parenting and emulated Albert's dealing with her, which couldn't have been loving, else she'd have felt love for children born of love - and that would have been clear to children!

" ... Victoria seemed only to be happy when alone with Albert and admitted quite frankly that she did not enjoy the company of her children. ... "

Any happiness she felt must have been only due to her own attraction she felt for him, not seeing wrongs he fid her and marriage.

" ... “I find no especial pleasure or compensation in the company of the elder children,” she said and was jealous of the time Albert spent with them, particularly with her eldest daughter, nicknamed Vicky."

Was the daughter his compensation and his revenge, two in one, against a marriage resulting in an exile and a lack of official position that he wasn't courageous or man enough to have refused!

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"Vicky was a child prodigy, extremely intelligent and talented at a great many things, and it is possible that Victoria was intimidated by her. In 1855, Albert arranged a marriage between 14-year-old Vicky and Frederick William, heir apparent to the king of Prussia, a dynastic match he had been planning since her birth. Albert was thrilled by the union, but Victoria did not approve of child marriage and feared for Vicky’s health should she be forced to conceive a child while still a child herself. Perhaps Victoria’s jealousy of her eldest daughter stopped her from intervening, or perhaps she was at this stage unable to contradict her husband in any way, but Victoria allowed the marriage; Vicky was sent away to live in Berlin."

Can't have it both ways and contradictory ones at that, author and publishers! Victoria was controlled by husband, he considered himself master of family, surely neither disapproval nor jealousy of Queen Victoria for her daughter was of any use, were it at all relevant?

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"As Victoria had feared, Vicky became pregnant by her new husband. On hearing about her daughter’s pregnancy, Victoria immediately penned her a letter, outlining how upset she was at the “horrid news.” As Victoria had suspected, the pregnancy was a dangerous one, and Vicky almost died in childbirth aged 17. Now that Vicky and her mother shared an experience unlike any other, that of motherhood, their relationship blossomed. Living in different countries but writing to each other twice a week, the mother and daughter became closer than they had ever been while living together."

Only normal, in a patriarchy where women had no other careers and no other shared experiences - especially when those women were queen and future queen, so they shared neither housework nor cooking, and certainly no financial worries or those of childcare!

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"By contrast, Victoria’s relationship with her eldest son grew ever more strained. Victoria freely admitted that she had never felt any real connection with her son Albert, known to all as Bertie, and she could constantly be heard criticizing him, to his face and behind his back. ... "

Victoria hadn't experienced love and didn't have an image of herself as loved, therefore as someone valid, and so couldn’t love someone so very like her except for his gender.

" ... As a child, Bertie had not responded well to the rigorous study regime his father had created for him, and after consulting with a team of phrenologists, who looked at the formation of Bertie’s skull, the young man was diagnosed with sub-normal intelligence. ... "

What a horror this father of the family was! Did he get his own skull checked for lack of humanity, or for an overbearing ego?

" ... Bertie’s temper mimicked that of his mother. It is possible that Victoria saw all of the qualities she despised in herself in her eldest son and that her attacks on him were a reflection of her own feelings of inadequacy."

And he suffered only what she had, in childhood and in marriage!

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" ... Despite her servant’s insistence that she was perfectly healthy and well, Victoria refused to return to any real form of public life for most of the rest of her life, a decision that had a lasting effect on the monarchy as a whole. Victoria’s retreat from political life set a precedent for a constitutional monarchy as opposed to a working ruler. As a grieving woman who refused to fulfill her public duty, Victoria was under threat from those who wanted to force her into abdication in favor of her son.

"Bertie, now referred to as the prince of Wales, was still mercilessly criticized by Victoria. She wrote that he was, “totally, totally unfit for ever becoming king,” and forced him to be a “social sovereign.” Bertie was to act as the face of the monarchy in London society, but he was not allowed access to any state papers or to fulfill any kind of public role."

And he was brilliant enough to turn this into a positive for England and Europe, by his rule being of a sovereign friendly and close to most royals, called uncle of Europe.

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" ... The mourning period that descended on the royal household was strict and lengthy. Victoria’s younger children still at home became accustomed to dressing only in black and were banned from engaging in any activity deemed frivolous. Cheerfulness and laughter were deemed, by Victoria, to be disloyal to Albert’s memory.

"Alice, Victoria’s third child, was 18 when Albert died, and had nursed her father on his deathbed. Unable to mourn in her own way, Alice was forced into the role of comforter to her grieving mother. Victoria clung to her daughters after her husband’s death and demanded their company in a way she never had while Albert was still alive. Alice’s wedding in the summer of 1862 to the Prince Louis of Hesse-Darmstadt was a somber affair and immediately following it Victoria begged her newly-wed daughter to stay in Britain with her. Alice’s husband could not agree to such an arrangement, and Alice began a new life in Darmstadt.

"When it came to her next two daughters’ marriages, Victoria tried even harder to keep them on British soil. First, Victoria arranged for her daughter Helena to marry Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, a German prince with few redeeming qualities, on the condition that he came to live at Windsor. Next, she forced her daughter Louise to marry Lord Lorne, heir to the Duke of Argyll but a commoner nonetheless. Victoria’s older children were horrified and told their mother as much in an exchange of letters that caused a major rift in the family.

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"Victoria vowed to play no part in the marriage prospects of her younger sons, but did hand out a list of unmarried Protestant princesses, urging her sons, “choose for yourself amongst them.” Leopold, the son with whom Victoria had the more difficult relationship after Bertie, for once heeded her advice and duly fell in love and married Princess Helen of Waldeck and Pyrmont. Victoria’s second eldest son, Alfred the Duke of Edinburgh, married Marie, daughter of Tsar Alexander II, against his mother’s wishes, but seemed to suffer none of the serious displeasure reserved for Bertie."

Alfred's marriage completed a circle whereby two sisters who were Denmark princesses, married to future monarchs of England and Russia, were related again via this marriage between royals of England and Russia.

"Victoria openly admitted that she did not want Beatrice, her younger daughter, to ever marry. She hoped that Beatrice would remain her constant and lifelong companion and Beatrice fulfilled this role, a prisoner in her mother’s dull court, until the age of 27 when she fell in love with Prince Henry Battenberg. Victoria reacted to this development and her youngest daughter’s intention to marry with unchecked rage and forced the prince to abandon his army career and live with her at Windsor."

This Battenberg, a nephew (by marriage) of Alice, a daughter of Queen Victoria, was thus a first cousin of children of Alice - and his brother was already then married to Princess Victoria, daughter of Alice, daughter of Queen Victoria.

"Victoria claimed to have abandoned Albert’s project to forge alliances with the great dynasties of Europe through the marriages of his children, and yet all of Victoria’s children, apart from Louise, made a dynastic match that would later earn Victoria the sobriquet the Grandmother of Europe."

Considering royals had to marry other royals and Victoria had a large brood, this was almost inevitable.

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Author discusses Brown.

" ... Brown was memorialized for all time with the commission of a bronze statue engraved with words penned by Tennyson: “Friend more than servant, loyal, truthful, brave. Selfless than duty, even to the grave.”"

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"“Grief is the agony of an instant; the indulgence of grief the blunder of a life.”

"—Benjamin Disraeli"

That depends on whether it was a natural event or more akin to extermination camps during WWII.

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"During Victoria’s convalescence, the rumblings of a revolution could be heard coming from the north of England. Up to now, revolution in Britain had been resisted. In Europe, conservatism, liberalism, and socialism were battling it out, but politics in England remained fairly calm thanks to the constitutional arrangement. Even as the Second Empire of France collapsed in 1848, Victoria’s Britain had stood firm, but now republicanism was gaining popularity, with a rally in Hyde Park that attracted large crowds. Surprisingly, the only person who was able to overthrow the Republican animosity Victoria had created for herself was her least favorite child: Bertie.

"As fate would have it, Bertie came down with Typhoid fever, the same illness that was believed to have killed his father, Prince Albert. Bertie was nursed at Sandringham with his extended family around him and a number of high-profile doctors at his disposal, but his illness only intensified. On December 14, 1871, the tenth anniversary of the death of Prince Albert, Bertie’s doctor diagnosed that he was “on the very verge of the grave.” The public was aghast, and expressions of sympathy for the queen and her family poured in. Against all odds Bertie recovered, and a national service of thanksgiving took place on February 27, 1872, attended by Victoria. The event took over the city of London with well-wishers celebrating in the streets, and as Victoria made a rare appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, waving happily to the adoring crowds, it seemed a full reconciliation between sovereign and subjects had taken place."

................................................................................................

"Victoria’s reinvigoration and increased interest in the affairs of her government coincided with a series of crises in the Balkans that grew into the Russo-Turkish War. Disraeli, still Britain’s prime minister at this time, supported the Ottoman Empire against Russia and its invasion of southeast Europe. From her throne, Victoria demanded that her government and military be bold. In a letter to her daughter Vicky, Victoria expressed her position: “You say you hope we shall keep out of the war and God knows I hope and pray and think we shall—as to fighting. But I am sure you would not wish Great Britain to eat humble pie to these horrible, deceitful, cruel Russians?”"

And therein the genesis of use of jihadists by US, subsequently.

"However, both Victoria and Disraeli had miscalculated public opinion on Britain’s involvement in the Russo-Turkish War. Gladstone re-emerged from retirement, voicing his opinions against Disraeli’s government and by extension, Victoria. Disraeli found himself defeated at the polls of 1880, paving the way for Gladstone’s return. Gladstone was in office 1880 to 1885, a few months in 1886, and between 1892 and 1894, during which time the relationship between he and Victoria grew ever sourer. Victoria was incredibly vocal in her dislike for Gladstone and his policies. On the subject of foreign policy, she accused Gladstone of demonstrating liberal reluctance to maintain British prestige overseas. Eventually, Gladstone’s government collapsed in 1886 without Victoria’s help, over his plans to introduce Irish Home Rule.

................................................................................................

" ... She had nine children with her husband Albert, seven of which were born in the first ten years of their marriage, and had forty-two grandchildren, thirty-four of whom lived into adulthood. Victoria more than earned the nickname the Grandmother of Europe and had an incredible influence on the politics of nineteenth-century Europe thanks to her far-reaching dynasty."

" ...in the end, she was celebrated as a national icon ... "

................................................................................................

"The story of Queen Victoria’s life is a difficult one to tell if only for its duration. Victoria lived for 81 years and was queen of Great Britain and Ireland for 63 of those years—six decades during which the industry, economy, society and foreign policy of Great Britain changed dramatically. The world Victoria was born into was a very different one to that which she left behind, and her life story is an incredible journey from infant heir to matriarchal queen and empress.

"Victoria lived two lives. One was the public life of a queen, and later empress, who was at the service of her subjects and responsible for representing her nation to the rest of the world. The other life was a private one as a loving wife and mother of nine children, dedicated to creating a happy and productive household. Victoria made a valiant attempt to incorporate the public and private spheres of her life in a way no other woman had before, but ultimately it was too big a task too far ahead of its time.
................................................................................................

"Victoria’s childhood was not a happy one, and her middle years were dominated by the death of her husband Albert, a tragic loss from which she never fully recovered. However, there was much joy in Victoria’s life too, in the glamour and folly of her early years as queen, in her dedication to her work as regent, and in her large, influential family.

"Unusually, the story of Queen Victoria’s life has been written in part by her own hand. Victoria wrote an estimated 2,500 words every day, kept a daily journal, and wrote constant letters to family and friends. Described at different points in her life as a spoiled child, a stubborn young queen, a subservient wife, a cruel mother, a reclusive widow, a benevolent matriarch, a warrior queen, and a principled sovereign, there are many sides to Queen Victoria. We can only hope to begin to understand a few of them here."

Did that "cruel mother" bit have a tad to do with subliminal awareness that, while he did his duty faithfully, her husband had never been in love with her? So does, too, the "a subservient wife" part, of course - she had no alternative, if she was seen as a duty by a stern male.

................................................................................................

"“I will be good.”

"—Queen Victoria"

If that required, as it seems it fid, from quote above, A stern determination over and above a natural inclination, well, one wonders what were the repressed inclinations that she battled with!

Did those get expressed in the descendants?

................................................................................................

"The story of how Queen Victoria’s mother and father met and married is not a romantic tale. Nor is the story of Victoria’s conception—which could accurately be described as the result of a crisis of succession."

Given the severe restrictions regarding royal ancestry and race et al that royals of Europe had to marry within if they weren't willing to give up privileges accruing to royal status - and few were so willing - it'd be surprising if there were any real love stories, there, especially mutually happy ones.

What probably could and did take place was a choice of satisfactory match acceptable to both, as in not revolting enough to run away from, and hopefully good enough to produce heirs, preferably several male ones.

"In the year 1817, King George III was on the throne. George was of the House of Hanover, the royal dynasty that had ruled Britain since 1717 when it took over from the House of Stuart. In 1817 there was only one clear contender to take over the British throne on George’s death, his granddaughter Princess Charlotte.

................................................................................................

"Despite the fact that George III fathered fifteen children—nine sons and six daughters—his sons had produced just one suitable heir between them. The sinful situation of George III’s seven sons (who lived into adulthood) was, before 1817, as follows:

"The Prince Regent George, who later became George IV, was locked into an unhappy marriage with Caroline of Brunswick. The pair had one child together, Princess Charlotte, before they were formally separated. George enjoyed the company of a number of mistresses.

"The Duke of York Frederick was married to Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia. The marriage was unhappy from the outset, and the couple had no children together.

"The Duke of Clarence William, Duke of Kent Edward, Duke of Cumberland Ernest, and Duke of Cambridge Adolphus were not expected to figure in the succession as they were George III’s younger sons. Except for Ernest, the Duke of Cumberland, all of George III’s adult sons were either married but estranged from their wives or unmarried and enjoying a bachelor’s lifestyle."

It's unclear why they didn't marry. No 'suitable' matches, and hence "a bachelor’s lifestyle", amounting to profusion of illegitimate progeny littering Europe?

................................................................................................

Just so the family could live off England, presumably.

Just how old was this guy, and wasn't the bride a widow with two, if not more, children from her earlier marriage?

These half-brother and sisters of the then future queen of England and grandmother of Europe are sort of kept secret, via half truths given out to public.

And he did it doubly, at the very least - he saw to it that his English Hanover niece married a Saxe-Coburg cousin of hers.

................................................................................................

"“Conceived, born and bred . . . to mount the summits of greatness.”

"—Edith Sitwell"

It's unclear what exactly is the virtue attached meant here, unless it's one common to all of middle-class grandmothers of yore.

At that, most of the latter must win, since few escaped housekeeping, feeding family and childcare.

................................................................................................

"Although the marriage between the Duke of Kent and Victoire of Saxe-Coburg may not have begun on the most romantic footing, the couple did appear to be a good match, and Victoire soon became pregnant. On May 24, 1819, Victoire gave birth at Kensington Palace to the child who would later be named Victoria. The childbirth was witnessed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and other political figures, as was the custom when succession was under scrutiny."

Why, incidentally, the French name, of a decidedly German princess?

"At her birth, Victoria was fifth in the line of succession to the British throne after her father, the Duke of Kent, and his three older brothers—the Prince Regent, Duke of York, and Duke of Clarence. The Duke of York attempted to disguise his designs on the throne and never mentioned the succession question in relation with Victoria, but Edith Sitwell nonetheless described the bouncing baby as, “conceived, born and bred . . . to mount the summits of greatness.”"

So, no Wales at the time?

"The Prince Regent was much displeased by Victoria’s birth and did not wish to see the offspring of his brother take to the British throne, even if it would happen many years after his own death. The Prince Regent expressed his displeasure at the naming ceremony of the new heir in a somewhat petty display. Vetoing the name Georgina, which he felt too closely resembled his own, and Charlotte, the name of his dead daughter, he settled on Alexandrina Victoria, a foreign-sounding name chosen with the intention of making Victoria appear unsuitable for the British throne."

That explains the petty tempers running in the family.

................................................................................................

It's unclear why that last bit was not only settled but assumed so.

Why did the then presumed heir to English throne require financial support from a maternal uncle, that too a German one?

................................................................................................

"“I had a very unhappy life as a child,” Victoria wrote in a letter to her daughter Vicky in 1858. “Had no scope for my very violent feelings of affection—had no brothers or sisters to live with—never had a father—from my unfortunate circumstances was not on comfortable or at all intimate or confidential footing with my mother . . . and did not know what a happy domestic life was!”"

Hence, presumably, affections bestowed on pets in England.

"From the age of 11, Victoria’s life changed dramatically when Lord Conroy entered the scene. Victoire, Victoria’s mother, had few friends in London and spoke very little English. Historians have noted a rise of xenophobia in the British popular culture of the early nineteenth century, and this intolerance coupled with King George IV’s clear irritation at her daughter’s very existence left Victoire lonely and vulnerable.

"Lord Conroy came into Victoria’s life masquerading as some sort of protector, playing on her mother’s vulnerability by unnerving her with conspiracy theories. It is unknown whether the duchess and Lord Conroy had a sexual affair, but what is clear is that Conroy quickly became the major male influence in young Victoria’s life. Together Conroy and the duchess subjected Victoria what they later dubbed the “Kensington System” of education. Under this system, Victoria was completely cut off from her royal relatives and consumed by a rigorous educational programme that taught strict moral codes of behavior alongside arithmetic and languages.

................................................................................................

Heartbreaking!

................................................................................................

"“I trust to God that my life may be spared for nine months longer, after which period, in the event of my death, no Regency would take place.”

"—King William IV"

If he was aware of the abuse suffered by his niece and heir, why was he unable to put a stop to it, and what's the use of being king of England if this inability were real?

................................................................................................

"The traumatic nature of Victoria’s relationship with her mother and Lord Conroy was to affect Victoria for the rest of her life. Many biographers have pointed to Victoria’s stubbornness and bad temper as the result of enduring an isolated childhood with an overbearing mother. The facets of Victoria’s personality that led some to criticize her are in some ways the very things that saved her. The Kensington System had made her strong-willed and independent, traits she would need in abundance to rule as queen. As soon as she was able, Victoria stepped out of her mother’s suffocating grip, banished Conroy, and determined to rule alone.

"Queen Victoria’s coronation took place on June 27, 1838, at Westminster Abbey. Huge crowds of well-wishers gathered to see their new queen, and Victoria enjoyed a period of immense popularity. Recently turned 18 years old with blue eyes, long dark hair, and a fresh complexion, Victoria was everything the British public wanted in their queen after the long line of elderly Hanoverian kings. Of the day Victoria wrote, “I really cannot say how proud I feel to be the Queen of such a Nation.”

"Despite the duchess and Conroy’s careful tutelage of Victoria, she knew very little of the political position of a monarch. The only person to have an influence on her decisions during the earliest days of her reign was her Uncle Leopold, who counseled her in letters, warning against making snap judgments and becoming emotionally involved in political matters. Victoria moved into Buckingham Palace immediately and took revenge on her mother by denying her the title of Queen Mother and banishing her to a remote part of the palace. Victoria’s published letters contain a succinct reference to Victoria’s attitude towards her mother at this time: “I had to remind her who I was.”

................................................................................................

"On the other hand, Victoria bonded with her first prime minister, the prominent Whig Lord Melbourne, instantly; her relationship with this 58-year-old man would dramatically shape her future as queen. Victoria enjoyed a long honeymoon period as queen, finding much joy in her summer court at Windsor. She met with Lord Melbourne every day, and during their long conversations, which often extended over an evening meal, he taught her much of what the Kensington System had failed to cover, including her Hanoverian descent, the state of British politics, and what exactly would be expected of her as queen.

"However, the relationship between Victoria and her Prime Minister Lord Melbourne was a little too close for comfort and created a conflict of interest for both. Early in her reign, Victoria had posed the question of whether or not she should appoint a private secretary. In the past, monarchs who were unfit or unwilling to rule alone had appointed unofficial private secretaries, such as King George III, who was mentally incapable. To appoint a private secretary would be to undermine her position as queen publicly, but in truth Victoria needed guidance. Rather than selecting a private secretary to the queen, Lord Melbourne decided to do the job himself, advising her on appointments and drafting all of her official letters.

"In 1832, a Reform Act went through Parliament. The act made a clear distinction between the power of the House of Lords and the power of the House of Commons. Executive authority over political matters now rested with the Cabinet members of the House of Commons, rendering the authority of the monarch negligible. Victoria was still able to influence politics, though, and in May 1839 when Melbourne failed to win a majority in the House of Commons, Victoria stepped in. Melbourne was forced to resign from his position, but the queen rejected the winning Tory minister, Robert Peel. On Melbourne’s advice, the queen refused to dismiss her Whig ladies-in-waiting as Peel had requested, a scandal that came to be known as the Bedchamber Crisis. Victoria’s actions effectively blocked the formation of a new government—the last time a monarch was able to do this—and Melbourne and his Whigs returned to office."

Peel was able, and deprivation was that of England and its queen.

................................................................................................

"“He comes to take ‘for better or worse’ England’s fat Queen and England’s fatter purse.”

"—Popular mid-nineteenth century cartoon"

Kind, weren't the English!

No wonder England lost India.

"England’s fat Queen"????

What was Henry VIII, slim???

................................................................................................

"Victoria was not ignorant of this plan and spent a number of months pondering over Albert’s suitability as a husband and, indeed, her suitability as a wife. For a time Victoria showed an unwillingness to marry at all, citing her obstinate nature as ill-suited to the submissive role of wife. However, Albert swept her off her feet.

"On October 10, 1839, Victoria received Albert at Windsor Castle with no intention of marrying him. Albert, for his part, was also said to have no intentions of marrying Victoria and was planning to break off the whole courtship on this visit. In her journal, Victoria described the first time she laid eyes on 19-year-old Albert: “It was not without some emotion that I beheld Albert—who is beautiful.” After just five days in Albert’s company, Victoria decided that she would like very much to marry him after all. In an unprecedented move, Queen Victoria proposed to Albert herself. Victoria did not have to ask anyone’s permission to do this, but out of loyalty, she did let Lord Melbourne know ahead of time.

"The young couple spent four months together before their wedding, a heavenly time for them both. They spoke German with each other, the language Victoria had been forbidden from speaking as a child, and by all accounts seemed to be very much in love. However, in matters of the heart and crown, it is never quite that simple. Despite the fact that Albert’s position in German royalty was fairly minor (in Coburg he was “serene highness,” the lowest grade of royalty), he had been raised to rule a kingdom and did not take to the less prestigious role of husband to the queen with ease. From its earliest days, the marriage between Victoria and Albert was a battleground of power and precedence in both the political and domestic world—worlds that were completely separate for most women of the time, but worlds Victoria was forced to occupy at once.

................................................................................................

"In order to advance Albert’s recognition in Britain, Victoria promoted him to the highest rank of Royal Highness and fought to have his allowance raised by Parliament. Victoria commissioned William Ross to paint a miniature portrait of Albert, which she wore on a bracelet, and called him her “Angel.” Finally, Victoria was able to put her lonely and unhappy childhood behind her and embrace a new life with her beloved husband. But Albert had greater ambitions than being merely a husband to Victoria; he wanted to reign.

"Victoria did not give in to Albert’s demands readily, and the first few months of their marriage were marred by a series of struggles during which both husband and wife were forced to make concessions. Victoria allowed Albert to blot the ink on her letters, using him as a sort of assistant but preferred that he assisted her only in the bedroom and not in any official capacity. The British public found a great deal of amusement in this arrangement and a number of cartoons circulated depicting Albert as some gold-digging gigolo.

................................................................................................

Good for her!

................................................................................................

"—Queen Victoria"

................................................................................................

"It was at this time that Queen Victoria experienced the first attempt on her life. In 1840, an 18-year old man named Edward Oxford accosted Victoria while she was riding in a carriage with Albert. Oxford fired on the pregnant Queen twice but he either missed or his guns had no shot. The queen was unharmed, and Oxford was immediately seized and later charged with treason. Oxford was acquitted on the grounds of insanity and saw out his days in a state mental institute. The only motivation Oxford ever gave for his assassination attempt was “notoriety.” Victoria’s apparent bravery and level-headedness in the face of her would-be assassin led to a definite upswing in her popularity with the public.