Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society Royal Sex: Queen Victoria
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Jul 4, 2025 Join royal historian Kate Williams and journalist Robert Hardman as they delve into Queen Victoria's surprisingly passionate love life. Explore how her tumultuous relationship with Prince Albert shaped her motherhood experiences, revealing the struggles of pain and societal expectations. Discover the Victorian sexual paradoxes, where prudishness clashed with private desires, and learn how bicycles symbolized women's liberation. They also discuss sexual pleasure and marital norms, shedding light on the queen’s candid insights found in her diaries.
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Victoria's Passionate Wedding Night
- Queen Victoria's diaries reveal passionate love and physical affection for Prince Albert from their early years together.
- She described their wedding night as bliss beyond belief, showing her deep devotion and youthful enthusiasm.
Victorian Sexual Repression is Middle-Class
- Victorian sexual repression was largely a middle-class morality attempt to contrast with Georgian libertinism.
- Despite repression, the industrial revolution enabled a thriving, if hidden, sex trade and sexual subcultures.
Teresa Barclay's BDSM House
- Teresa Barclay ran a 19th century flagellation house specializing in BDSM for wealthy clients.
- She used unique implements like nettles and the Barclay Horse for spanking and humiliation sessions.