Queen Victoria, beloved monarch, held much power in Britain. Explore her challenges, upbringing, the Great Exhibition of 1851, mourning to freedom, her close relationship with Abdul Karim, and her impact on the monarchy.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Unexpected Accession And Assertion
At 18 Victoria abruptly became queen on June 20, 1837 and changed her name from Alexandrina to Victoria.
She held her first Privy Council that morning and moved from Kensington to Buckingham Palace to assert independence.
insights INSIGHT
Monarchy Rebuilt From Crisis
The royal family's reputation was dire before Victoria because of the Prince Regent's scandals and lack of heirs.
Victoria's birth and eventual succession reversed that decline and restored public faith in the monarchy.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Kensington System And Rejection
Sir John Conroy imposed the controlling Kensington System on young Victoria, isolating and supervising her constantly.
On becoming queen she rejected Conroy's control, banished him and her mother to separate apartments, and began ruling independently.
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Queen Victoria was Britain's longest reigning monarch until Queen Elizabeth II - her great great granddaughter. Born fifth in line to the throne, at a time when the Royal Family’s popularity was at an all time low, Victoria went on to be one of Britain’s most beloved monarchs. Today, she’s associated with an empire on which the sun never set, an overpowering love for her husband, and her crippling grief. But who was the real Victoria? What was it like for a young woman to hold so much power in a man’s world? Can she be credited with the developments of her age, or was she merely a figurehead? And how should we remember her today?
This is a Short History Of Queen Victoria.
Written by Nicole Edmunds. With thanks to Tracy Borman, historian, author of ‘Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I: The Mother and Daughter Who Changed History’, and joint curator for Historic Royal Palaces.
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Short History Of...