Here we go... the English Monarch that many have been waiting for, the very symbol of the English Monarchy... the woman, the myth, the legend, Queen Victoria.
As the beloved "Mother Hen" of the UK, Victoria has gone down in history as one of the greats. But was she really so great? In reality, she was a far cry from the image she put out... from the beginning of her reign, her image was carefully tailored... by her mother, by her husband, and by herself. She was, and will always be, one of the most complicated monarchs in British history. Let's unravel the mysteries behind the "not amused" face of Victoria, last of the Hanoverian monarchs!
This will be a two parter... as the early and late reign of Victoria were very, very different. So here we go with part one!
- In 1817, George IV's only legitimate daughter, Charlotte, died in childbirth. This caused a succession crisis, as while there were dozens of grandchildren from George III, there was NOT ONE legitimate one. The race was on for the brothers, all now middle aged, to have a kid... ANY kid... but it had to be from a legal wife. The lucky winner of that race was the fourth son of George III, Edward, Duke of Kent.
- Prince Edward had married a middle aged German widow, Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield. Victoria the elder was a stern, money minded woman from Germany. Edward didn't love her, the marriage had but one purpose, to produce an heir. However, Edward and Victoria were broke. Edward wasn't great with money, and the 4th son of the king didn't get a huge allowance. They moved to Germany because the cost of living was cheaper... and there they had a daughter, Alexandrina Victoria the younger, named after her mom. She was 5th in line for the throne, after King George III, Regent King George IV the Prince of Wales, Prince Frederick the Duke of York, Prince William the Duke of Clarence, and her father, Edward Duke of Kent.
- Edward then promptly died when little Victoria was but 2 years old... King George III died the same week, and Victoria was now 3rd in line.
-She was raised by her mother the widow Kent, in Germany. Duchess Kent spoke no English, and Victoria always spoke with a slight German accent, just like all the other Hanoverian kings. (Although George III and IV's accents were very light.) The widow Kent despised Victoria's uncles, mainly for the fact that they openly had mistresses, lived lives full of alcohol and parties, and generally were buffoons. (And honestly, she was pretty much spot on, there.) The Duke Regent wasn't going to have any more kids. Frederick's wife was beyond child bearing age, and William's two daughters died soon after birth. When Victoria was 9 years old, her uncle Frederick died... Victoria was now 2nd in line, after King George IV, and her uncle William.
- The widow Kent had a huge problem. Edward had died, leaving her all his debts, which she had no way of paying. Since little Victoria was 2nd in line for the throne, she appealed to Parliament to give her a salary to raise the possible heir on. Parliament refused, but allowed the Duchess and her daughter to live in Kengsington palace, along with all the other impoverished cousins and relations of the royal family. This humiliated Duchess Kent, but it did give Victoria her first real taste of how things ran in England. Victoria received an English education, and was forced to learn English, (which at first she hated, but soon became fluent.)
- The widow and her daughter were left on the verge of poverty, for Parliament remembered well the excesses of the Hanovers, and were already paying of King George IV's major extravagances. The widow Kent blamed George the IV for her woes, and the two hated each other intensely. (Which of course led to Victoria being taught to detest her uncles.) When George IV died, William IV took the throne, and now Victoria was the heir presumptive...
- Leopold, the German brother of the Duchess of Kent, had ascended the Belgian throne. He was financially supporting Kent and her daughter to keep their heads above water. Suddenly, the Heir Presumptive was being financially supported by... Belgium???? This was a national embarrassment, and Parliament finally opted to give them an income. William IV hated the Duchess of Kent, and saw her as a money grubbing opportunist. (Which to be fair, she was.) The two of them fought loudly and often... usually in public. Poor Victoria was stuck in the middle of all this, watching as her mother and the King, her uncle, openly ridiculed each other.
- The Duchess openly accused the King of being an oversexed deviant. (Well, he was rather randy...) and even went so far as to very obviously refusing to let the teenage girl Victoria stay in a room with the King, for fear of "what might happen." This all but overt accusation of the King being a pervert and a fiend was shocking, but old William IV wasn't really easily defended. He WAS a randy old man, after all.
- Meanwhile, the Duchess was becoming VERY close to her private secretary, a Welshman named John Conroy. Conroy was a power hungry opportunist, and wanted William IV to die so that the young Victoria would take the throne, and need a regency. Her mother would of course be that regent, and Conroy, who was bedding the Duchess, would effectively control the country. William IV knew about all this, and brought it up... often.
- Victoria's mother forced her to make a whirlwind tour of the British Isles, to trump up support for Victoria. King William hated this, stating that they were treating Victoria more like a rival than an heir. Victoria also hated this. She didn't like the public very much, the trips were uncomfortable, and her mother was absolutely overbearing, never even letting Victoria out of her sight or earshot, even when Victoria went to the toilet! Victoria developed a severe fever, but her mother and Conroy said she was faking it and "acting childish." Victoria spent most of the trip in the grip of terrible illness, but unable to complain about it, or rest.
- Victoria, for her part, endured all this hatred, lack of freedom, and rumormongering. She worked hard to remain the dutiful daughter, but she was chafing under the apron strings... she wanted DESPERATELY to rebel, to be her own girl, but she was always sheltered and pulled in different directions by her uncle, her mother, and her mother's lover. She was not allowed to associate with ANYONE her mother or Conroy deemed "Unfit." Which included her entire family in England... and all men. She was miserable. Later, she would write that her life as a child was "rather melancholy." She wasn't allowed any friends. Her childhood playmate was her dog, a spaniel named "Dash." She didn't even get her own bed. She was forced to sleep with her mother until she became Queen, for fear of her chastity.
- William IV didn't die until Victoria was 18 years old. This amazed everyone, and destroyed Conroy's chances of doing anything. It also meant that when William died, Victoria was made queen in her own right. She became Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and all its holdings one month after her 18th birthday, in 1837. She received the news early in the morning, in her dressing gown. For the first time, her mother wasn't hovering over her. Victoria's first command as queen was to send her mother to another part of the castle, so that Victoria could FINALLY have a MINUTE of freedom from her hawk-like mother.
- Her first problem happened on day one. She couldn't inherit the Hanoverian title, because Germany didn't give titles to women. Instead, her uncle (Edward's younger brother,) Ernest, became king of Hanover. Victoria had already "lost" Hanover, and she hadn't even yet begun to reign! Although Victoria is considered the last Hanoverian British monarch, in truth, she was never really the ruler of Hanover.
- Lord Melbourne, the Whig Prime Minister, did his best to educate the young queen, and eventually became a father figure to her. When Victoria's mother disapproved of how close the two were becoming, (namely because Victoria, who had NEVER been exposed to a man alone before, was showing signs of being sexually interested,) Victoria simply booted her mother out of all her affairs. She was queen now, and had no desire to be chaperoned.
- All indications are that Melbourne saw the queen as a daughter, not a lover. Still, rumors abounded, and Melbourne was politely pressured into having less and less direct contact with the queen. Melbourne's teachings made a huge impression on Victoria, though... she became completely prudent, unlike most of her family. When she was given her queenly allowance, the first thing she did was to pay off all her father's debts, in order to remove the stain of debt from herself, and show that she intended to be fiscally responsible. It made her popular... for a short while.
- Victoria now faced immediate scandal. Lady Flora, one of her mother's court, was suddenly showing signs of pregnancy. It was rumored that the father was Lord Conroy, Victoria's stepfather in all but name. Victoria hated Conroy, AND Flora, and saw this as a way to remove the both of them from her court. Flora refused to have a nude examination, but eventually gave in under pressure from Victoria. The whole thing went public. Lady Flora, a middle aged woman, was given an INTERNAL vaginal examination... whereupon it was discovered, most shockingly, that she was a virgin. Victoria was humiliated. She was booed and hissed at by women across the country. When Flora died soon after, an autopsy revealed that she had a tumor on her liver, which had gone malignant and caused the swelling that was mistaken for pregnancy. Suddenly, people believed the rumors of her and Melbourne, even calling her "Mrs. Melbourne" in public.
- Melbourne was now in big trouble, having backed Victoria. He resigned as Prime Minister. Victoria attempted to soothe the Tories and Radicals howling for blood by appointing a Tory in his place. The one she picked was Robert Peel. However, Prime Ministers appointed the monarch's servants, and Peel fired all the ladies of the bedchamber, as they were wives of his Whig political appointments. Victoria threw a temper tantrum, literally. She refused to let her ladies of the bedchamber go, as she liked them. This caused the "Chamber Crisis." Peel refused to work under these conditions, and resigned. Melbourne returned. This did nothing to improve Victoria's reputation.
- Victoria had been betrothed to her cousin, Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in 1839, by her uncle Leopold. She didn't think much of that, since she had never actually MET him or anything. But she was tired of her hateful and controlling mother. The Duchess of Kent was still manipulating her daughter, even though Victoria had banished her to another wing of Buckingham Palace. Victoria couldn't kick her out, because she was still unwed, and a single woman couldn't just live alone back then. So, Melbourne suggested she marry. This horrified Victoria, who had no desire to rush into a marriage with some German dude she had never met... still... the alternative was a lifetime with her mom. Victoria bit the bullet and agreed to meet and marry Albert.
- The two fell instantly and totally in love. Albert dearly loved the very pretty and intelligent Victoria... but Victoria's love for Albert was nigh on obsessive. Today, we would recognize the over-attachment of someone with deep seated mental or emotional issues... but at the time, Victoria was just seen as a besotted young girl. Albert was quite handsome, and was rumored to be.. *ahem* well endowed. (Not every prince has a piercing named after him, after all.)
- Victoria was completely swept away by her marriage to Albert. Now free of her oppressive youth, she banished her mother even further away from her palace, and set about consummating the marriage... again... and again... and again. Turns out that Victoria was incredibly... vigorous... in her love of physical relations. She was utterly devoted to Albert, and he seems to have been very good at keeping her satisfied. If the rumors are to be believed, the 20 year olds were like to have sex so often, that it sometimes interfered with courtly engagements. They were young, totally into each other, and totally in love with life.
- Albert was not popular with the English. First of all, he was quiet and intellectual. Although he was quite the tiger in bed, he was seen as "unmanly" by many British men.... they considered him arrogant and aloof. He was German, and thus a complete foreigner. Having a foreign wife was ok for men... but Victoria was a woman. Mary I had nearly ruined the country with her Spanish husband... Elizabeth I had refused to marry for this very same reason. Mary II had a foreign husband, and he had been a warmonger. Anne... well, her husband had been from Denmark, but he kept his head down and didn't bother. But Victoria was determined to make her intelligent, quiet husband king of all Britain.
- The people were outraged. They would NOT bow down to a German, no matter if he was technically king or not! Parliament also had no intention of bowing to Albert, naming him only "Queen Consort," not King, like William III had become. Albert was angered by this, as he fully expected to help his beloved wife rule her country. He would have to be satisfied with ruling from the shadows... and Victoria was already casting a particularly dark shadow.
- The marriage was turbulent. On one hand, the two were very, very physically and emotionally into each other. On the other hand, Victoria was queen, and Albert wasn't allowed to step up to her. He was accused of being unmanly, but if he dared to strike his wife, he would be killed for treason! She wore the trousers in the relationship, and he couldn't stand it. He complained openly about it. They had TERRIBLE shouting matches, mostly over her absolutely INSANELY clingy behavior and insatiable sexual appetite. They loved each other dearly, but they were both very, very dominant people.
- Victoria became terribly moody. She would cry, rage, then seduce her husband within the span of minutes at time. Albert and Victoria would have NINE children together. First came Victoria, named after her mother. Albert doted on "Vicky" constantly... but the queen hated her...
- Victoria found out very quickly that she absolutely detested babies. She referred to them as "Disgusting, frog like creatures." She was physically repulsed by her daughter, refusing to breastfeed her. She said, privately, that her breasts were for her husband, not for her children... she would not be made into a "milk cow." THIS would be the nature of her motherhood toward all her children. Luckily, Albert was a very involved father.
- Victoria was emotionally abusive towards princess Vicky. She wrote in her diaries that she felt that her daughter was stealing her precious Albert away from her. Victoria grew jealous, and was ever more cold and neglectful to Vicky. Albert, however, swooped in, educating his wife on how a mother should act. After all, Victoria had never learned any of this from her own selfish mother...
- In order to TRY to help with things, Victoria and her mother finally buried the hatchet, and Victoria brought the Duchess of Kent back into the court. They would have a close, if a bit cold and dispassionate, relationship for the rest of the Duchess's life.
- Albert was frustrated by his lack of any real role. He threw himself into helping abolish slavery worldwide. He joined fraternal orders. He educated himself constantly, and he kept his voracious wife happy. When Vicky was born, he threw himself into the role of father. He dedicated himself to raising healthy, happy children... and he insisted that Victoria play the role of loving, moral mother. Both Victoria and Albert were highly moral, (although very sexually active, neither cheated on the other.) And this was where Albert's master plan came into effect.
- Albert reinvented the Hanoverian line. No longer a family of hatred and excess, Albert made sure the books were balanced. The family lived in the public eye, a symbol of morality, ethics, and enlightened thought. Victoria was no longer the petulant girl queen, but was rebranded by Albert as the loyal and loving mother. (Even though she hated her kids.) Albert was the wise and calm father, working hard to provide. And work hard he did. He was every bit the efficient German Patriarch. He fired all unnecessary staff, saving the queen a ton of money. He used that money to pay off the debts of the Hanovers, and reinvesting it in business. Soon, Victoria was no longer in debt, but turning a tidy profit. All this while the nation thought him a weak, henpecked husband. His most important job, however, was keeping Victoria happy... and other than their FAMOUSLY bad arguments, he managed to keep her happy... she was soon pregnant again.
- The next child was Albert Edward. Known as "Bertie" by the family, Bertie was a complete and utter disappointment. The Hanoverian curse was again back. The Queen hated Bertie. He was awful in school... preoccupied and lazy. Albert's solution was to give the prince even more schoolwork, tutors who would beat him, and an icy sort of neglect that screamed "I am disappointed in you." Albert Edward grew to hate his parents, especially his mother, who, along with Albert, insisted that the prince work harder, learn faster, and above all, be morally upright. Bertie wasn't good at any of those things... at all.
- Next came Alice. Alice was a sickly girl, but she survived. Albert insisted that Buckingham was not a good place to raise so large a family, as the royal apartments were rather cold and stately. So, they bought Osborne house, a nice little palace on the Island of Wight. There, the royal children were taught how to farm, work, and be morally upright by their strict parents. Albert loved it, Victoria didn't. Alice would grow up to be precocious and disobedient. She was fascinated with common folk, and often ran away to go look at them. She would eventually marry and have children... one of her daughters became Alexandria, wife of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. Her son, Frederich, was the first to exhibit a curse that had lain dormant in Alice... and her mother... hemophilia. While it didn't cause sickness in women, it passed from Victoria to all her children... and to their children. This would kill not only one of Victoria's sons, but also Alice's son, and, famously, it would wind up in Alice's grandson, Alexei of Russia... which would lead to the Russian Revolution, but that's a story for another time.
- Meanwhile, Victoria's reign was not very popular. While no one believed that she was having sex with Melbourne, the Whigs were falling out of favor again. Assassination attempts on Melbourne and Victoria were common. Victoria managed to luckily evade or survive these attempts. Once, a man shot at her, but missed. The next day, Victoria insisted on going the same way, but brought guards along, secretly. The idiot tried to do the same thing again, and was immediately arrested. Next, another man tried to shoot her, but he didn't know how to use the gun, and had packed it with paper and kindling instead of gunpowder. He was arrested. Next, a man jumped in her carriage and beaned her with his cane. He was arrested.
- Melbourne and the Whigs fell out of power, and Peel returned. This time, Victoria was unable to protect the ladies of her chamber, and she was forced to accept Peel's candidates. Albert and Victoria did their best to keep Peel's spies from reporting about them, but of course, Parliament now had spies all over the royal home.
- Peel, strangely enough, had a sobering effect on Victoria. When the great potato famine hit Ireland like a club in 1845, Peel pressured Victoria into donating. She did so with gusto, sending huge amounts of money to the Irish. (There is a popular myth that she only gave 5 pounds to the Irish. That is totally untrue. In reality, she gave more than any other donor in England.)
- Meanwhile, more children came. Next was Alfred. Alfred was just as dull headed as Bertie, but with less charm. Alfred was something of the family joke, being a bit slow and completely unable to understand when people were laughing AT him, rather than with him. (But, he would go on to inherit the German lands from his uncle.) He played the violin... badly. Sadly, he thought he was quite good. Many were the family parties ruined by 'Affie' breaking out the violin for a singalong.
- Next was Helena. Helena was by far and away the "best" of the royal children. She was dutiful, was very involved in charity, and active politically. She loved her family, especially her mother. When Victoria was having a fit or ranting, it was often Helena who the others trusted to calm her down. Helena's problem was that she was plain. She was portly, not particularly pretty, and had bad skin. Later, she would be married to Prince Christian of Holstein, a man 15 years her elder. The poor man was forced to move to England, because Helena had to continue to take care of her mother. Helena had the hard duty of caring for her mother even into later years.
- Next was Louise... the family artist. Louise was never close to her parents, not even her father. The children's education was closely supervised by Albert and Victoria. Louise was intelligent, but her real love with art. Albert had little time for art, and Victoria constantly scorned Louise's efforts... after all, if Albert wasn't impressed, Victoria wasn't impressed. Louise eventually fell in love with sculpting and painting, and doggedly pursued the arts. Victoria eventually let her go to art school. Louise wound up working as her mother's secretary for years, but eventually fell in love with a young, likely homosexual man. She married for love, and used that marriage to get as far away from her mother as possible. (Canada.) She disliked being a royal.
- Next up was Arthur, the third son. Arthur was the one son that took after his parents. He was military minded, morally upright, and all around a decent, if not really intelligent, young man. He would become a lifelong military commander, serving as Governor General of Canada, and even up into World War II, Arthur was something of a "grandfather of the army."
- The next son was Leopold. He was a very intelligent, kind hearted boy... but he inherited his mother's hemophilia. Constantly sheltered by his parents, he was weak and sickly. He would die by the age of 30, though he spent most of his life trying desperately to be normal, or at least get away from his mother.
- The youngest was Beatrice. She was born just before her father died. The grief stricken Victoria would smother her daughter, clinging to her for comfort for most of her life. Poor Beatrice was never let too far away from Victoria, lest Victoria be alone. Victoria refused to let Beatrice marry for most of her life, lording over her like her own mother had done to her. However, Beatrice finally got her way in Victoria's later years, and turned out remarkably well rounded for someone so cloistered as a child.... when Victoria and then her husband died, she quietly retired from public life. She organized Victoria's memoirs later.
- Victoria can only be described as a monstrous mother. She blamed the children for her weight gain, her illnesses, and the tiredness of her beloved husband. She never missed an opportunity to remind the children how their own suffering was NOTHING compared to the suffering she had to endure by being their mother. She openly told them that she was happy before they were born, and miserable after. Albert shielded them from most of the worst of it, but it was observed by many that the children ran in fear from their mother whenever she neared. For Victoria and Albert, the children were part of the show... a way to show the people that the royal family were "Normal Middle Class Folks" like them. The act worked, but it was only an act. Behind the mask of suits and dresses, the family was desperately dysfunctional, mainly because of Albert's strict moral regiments and Victoria's insane obsession with her husband.
- Albert worked hard... first to get control of his family's life from Baroness Lezhen, the royal housekeeper. He slowly but surely whittled her power away, and whittled Victoria's reliance on her away. Lezhen was eventually replaced, and by then, Albert had gutted the bloated and nepotistic servant staff at the palace. Then, he set about working quietly to improve the life and livelihood of England... as well as its morality. New laws were passed, forcing the new idea of "family values" upon a populace more used to bawdy tavern songs and debauchery behind palace doors. If you wanted to be close to the royal family, you had to APPEAR to be exceedingly moral. This enforced morality trickled down into the population. Soon, words like "bottom," "knee," "leg," and "foot" were considered 'dirty' or 'sexy' words, and banned from polite conversation. Sex was NEVER discussed, and even laughing out loud was considered crass. Victorian prudishness, of course, only served to make the sex and debauchery that much more titillating to most people, and Victorian black market pornography became a booming business. Just like Albert and Victoria's marriage, the outward purity of England masked a very, VERY sexually charged population. Mysticism and the occult also gained a large following by a morally repressed people. This was the time of Freemasonry, Alistair Crowley, and the Golden Dawn.
- Regardless, Albert ran the country in a very Germanic manner. Efficiency was the watchword, and "trimming the fat" and battling corruption were a big part of Albert's plans. Victoria helped her husband as much as she could, masking these reforms as being her idea, which made them more palatable to the people and Parliament. Victoria may have had very little power left, but her word still carried weight, after all. Things began to improve... even Albert and Victoria's marriage seemed to be getting better. Sure, Albert had chronic fatigue and stomach pains, but that was due to his diligent hard work, Victoria surmised. Victoria was finally secure, marginally popular, and things were going well for Industrializing England.
- Then, in 1861, it all changed.
- In March, the Duchess of Kent died. Victoria, who at first was just stunned, later read her mother's diaries and memoirs. She found that the Duchess had actually loved and cared for her deeply. Victoria was despondent that she never got a chance to really reconcile with her mother, and sank into a deep, bitter, and selfish depression. The whole family was expected to bow down to her grief, and put up with her weeping fits and constant "acting up" (as Albert called it.)
- Then, in August, Victoria and Albert visited Albert Edward, their oldest son, at military school... where he had been sent to get some discipline. While there, they were absolutely horrified to find out that Bertie had had sex with a prostitute. Victoria wouldn't speak to Bertie, and Albert was beyond enraged. This threatened to destroy the entire image Albert had made of a highly moral royal family that could be an example to all Victoria's subjects! Albert chastised his son again and again, in words, and later in letters. Bertie was apologetic, but this would not be enough when December came round.
- In December, Bertie was once again visited by his angry father. The two of them spent a few hours walking in the cold, damp air, while Bertie listened to his father chastise him again and again. Albert returned home with a chill... which turned into Typhoid Fever. Albert carried on, unwilling to stop managing the country's affairs. The USA was deep in the Civil War, and both sides wanted Britain's help. Decisions would have to be made... but Albert wasn't to make them. Already plagued with stomach and stress problems, (Possibly Crohn's disease,) Albert, the consort of Victoria, died on 14 December. He was only 42.
- Victoria was beyond grief... her wails and howls echoed through the palace for hours on end. Her daughters were forced to care for the madwoman that had replaced their mother.... poor prince Leopold was clung to like a security blanket... and poor Bertie... when he returned home, his mother said simply, "Albert Edward killed his father, I shall never be able to look at him again without a shudder. I loathe him."
- Victoria wore all black for the rest of her life. No joke. She literally wore mourning clothes for the rest of her life. She refused to even entertain remarriage or having new consorts. As far as most could tell, she remained abstinent the rest of her life. (Which was amazing, considering how sexually charged she was in her youth.)
- Victoria refused to come out of her room for more than a month... and even then she refused to perform any state functions. Her "grief was too deep," her "spirit forever muted by the loss of her dear, dear, wonderful husband." Personally, she became completely unbearable. She hated and manipulated her older children, (especially Bertie,) and clung to the younger ones like a mother bear. When Louise wanted to have the traditional coming out party when she was 16, Victoria refused to allow the party at all, stating that no ballroom shall be opened, no sound of joy must EVER be heard in the palace again. Louise was crushed.
- The children were expected to mourn as long as she did. They were punished for smiling, talking loudly, or laughing. Victoria turned inward, and though her kids were mostly teens now, and one of her sons had a potentially terminal disease, Victoria's writings to them are hateful, selfish, and accusatory. She often had one child (often Helena or Arthur,) who she 'loved,' and all the other children were neglected at best, hounded and hated at worst. Bad thing was, the child she loved often switched around based on something said or perceived. So, for a while, Alice was called "Evil" by her mother, then the next year, Louise was "acting like a common woman" (code: a trollop) and Alice was the "Good daughter who cares for her mother like a daughter should."
- The children, now free of Albert's guidance, now began to have more individual identities.... they started having public lives. Victoria, on the other hand, was never seen. She wasted away in Osborne, Balmorral, or wherever, but never London. Buckingham was out of the question. She hated London, and she made it known that she was "too tired," "too in mourning," or "too ill" to ever step foot there again.
- People began to wonder why on EARTH they should support a queen who not only has no real power, but refuses to do even the bare minimum job that a queen is expected to do?
- Save for very basic government duties (opening Parliament, for instance, or signing documents,) Victoria lived as a hermit. She got fat, aged visibly, and didn't seem to even care much for basic hygiene. As a joke, one wise guy posted a note on the front of the gates of Buckingham Palace which said: "these commanding premises to be let or sold in consequence of the late occupant's declining business" (Shop for sale, owner has abandoned it.)
- Even still, she couldn't avoid scandal. She grew to rely on a Scottish manservant, Jon Brown, who generally took care of the surly old queen. Rumors flew wildly, but there is no real evidence to suggest that they were anything but queen and servant. Even so, people started calling her "Mrs. Brown."
- The Suffragette movement was in full swing. While Victoria was very much for offering the vote to poor men, (and she saw to it that this was passed,) she did NOT advocate votes for women. She believed fully that women were to be subservient to men, as that was the natural order of things. She often made this known with ponderously long speeches about Albert and how awesome she thought he was. Needless to say, she wasn't invited to many women's parties.
- All this seclusion only served to strengthen the growing Republican movement in Great Britain. More people wanted more rights for the poor, and many pointed to Victoria as a perfect example of a "useless" monarch and noble.
- It was during this time that she first met Benjamin Disraeli, a Jewish MP who would become Prime Minister. They got along famously. Disraeli knew how to flatter the middle aged queen, and speak to her as a friend, not just a stuffy politician. Disraeli was briefly Prime Minister, only to get tossed out by an opposition government... but Victoria wouldn't forget him... they remained close friends from then on.
- In 1870, the Prince of Wales was involved in yet another scandal... but this one went public. "Bertie" was summoned to court, in order to testify whether or not he had had sex with a married woman whose husband was in the House of Commons. He had, and everyone knew he had, but he denied it, as was proper. Although she loathed him, Victoria swooped in to aid her family. The whole thing was royally swept under the rug, and the furor died down quickly, mainly through Victoria's influence. She seemed, at that point, to realize that she HAD to carry on Albert's life's work.... that of controlling the public image of the family. But she just couldn't bring herself to leave the house. Instead, she became matchmaker for her children, ensuring that they all were married not just for political gain, but also for love. This was maybe the one really nice thing she did for her kids. She was terrified at the thought of losing them, (and indeed, Helena, Leopold, and Beatrice would have to wait years for their mother to finally turn loose of them,) but every one of them married someone that THEY agreed to marry... even Bertie.
- Victoria continued to refuse to be seen in public, other than the occasional carriage ride or Parliamentary function. Republicanism continued to grow. A mob formed in London demanding her abdication and the abolition of the monarchy.... when suddenly, a miracle happened. Bertie got sick. Not just a little bit sick... he got Typhoid fever. This was the same sickness that killed his father.
- Though she loathed her son and blamed him for Albert's death, she still loved him as a son, and dreaded the thought of losing Bertie, the son who so looked like his father. She became the mother hen, fretting over her sick son. She brought many of the other siblings back home, and as a family, they cared for Bertie. (Who actually needed care... he ranted and raved and was hard to control. It is said that Alfred and Arthur did much to keep the worst of it away from Victoria, as many of the rants were about her.)
- This all had a strange effect... the royal family suddenly became popular again. The whole country watched with rapt attention, reading the news in the papers, waiting for status updates. Victoria's popularity, and even BERTIE'S popularity soared. Here was a royal family who had already lost dad, and now they stood to lose the eldest son. It was a problem the people could relate to. To the nation's great joy, the prince recovered, and more amazingly, returned to the arms of his loving wife... who had stood by him through thick and thin. It was a romantic adventure for the ages, and the British people lapped it up. Mother and son rode together in a carriage in a "thanksgiving" parade, to much acclaim. Victoria was smart enough to ride this wave of popularity straight into the hearts of her subjects.... but she was still leery of being seen in public too much.
- The East India Company, long a black stain on the good name of England, had engaged in a horribly bloody war against rebelling Indians on the Indian subcontinent. (The Sepoy Mutiny) This, alongside continual dirty deals such as the opium trade in China, turned sentiment against the East India Company. Victoria was generally neutral in this fight. She saw both sides as being at fault. However, the EIC had been dissolved and its holdings had passed to the British Crown. In 1874, Disraeli, recently returned to government and WELL in charge, used this to his advantage.
- Disraeli mentioned to Victoria that while many monarchs of Europe were "emperors," England had never had an emperor. Victoria took the bait. She wondered why it was that she ruled the largest empire in the world, but was still only the "Queen" of the UK. Disraeli passed an act in 1876 that named Victoria as the "Empress of India," a title she absolutely adored. Suddenly, Victoria's face was in photos all over the world. Canada, India, Australia, Burma, South Africa, Siam, Japan, China... she was everywhere... a sort of "Logo" for the British Empire. Victoria, the woman who once called her children "frog like creatures" was now the "Mother of the Empire."
- This image, carefully constructed by Disraeli, gave the British people a touchstone for the idea of "Queen and Country." A year before, Republicanism had been at a fever pitch... now, suddenly, the opposite was true. Monarchy and Royalty was good, Republicanism was dangerous and incendiary. Victoria played her part well, agreeing to be seen again by her people. Another assassination attempt was just the thing she needed to seal the deal. She survived, (The gun, strangely, wasn't loaded... wink wink.) and the British people fell for it all... hook, line, and sinker.
- Then, on the anniversary of her beloved Albert's death, in 1876, Princess Alice died of diptheria. Victoria was crushed, not only by the loss of her "beloved daughter," but by the ominous coincidence of the date. Victoria sank again into melancholy, but Disraeli, princess Beatrice, and others all managed to keep Victoria going.
- Victoria started to take an active interest in the running of the country. (Better late than never, right?) Spurred on and encouraged by Disraeli, she oversaw the Zulu Wars and the Boer Wars in South Africa. She gave a rousing speech defending these actions by stating that "In order to remain a first class power, we must be prepared for attacks or wars, in some place or another, at all times." The people of Britain loved it, and as Victoria grew older, the British Empire became the mightiest force on the face of the Earth.
- On the subject of racism and imperialism, Victoria was fairly normal for the times. She, like many, saw people of other cultures as inferior and needing protection. However, she was quite clear on her position, stating that it was important that England conquer these lands, even if it is distasteful, for if England did not, some other less benevolent country such as Russia, France, Germany, or Belgium would. It was therefore the UK's duty to protect the world not from themselves, but from other European powers.
- Finally, in her elder years, Victoria seems to have genuinely come to care for someone other than herself. She had a renewed interest in the expansion of her family, the empire, and the living conditions of the people. It was indeed a tad bit late, but she finally became the mother hen that England needed. When an assassin shot at her carriage in 1882, (a poet who was obsessed with the queen and wanted to be her lover,) two schoolboys beat the poor deranged man with umbrellas until he was caught and arrested. Though he was freed by way of insanity, support for Victoria was overwhelmingly high. In a famous speech to the country, the queen... ACTUALLY SMILED... and said it was "Worth being shot at to see how much one is loved."
- Victoria became a published writer as she grew older. Her dearly beloved servant, Jon Brown, died in 1883. She was distraught, and wrote his biography. However, it was never published, for fear of sparking rumors of an affair. She did write other books and memoirs, however. They were quite popular reading for the time.
- The next year, weak and sickly Prince Leopold died at the age of 30. Once again, Victoria sank into mourning for her "Most beloved of beloved sons." Beatrice then fell in love, and asked to marry. The queen flew into a rage. If Beatrice left, who would care for her? Beatrice, now fat and middle aged, was desperate to marry the ONE man who was still interested in her... the two fought over this for months. Finally, Victoria acquiesced, but only on the condition that Beatrice and her husband come live with Victoria.... permanently.
- Disraeli had died, (Victoria was overwhelmed with grief for a time,) and the queen argued with all her ministers afterwards. Though she was no longer howling in grief, she still was openly melancholy about the loss of her dear Albert so many years before. She was seen by Parliament as a stubborn, half crazy, massive pain in the arse. The problem was, the queen had a nasty habit of saying EXACTLY what she felt about things... publicly. She called one prime minister "A stupid and rather ridiculous old man." Another minister she called "Completely mad, and unfit to hold any position, let alone a ministry." The public loved these assessments, of course, and it only further solidified Victoria as a thoroughly British old mum in their hearts.
- In 1887, Victoria celebrated her golden jubilee... 50 years on the throne. Monarchs from around the world traveled to England to celebrate... even from as far away as Japan and Siam. The British people went wild for the festivities, and of course, Victoria loved it. Victoria was always happiest when she was the center of attention... and now she was the center of the WHOLE WORLD'S attention.
- To replace Jon Brown, Victoria had turned to an odd choice. She employed a pair of Indian Muslims as her waiters, and she promoted one, Abdul Karim, to the position of "Munshi," (or secretary.) This scandalized the upper class of England, who saw him not only as a new "favorite" and possible lover of the queen, but also as nothing more than a dirty, power hungry Indian, and a dangerous Muslim. Victoria was hearing none of it. She blew off all their concerns as being nothing more than racist blustering, and Abdul would remain Munshi and a dear friend of the queen for the rest of Victoria's life.
- Princess Vicky had married into the German royal family, and her husband had died. Victoria's grandson, Wilhelm II, ascended the German throne. Victoria detested Wilhelm. She had tried to instill the ideals of liberalism and progress in her children and grandchildren... but "Willie" was different. He hated freedoms, favoring absolute autocracy. He fired Otto von Bismarck, who many respected, and began making trouble for both England and Russia. Victoria's hope of an allied England and Germany, unified through a big, happy family, were gone. The family was truly dysfunctional, and political hatreds were stronger than blood.
- In 1896, Victoria celebrated her diamond jubilee... again, she was the center of attention, and now she was the longest reigning monarch in English history. (And would remain so until 2015, when Elizabeth II would surpass her.)
- In 1900, the Boer war was in full swing, and England was becoming unpopular in the rest of Europe. Victoria had to cancel her trip to France on fears that the French might hurt her or worse. Then, another child, this time Alfred, passed away. Victoria again wrote of her insurmountable grief at the loss of "Dear, Dear Affie." Victoria was crippled with rheumatoid arthritis, nearly blind from cataracts, and ailing. She knew she wouldn't be far behind Alfred.
- January, 1901, was very cold. Victoria had gone to Osborne house, the favorite of her beloved Albert... she knew she was soon to die. Her son, Albert Edward, now a fat old man, came to be with her, as well as her eldest grandson, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. Though she loathed them both, she said tender words to them, and they to her. Bertie even began to cry... finally achieving some sort of reconciliation with his long estranged mother. Victoria asked that her dog be put on her deathbed. This was done, and Queen Victoria slipped into death at 6:30 PM on January 22, 1901, surrounded by attendants and family. She was 81 years of age.
- Her funeral was military style, as per her request. The Prince of Wales, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, and Prince Arthur were among her pallbearers. The whole country was in shock and mourning. Victoria was laid to rest, and the crown passed to the pudgy, cigar stained hands of her eldest son, "Bertie." He was 60 years old.
- Victoria had ruled for 63 years and 7 months, the longest up until recently. Under her, England had grown in power until it was the strongest empire int he world, but the role of the monarch had faded into nothingness. Albert Edward had to come up with a way to keep the royal family relevant and necessary... because it was a very real possibility that the people or the Parliament would simply see them as an unnecessary expense and toss them out on their ear. Would fat old "Bertie" be able to emerge from the long shadow of his cruel mother? Would England accept him? His sons? And what of cousin Willie in Germany? What role would he play?
Stay tuned!
As the beloved "Mother Hen" of the UK, Victoria has gone down in history as one of the greats. But was she really so great? In reality, she was a far cry from the image she put out... from the beginning of her reign, her image was carefully tailored... by her mother, by her husband, and by herself. She was, and will always be, one of the most complicated monarchs in British history. Let's unravel the mysteries behind the "not amused" face of Victoria, last of the Hanoverian monarchs!
This will be a two parter... as the early and late reign of Victoria were very, very different. So here we go with part one!
- In 1817, George IV's only legitimate daughter, Charlotte, died in childbirth. This caused a succession crisis, as while there were dozens of grandchildren from George III, there was NOT ONE legitimate one. The race was on for the brothers, all now middle aged, to have a kid... ANY kid... but it had to be from a legal wife. The lucky winner of that race was the fourth son of George III, Edward, Duke of Kent.
- Prince Edward had married a middle aged German widow, Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield. Victoria the elder was a stern, money minded woman from Germany. Edward didn't love her, the marriage had but one purpose, to produce an heir. However, Edward and Victoria were broke. Edward wasn't great with money, and the 4th son of the king didn't get a huge allowance. They moved to Germany because the cost of living was cheaper... and there they had a daughter, Alexandrina Victoria the younger, named after her mom. She was 5th in line for the throne, after King George III, Regent King George IV the Prince of Wales, Prince Frederick the Duke of York, Prince William the Duke of Clarence, and her father, Edward Duke of Kent.
- Edward then promptly died when little Victoria was but 2 years old... King George III died the same week, and Victoria was now 3rd in line.
-She was raised by her mother the widow Kent, in Germany. Duchess Kent spoke no English, and Victoria always spoke with a slight German accent, just like all the other Hanoverian kings. (Although George III and IV's accents were very light.) The widow Kent despised Victoria's uncles, mainly for the fact that they openly had mistresses, lived lives full of alcohol and parties, and generally were buffoons. (And honestly, she was pretty much spot on, there.) The Duke Regent wasn't going to have any more kids. Frederick's wife was beyond child bearing age, and William's two daughters died soon after birth. When Victoria was 9 years old, her uncle Frederick died... Victoria was now 2nd in line, after King George IV, and her uncle William.
- The widow Kent had a huge problem. Edward had died, leaving her all his debts, which she had no way of paying. Since little Victoria was 2nd in line for the throne, she appealed to Parliament to give her a salary to raise the possible heir on. Parliament refused, but allowed the Duchess and her daughter to live in Kengsington palace, along with all the other impoverished cousins and relations of the royal family. This humiliated Duchess Kent, but it did give Victoria her first real taste of how things ran in England. Victoria received an English education, and was forced to learn English, (which at first she hated, but soon became fluent.)
- The widow and her daughter were left on the verge of poverty, for Parliament remembered well the excesses of the Hanovers, and were already paying of King George IV's major extravagances. The widow Kent blamed George the IV for her woes, and the two hated each other intensely. (Which of course led to Victoria being taught to detest her uncles.) When George IV died, William IV took the throne, and now Victoria was the heir presumptive...
- Leopold, the German brother of the Duchess of Kent, had ascended the Belgian throne. He was financially supporting Kent and her daughter to keep their heads above water. Suddenly, the Heir Presumptive was being financially supported by... Belgium???? This was a national embarrassment, and Parliament finally opted to give them an income. William IV hated the Duchess of Kent, and saw her as a money grubbing opportunist. (Which to be fair, she was.) The two of them fought loudly and often... usually in public. Poor Victoria was stuck in the middle of all this, watching as her mother and the King, her uncle, openly ridiculed each other.
- The Duchess openly accused the King of being an oversexed deviant. (Well, he was rather randy...) and even went so far as to very obviously refusing to let the teenage girl Victoria stay in a room with the King, for fear of "what might happen." This all but overt accusation of the King being a pervert and a fiend was shocking, but old William IV wasn't really easily defended. He WAS a randy old man, after all.
- Meanwhile, the Duchess was becoming VERY close to her private secretary, a Welshman named John Conroy. Conroy was a power hungry opportunist, and wanted William IV to die so that the young Victoria would take the throne, and need a regency. Her mother would of course be that regent, and Conroy, who was bedding the Duchess, would effectively control the country. William IV knew about all this, and brought it up... often.
- Victoria's mother forced her to make a whirlwind tour of the British Isles, to trump up support for Victoria. King William hated this, stating that they were treating Victoria more like a rival than an heir. Victoria also hated this. She didn't like the public very much, the trips were uncomfortable, and her mother was absolutely overbearing, never even letting Victoria out of her sight or earshot, even when Victoria went to the toilet! Victoria developed a severe fever, but her mother and Conroy said she was faking it and "acting childish." Victoria spent most of the trip in the grip of terrible illness, but unable to complain about it, or rest.
- Victoria, for her part, endured all this hatred, lack of freedom, and rumormongering. She worked hard to remain the dutiful daughter, but she was chafing under the apron strings... she wanted DESPERATELY to rebel, to be her own girl, but she was always sheltered and pulled in different directions by her uncle, her mother, and her mother's lover. She was not allowed to associate with ANYONE her mother or Conroy deemed "Unfit." Which included her entire family in England... and all men. She was miserable. Later, she would write that her life as a child was "rather melancholy." She wasn't allowed any friends. Her childhood playmate was her dog, a spaniel named "Dash." She didn't even get her own bed. She was forced to sleep with her mother until she became Queen, for fear of her chastity.
- William IV didn't die until Victoria was 18 years old. This amazed everyone, and destroyed Conroy's chances of doing anything. It also meant that when William died, Victoria was made queen in her own right. She became Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and all its holdings one month after her 18th birthday, in 1837. She received the news early in the morning, in her dressing gown. For the first time, her mother wasn't hovering over her. Victoria's first command as queen was to send her mother to another part of the castle, so that Victoria could FINALLY have a MINUTE of freedom from her hawk-like mother.
- Her first problem happened on day one. She couldn't inherit the Hanoverian title, because Germany didn't give titles to women. Instead, her uncle (Edward's younger brother,) Ernest, became king of Hanover. Victoria had already "lost" Hanover, and she hadn't even yet begun to reign! Although Victoria is considered the last Hanoverian British monarch, in truth, she was never really the ruler of Hanover.
- Lord Melbourne, the Whig Prime Minister, did his best to educate the young queen, and eventually became a father figure to her. When Victoria's mother disapproved of how close the two were becoming, (namely because Victoria, who had NEVER been exposed to a man alone before, was showing signs of being sexually interested,) Victoria simply booted her mother out of all her affairs. She was queen now, and had no desire to be chaperoned.
- All indications are that Melbourne saw the queen as a daughter, not a lover. Still, rumors abounded, and Melbourne was politely pressured into having less and less direct contact with the queen. Melbourne's teachings made a huge impression on Victoria, though... she became completely prudent, unlike most of her family. When she was given her queenly allowance, the first thing she did was to pay off all her father's debts, in order to remove the stain of debt from herself, and show that she intended to be fiscally responsible. It made her popular... for a short while.
- Victoria now faced immediate scandal. Lady Flora, one of her mother's court, was suddenly showing signs of pregnancy. It was rumored that the father was Lord Conroy, Victoria's stepfather in all but name. Victoria hated Conroy, AND Flora, and saw this as a way to remove the both of them from her court. Flora refused to have a nude examination, but eventually gave in under pressure from Victoria. The whole thing went public. Lady Flora, a middle aged woman, was given an INTERNAL vaginal examination... whereupon it was discovered, most shockingly, that she was a virgin. Victoria was humiliated. She was booed and hissed at by women across the country. When Flora died soon after, an autopsy revealed that she had a tumor on her liver, which had gone malignant and caused the swelling that was mistaken for pregnancy. Suddenly, people believed the rumors of her and Melbourne, even calling her "Mrs. Melbourne" in public.
- Melbourne was now in big trouble, having backed Victoria. He resigned as Prime Minister. Victoria attempted to soothe the Tories and Radicals howling for blood by appointing a Tory in his place. The one she picked was Robert Peel. However, Prime Ministers appointed the monarch's servants, and Peel fired all the ladies of the bedchamber, as they were wives of his Whig political appointments. Victoria threw a temper tantrum, literally. She refused to let her ladies of the bedchamber go, as she liked them. This caused the "Chamber Crisis." Peel refused to work under these conditions, and resigned. Melbourne returned. This did nothing to improve Victoria's reputation.
- Victoria had been betrothed to her cousin, Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in 1839, by her uncle Leopold. She didn't think much of that, since she had never actually MET him or anything. But she was tired of her hateful and controlling mother. The Duchess of Kent was still manipulating her daughter, even though Victoria had banished her to another wing of Buckingham Palace. Victoria couldn't kick her out, because she was still unwed, and a single woman couldn't just live alone back then. So, Melbourne suggested she marry. This horrified Victoria, who had no desire to rush into a marriage with some German dude she had never met... still... the alternative was a lifetime with her mom. Victoria bit the bullet and agreed to meet and marry Albert.
- The two fell instantly and totally in love. Albert dearly loved the very pretty and intelligent Victoria... but Victoria's love for Albert was nigh on obsessive. Today, we would recognize the over-attachment of someone with deep seated mental or emotional issues... but at the time, Victoria was just seen as a besotted young girl. Albert was quite handsome, and was rumored to be.. *ahem* well endowed. (Not every prince has a piercing named after him, after all.)
- Victoria was completely swept away by her marriage to Albert. Now free of her oppressive youth, she banished her mother even further away from her palace, and set about consummating the marriage... again... and again... and again. Turns out that Victoria was incredibly... vigorous... in her love of physical relations. She was utterly devoted to Albert, and he seems to have been very good at keeping her satisfied. If the rumors are to be believed, the 20 year olds were like to have sex so often, that it sometimes interfered with courtly engagements. They were young, totally into each other, and totally in love with life.
- Albert was not popular with the English. First of all, he was quiet and intellectual. Although he was quite the tiger in bed, he was seen as "unmanly" by many British men.... they considered him arrogant and aloof. He was German, and thus a complete foreigner. Having a foreign wife was ok for men... but Victoria was a woman. Mary I had nearly ruined the country with her Spanish husband... Elizabeth I had refused to marry for this very same reason. Mary II had a foreign husband, and he had been a warmonger. Anne... well, her husband had been from Denmark, but he kept his head down and didn't bother. But Victoria was determined to make her intelligent, quiet husband king of all Britain.
- The people were outraged. They would NOT bow down to a German, no matter if he was technically king or not! Parliament also had no intention of bowing to Albert, naming him only "Queen Consort," not King, like William III had become. Albert was angered by this, as he fully expected to help his beloved wife rule her country. He would have to be satisfied with ruling from the shadows... and Victoria was already casting a particularly dark shadow.
- The marriage was turbulent. On one hand, the two were very, very physically and emotionally into each other. On the other hand, Victoria was queen, and Albert wasn't allowed to step up to her. He was accused of being unmanly, but if he dared to strike his wife, he would be killed for treason! She wore the trousers in the relationship, and he couldn't stand it. He complained openly about it. They had TERRIBLE shouting matches, mostly over her absolutely INSANELY clingy behavior and insatiable sexual appetite. They loved each other dearly, but they were both very, very dominant people.
- Victoria became terribly moody. She would cry, rage, then seduce her husband within the span of minutes at time. Albert and Victoria would have NINE children together. First came Victoria, named after her mother. Albert doted on "Vicky" constantly... but the queen hated her...
- Victoria found out very quickly that she absolutely detested babies. She referred to them as "Disgusting, frog like creatures." She was physically repulsed by her daughter, refusing to breastfeed her. She said, privately, that her breasts were for her husband, not for her children... she would not be made into a "milk cow." THIS would be the nature of her motherhood toward all her children. Luckily, Albert was a very involved father.
- Victoria was emotionally abusive towards princess Vicky. She wrote in her diaries that she felt that her daughter was stealing her precious Albert away from her. Victoria grew jealous, and was ever more cold and neglectful to Vicky. Albert, however, swooped in, educating his wife on how a mother should act. After all, Victoria had never learned any of this from her own selfish mother...
- In order to TRY to help with things, Victoria and her mother finally buried the hatchet, and Victoria brought the Duchess of Kent back into the court. They would have a close, if a bit cold and dispassionate, relationship for the rest of the Duchess's life.
- Albert was frustrated by his lack of any real role. He threw himself into helping abolish slavery worldwide. He joined fraternal orders. He educated himself constantly, and he kept his voracious wife happy. When Vicky was born, he threw himself into the role of father. He dedicated himself to raising healthy, happy children... and he insisted that Victoria play the role of loving, moral mother. Both Victoria and Albert were highly moral, (although very sexually active, neither cheated on the other.) And this was where Albert's master plan came into effect.
- Albert reinvented the Hanoverian line. No longer a family of hatred and excess, Albert made sure the books were balanced. The family lived in the public eye, a symbol of morality, ethics, and enlightened thought. Victoria was no longer the petulant girl queen, but was rebranded by Albert as the loyal and loving mother. (Even though she hated her kids.) Albert was the wise and calm father, working hard to provide. And work hard he did. He was every bit the efficient German Patriarch. He fired all unnecessary staff, saving the queen a ton of money. He used that money to pay off the debts of the Hanovers, and reinvesting it in business. Soon, Victoria was no longer in debt, but turning a tidy profit. All this while the nation thought him a weak, henpecked husband. His most important job, however, was keeping Victoria happy... and other than their FAMOUSLY bad arguments, he managed to keep her happy... she was soon pregnant again.
- The next child was Albert Edward. Known as "Bertie" by the family, Bertie was a complete and utter disappointment. The Hanoverian curse was again back. The Queen hated Bertie. He was awful in school... preoccupied and lazy. Albert's solution was to give the prince even more schoolwork, tutors who would beat him, and an icy sort of neglect that screamed "I am disappointed in you." Albert Edward grew to hate his parents, especially his mother, who, along with Albert, insisted that the prince work harder, learn faster, and above all, be morally upright. Bertie wasn't good at any of those things... at all.
- Next came Alice. Alice was a sickly girl, but she survived. Albert insisted that Buckingham was not a good place to raise so large a family, as the royal apartments were rather cold and stately. So, they bought Osborne house, a nice little palace on the Island of Wight. There, the royal children were taught how to farm, work, and be morally upright by their strict parents. Albert loved it, Victoria didn't. Alice would grow up to be precocious and disobedient. She was fascinated with common folk, and often ran away to go look at them. She would eventually marry and have children... one of her daughters became Alexandria, wife of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. Her son, Frederich, was the first to exhibit a curse that had lain dormant in Alice... and her mother... hemophilia. While it didn't cause sickness in women, it passed from Victoria to all her children... and to their children. This would kill not only one of Victoria's sons, but also Alice's son, and, famously, it would wind up in Alice's grandson, Alexei of Russia... which would lead to the Russian Revolution, but that's a story for another time.
- Meanwhile, Victoria's reign was not very popular. While no one believed that she was having sex with Melbourne, the Whigs were falling out of favor again. Assassination attempts on Melbourne and Victoria were common. Victoria managed to luckily evade or survive these attempts. Once, a man shot at her, but missed. The next day, Victoria insisted on going the same way, but brought guards along, secretly. The idiot tried to do the same thing again, and was immediately arrested. Next, another man tried to shoot her, but he didn't know how to use the gun, and had packed it with paper and kindling instead of gunpowder. He was arrested. Next, a man jumped in her carriage and beaned her with his cane. He was arrested.
- Melbourne and the Whigs fell out of power, and Peel returned. This time, Victoria was unable to protect the ladies of her chamber, and she was forced to accept Peel's candidates. Albert and Victoria did their best to keep Peel's spies from reporting about them, but of course, Parliament now had spies all over the royal home.
- Peel, strangely enough, had a sobering effect on Victoria. When the great potato famine hit Ireland like a club in 1845, Peel pressured Victoria into donating. She did so with gusto, sending huge amounts of money to the Irish. (There is a popular myth that she only gave 5 pounds to the Irish. That is totally untrue. In reality, she gave more than any other donor in England.)
- Meanwhile, more children came. Next was Alfred. Alfred was just as dull headed as Bertie, but with less charm. Alfred was something of the family joke, being a bit slow and completely unable to understand when people were laughing AT him, rather than with him. (But, he would go on to inherit the German lands from his uncle.) He played the violin... badly. Sadly, he thought he was quite good. Many were the family parties ruined by 'Affie' breaking out the violin for a singalong.
- Next was Helena. Helena was by far and away the "best" of the royal children. She was dutiful, was very involved in charity, and active politically. She loved her family, especially her mother. When Victoria was having a fit or ranting, it was often Helena who the others trusted to calm her down. Helena's problem was that she was plain. She was portly, not particularly pretty, and had bad skin. Later, she would be married to Prince Christian of Holstein, a man 15 years her elder. The poor man was forced to move to England, because Helena had to continue to take care of her mother. Helena had the hard duty of caring for her mother even into later years.
- Next was Louise... the family artist. Louise was never close to her parents, not even her father. The children's education was closely supervised by Albert and Victoria. Louise was intelligent, but her real love with art. Albert had little time for art, and Victoria constantly scorned Louise's efforts... after all, if Albert wasn't impressed, Victoria wasn't impressed. Louise eventually fell in love with sculpting and painting, and doggedly pursued the arts. Victoria eventually let her go to art school. Louise wound up working as her mother's secretary for years, but eventually fell in love with a young, likely homosexual man. She married for love, and used that marriage to get as far away from her mother as possible. (Canada.) She disliked being a royal.
- Next up was Arthur, the third son. Arthur was the one son that took after his parents. He was military minded, morally upright, and all around a decent, if not really intelligent, young man. He would become a lifelong military commander, serving as Governor General of Canada, and even up into World War II, Arthur was something of a "grandfather of the army."
- The next son was Leopold. He was a very intelligent, kind hearted boy... but he inherited his mother's hemophilia. Constantly sheltered by his parents, he was weak and sickly. He would die by the age of 30, though he spent most of his life trying desperately to be normal, or at least get away from his mother.
- The youngest was Beatrice. She was born just before her father died. The grief stricken Victoria would smother her daughter, clinging to her for comfort for most of her life. Poor Beatrice was never let too far away from Victoria, lest Victoria be alone. Victoria refused to let Beatrice marry for most of her life, lording over her like her own mother had done to her. However, Beatrice finally got her way in Victoria's later years, and turned out remarkably well rounded for someone so cloistered as a child.... when Victoria and then her husband died, she quietly retired from public life. She organized Victoria's memoirs later.
- Victoria can only be described as a monstrous mother. She blamed the children for her weight gain, her illnesses, and the tiredness of her beloved husband. She never missed an opportunity to remind the children how their own suffering was NOTHING compared to the suffering she had to endure by being their mother. She openly told them that she was happy before they were born, and miserable after. Albert shielded them from most of the worst of it, but it was observed by many that the children ran in fear from their mother whenever she neared. For Victoria and Albert, the children were part of the show... a way to show the people that the royal family were "Normal Middle Class Folks" like them. The act worked, but it was only an act. Behind the mask of suits and dresses, the family was desperately dysfunctional, mainly because of Albert's strict moral regiments and Victoria's insane obsession with her husband.
- Albert worked hard... first to get control of his family's life from Baroness Lezhen, the royal housekeeper. He slowly but surely whittled her power away, and whittled Victoria's reliance on her away. Lezhen was eventually replaced, and by then, Albert had gutted the bloated and nepotistic servant staff at the palace. Then, he set about working quietly to improve the life and livelihood of England... as well as its morality. New laws were passed, forcing the new idea of "family values" upon a populace more used to bawdy tavern songs and debauchery behind palace doors. If you wanted to be close to the royal family, you had to APPEAR to be exceedingly moral. This enforced morality trickled down into the population. Soon, words like "bottom," "knee," "leg," and "foot" were considered 'dirty' or 'sexy' words, and banned from polite conversation. Sex was NEVER discussed, and even laughing out loud was considered crass. Victorian prudishness, of course, only served to make the sex and debauchery that much more titillating to most people, and Victorian black market pornography became a booming business. Just like Albert and Victoria's marriage, the outward purity of England masked a very, VERY sexually charged population. Mysticism and the occult also gained a large following by a morally repressed people. This was the time of Freemasonry, Alistair Crowley, and the Golden Dawn.
- Regardless, Albert ran the country in a very Germanic manner. Efficiency was the watchword, and "trimming the fat" and battling corruption were a big part of Albert's plans. Victoria helped her husband as much as she could, masking these reforms as being her idea, which made them more palatable to the people and Parliament. Victoria may have had very little power left, but her word still carried weight, after all. Things began to improve... even Albert and Victoria's marriage seemed to be getting better. Sure, Albert had chronic fatigue and stomach pains, but that was due to his diligent hard work, Victoria surmised. Victoria was finally secure, marginally popular, and things were going well for Industrializing England.
- Then, in 1861, it all changed.
- In March, the Duchess of Kent died. Victoria, who at first was just stunned, later read her mother's diaries and memoirs. She found that the Duchess had actually loved and cared for her deeply. Victoria was despondent that she never got a chance to really reconcile with her mother, and sank into a deep, bitter, and selfish depression. The whole family was expected to bow down to her grief, and put up with her weeping fits and constant "acting up" (as Albert called it.)
- Then, in August, Victoria and Albert visited Albert Edward, their oldest son, at military school... where he had been sent to get some discipline. While there, they were absolutely horrified to find out that Bertie had had sex with a prostitute. Victoria wouldn't speak to Bertie, and Albert was beyond enraged. This threatened to destroy the entire image Albert had made of a highly moral royal family that could be an example to all Victoria's subjects! Albert chastised his son again and again, in words, and later in letters. Bertie was apologetic, but this would not be enough when December came round.
- In December, Bertie was once again visited by his angry father. The two of them spent a few hours walking in the cold, damp air, while Bertie listened to his father chastise him again and again. Albert returned home with a chill... which turned into Typhoid Fever. Albert carried on, unwilling to stop managing the country's affairs. The USA was deep in the Civil War, and both sides wanted Britain's help. Decisions would have to be made... but Albert wasn't to make them. Already plagued with stomach and stress problems, (Possibly Crohn's disease,) Albert, the consort of Victoria, died on 14 December. He was only 42.
- Victoria was beyond grief... her wails and howls echoed through the palace for hours on end. Her daughters were forced to care for the madwoman that had replaced their mother.... poor prince Leopold was clung to like a security blanket... and poor Bertie... when he returned home, his mother said simply, "Albert Edward killed his father, I shall never be able to look at him again without a shudder. I loathe him."
- Victoria wore all black for the rest of her life. No joke. She literally wore mourning clothes for the rest of her life. She refused to even entertain remarriage or having new consorts. As far as most could tell, she remained abstinent the rest of her life. (Which was amazing, considering how sexually charged she was in her youth.)
- Victoria refused to come out of her room for more than a month... and even then she refused to perform any state functions. Her "grief was too deep," her "spirit forever muted by the loss of her dear, dear, wonderful husband." Personally, she became completely unbearable. She hated and manipulated her older children, (especially Bertie,) and clung to the younger ones like a mother bear. When Louise wanted to have the traditional coming out party when she was 16, Victoria refused to allow the party at all, stating that no ballroom shall be opened, no sound of joy must EVER be heard in the palace again. Louise was crushed.
- The children were expected to mourn as long as she did. They were punished for smiling, talking loudly, or laughing. Victoria turned inward, and though her kids were mostly teens now, and one of her sons had a potentially terminal disease, Victoria's writings to them are hateful, selfish, and accusatory. She often had one child (often Helena or Arthur,) who she 'loved,' and all the other children were neglected at best, hounded and hated at worst. Bad thing was, the child she loved often switched around based on something said or perceived. So, for a while, Alice was called "Evil" by her mother, then the next year, Louise was "acting like a common woman" (code: a trollop) and Alice was the "Good daughter who cares for her mother like a daughter should."
- The children, now free of Albert's guidance, now began to have more individual identities.... they started having public lives. Victoria, on the other hand, was never seen. She wasted away in Osborne, Balmorral, or wherever, but never London. Buckingham was out of the question. She hated London, and she made it known that she was "too tired," "too in mourning," or "too ill" to ever step foot there again.
- People began to wonder why on EARTH they should support a queen who not only has no real power, but refuses to do even the bare minimum job that a queen is expected to do?
- Save for very basic government duties (opening Parliament, for instance, or signing documents,) Victoria lived as a hermit. She got fat, aged visibly, and didn't seem to even care much for basic hygiene. As a joke, one wise guy posted a note on the front of the gates of Buckingham Palace which said: "these commanding premises to be let or sold in consequence of the late occupant's declining business" (Shop for sale, owner has abandoned it.)
- Even still, she couldn't avoid scandal. She grew to rely on a Scottish manservant, Jon Brown, who generally took care of the surly old queen. Rumors flew wildly, but there is no real evidence to suggest that they were anything but queen and servant. Even so, people started calling her "Mrs. Brown."
- The Suffragette movement was in full swing. While Victoria was very much for offering the vote to poor men, (and she saw to it that this was passed,) she did NOT advocate votes for women. She believed fully that women were to be subservient to men, as that was the natural order of things. She often made this known with ponderously long speeches about Albert and how awesome she thought he was. Needless to say, she wasn't invited to many women's parties.
- All this seclusion only served to strengthen the growing Republican movement in Great Britain. More people wanted more rights for the poor, and many pointed to Victoria as a perfect example of a "useless" monarch and noble.
- It was during this time that she first met Benjamin Disraeli, a Jewish MP who would become Prime Minister. They got along famously. Disraeli knew how to flatter the middle aged queen, and speak to her as a friend, not just a stuffy politician. Disraeli was briefly Prime Minister, only to get tossed out by an opposition government... but Victoria wouldn't forget him... they remained close friends from then on.
- In 1870, the Prince of Wales was involved in yet another scandal... but this one went public. "Bertie" was summoned to court, in order to testify whether or not he had had sex with a married woman whose husband was in the House of Commons. He had, and everyone knew he had, but he denied it, as was proper. Although she loathed him, Victoria swooped in to aid her family. The whole thing was royally swept under the rug, and the furor died down quickly, mainly through Victoria's influence. She seemed, at that point, to realize that she HAD to carry on Albert's life's work.... that of controlling the public image of the family. But she just couldn't bring herself to leave the house. Instead, she became matchmaker for her children, ensuring that they all were married not just for political gain, but also for love. This was maybe the one really nice thing she did for her kids. She was terrified at the thought of losing them, (and indeed, Helena, Leopold, and Beatrice would have to wait years for their mother to finally turn loose of them,) but every one of them married someone that THEY agreed to marry... even Bertie.
- Victoria continued to refuse to be seen in public, other than the occasional carriage ride or Parliamentary function. Republicanism continued to grow. A mob formed in London demanding her abdication and the abolition of the monarchy.... when suddenly, a miracle happened. Bertie got sick. Not just a little bit sick... he got Typhoid fever. This was the same sickness that killed his father.
- Though she loathed her son and blamed him for Albert's death, she still loved him as a son, and dreaded the thought of losing Bertie, the son who so looked like his father. She became the mother hen, fretting over her sick son. She brought many of the other siblings back home, and as a family, they cared for Bertie. (Who actually needed care... he ranted and raved and was hard to control. It is said that Alfred and Arthur did much to keep the worst of it away from Victoria, as many of the rants were about her.)
- This all had a strange effect... the royal family suddenly became popular again. The whole country watched with rapt attention, reading the news in the papers, waiting for status updates. Victoria's popularity, and even BERTIE'S popularity soared. Here was a royal family who had already lost dad, and now they stood to lose the eldest son. It was a problem the people could relate to. To the nation's great joy, the prince recovered, and more amazingly, returned to the arms of his loving wife... who had stood by him through thick and thin. It was a romantic adventure for the ages, and the British people lapped it up. Mother and son rode together in a carriage in a "thanksgiving" parade, to much acclaim. Victoria was smart enough to ride this wave of popularity straight into the hearts of her subjects.... but she was still leery of being seen in public too much.
- The East India Company, long a black stain on the good name of England, had engaged in a horribly bloody war against rebelling Indians on the Indian subcontinent. (The Sepoy Mutiny) This, alongside continual dirty deals such as the opium trade in China, turned sentiment against the East India Company. Victoria was generally neutral in this fight. She saw both sides as being at fault. However, the EIC had been dissolved and its holdings had passed to the British Crown. In 1874, Disraeli, recently returned to government and WELL in charge, used this to his advantage.
- Disraeli mentioned to Victoria that while many monarchs of Europe were "emperors," England had never had an emperor. Victoria took the bait. She wondered why it was that she ruled the largest empire in the world, but was still only the "Queen" of the UK. Disraeli passed an act in 1876 that named Victoria as the "Empress of India," a title she absolutely adored. Suddenly, Victoria's face was in photos all over the world. Canada, India, Australia, Burma, South Africa, Siam, Japan, China... she was everywhere... a sort of "Logo" for the British Empire. Victoria, the woman who once called her children "frog like creatures" was now the "Mother of the Empire."
- This image, carefully constructed by Disraeli, gave the British people a touchstone for the idea of "Queen and Country." A year before, Republicanism had been at a fever pitch... now, suddenly, the opposite was true. Monarchy and Royalty was good, Republicanism was dangerous and incendiary. Victoria played her part well, agreeing to be seen again by her people. Another assassination attempt was just the thing she needed to seal the deal. She survived, (The gun, strangely, wasn't loaded... wink wink.) and the British people fell for it all... hook, line, and sinker.
- Then, on the anniversary of her beloved Albert's death, in 1876, Princess Alice died of diptheria. Victoria was crushed, not only by the loss of her "beloved daughter," but by the ominous coincidence of the date. Victoria sank again into melancholy, but Disraeli, princess Beatrice, and others all managed to keep Victoria going.
- Victoria started to take an active interest in the running of the country. (Better late than never, right?) Spurred on and encouraged by Disraeli, she oversaw the Zulu Wars and the Boer Wars in South Africa. She gave a rousing speech defending these actions by stating that "In order to remain a first class power, we must be prepared for attacks or wars, in some place or another, at all times." The people of Britain loved it, and as Victoria grew older, the British Empire became the mightiest force on the face of the Earth.
- On the subject of racism and imperialism, Victoria was fairly normal for the times. She, like many, saw people of other cultures as inferior and needing protection. However, she was quite clear on her position, stating that it was important that England conquer these lands, even if it is distasteful, for if England did not, some other less benevolent country such as Russia, France, Germany, or Belgium would. It was therefore the UK's duty to protect the world not from themselves, but from other European powers.
- Finally, in her elder years, Victoria seems to have genuinely come to care for someone other than herself. She had a renewed interest in the expansion of her family, the empire, and the living conditions of the people. It was indeed a tad bit late, but she finally became the mother hen that England needed. When an assassin shot at her carriage in 1882, (a poet who was obsessed with the queen and wanted to be her lover,) two schoolboys beat the poor deranged man with umbrellas until he was caught and arrested. Though he was freed by way of insanity, support for Victoria was overwhelmingly high. In a famous speech to the country, the queen... ACTUALLY SMILED... and said it was "Worth being shot at to see how much one is loved."
- Victoria became a published writer as she grew older. Her dearly beloved servant, Jon Brown, died in 1883. She was distraught, and wrote his biography. However, it was never published, for fear of sparking rumors of an affair. She did write other books and memoirs, however. They were quite popular reading for the time.
- The next year, weak and sickly Prince Leopold died at the age of 30. Once again, Victoria sank into mourning for her "Most beloved of beloved sons." Beatrice then fell in love, and asked to marry. The queen flew into a rage. If Beatrice left, who would care for her? Beatrice, now fat and middle aged, was desperate to marry the ONE man who was still interested in her... the two fought over this for months. Finally, Victoria acquiesced, but only on the condition that Beatrice and her husband come live with Victoria.... permanently.
- Disraeli had died, (Victoria was overwhelmed with grief for a time,) and the queen argued with all her ministers afterwards. Though she was no longer howling in grief, she still was openly melancholy about the loss of her dear Albert so many years before. She was seen by Parliament as a stubborn, half crazy, massive pain in the arse. The problem was, the queen had a nasty habit of saying EXACTLY what she felt about things... publicly. She called one prime minister "A stupid and rather ridiculous old man." Another minister she called "Completely mad, and unfit to hold any position, let alone a ministry." The public loved these assessments, of course, and it only further solidified Victoria as a thoroughly British old mum in their hearts.
- In 1887, Victoria celebrated her golden jubilee... 50 years on the throne. Monarchs from around the world traveled to England to celebrate... even from as far away as Japan and Siam. The British people went wild for the festivities, and of course, Victoria loved it. Victoria was always happiest when she was the center of attention... and now she was the center of the WHOLE WORLD'S attention.
- To replace Jon Brown, Victoria had turned to an odd choice. She employed a pair of Indian Muslims as her waiters, and she promoted one, Abdul Karim, to the position of "Munshi," (or secretary.) This scandalized the upper class of England, who saw him not only as a new "favorite" and possible lover of the queen, but also as nothing more than a dirty, power hungry Indian, and a dangerous Muslim. Victoria was hearing none of it. She blew off all their concerns as being nothing more than racist blustering, and Abdul would remain Munshi and a dear friend of the queen for the rest of Victoria's life.
- Princess Vicky had married into the German royal family, and her husband had died. Victoria's grandson, Wilhelm II, ascended the German throne. Victoria detested Wilhelm. She had tried to instill the ideals of liberalism and progress in her children and grandchildren... but "Willie" was different. He hated freedoms, favoring absolute autocracy. He fired Otto von Bismarck, who many respected, and began making trouble for both England and Russia. Victoria's hope of an allied England and Germany, unified through a big, happy family, were gone. The family was truly dysfunctional, and political hatreds were stronger than blood.
- In 1896, Victoria celebrated her diamond jubilee... again, she was the center of attention, and now she was the longest reigning monarch in English history. (And would remain so until 2015, when Elizabeth II would surpass her.)
- In 1900, the Boer war was in full swing, and England was becoming unpopular in the rest of Europe. Victoria had to cancel her trip to France on fears that the French might hurt her or worse. Then, another child, this time Alfred, passed away. Victoria again wrote of her insurmountable grief at the loss of "Dear, Dear Affie." Victoria was crippled with rheumatoid arthritis, nearly blind from cataracts, and ailing. She knew she wouldn't be far behind Alfred.
- January, 1901, was very cold. Victoria had gone to Osborne house, the favorite of her beloved Albert... she knew she was soon to die. Her son, Albert Edward, now a fat old man, came to be with her, as well as her eldest grandson, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. Though she loathed them both, she said tender words to them, and they to her. Bertie even began to cry... finally achieving some sort of reconciliation with his long estranged mother. Victoria asked that her dog be put on her deathbed. This was done, and Queen Victoria slipped into death at 6:30 PM on January 22, 1901, surrounded by attendants and family. She was 81 years of age.
- Her funeral was military style, as per her request. The Prince of Wales, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, and Prince Arthur were among her pallbearers. The whole country was in shock and mourning. Victoria was laid to rest, and the crown passed to the pudgy, cigar stained hands of her eldest son, "Bertie." He was 60 years old.
- Victoria had ruled for 63 years and 7 months, the longest up until recently. Under her, England had grown in power until it was the strongest empire int he world, but the role of the monarch had faded into nothingness. Albert Edward had to come up with a way to keep the royal family relevant and necessary... because it was a very real possibility that the people or the Parliament would simply see them as an unnecessary expense and toss them out on their ear. Would fat old "Bertie" be able to emerge from the long shadow of his cruel mother? Would England accept him? His sons? And what of cousin Willie in Germany? What role would he play?
Stay tuned!