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Queen Victoria
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Victoria

Photograph byAlexander Bassano, 1882
Queen of the United Kingdom (more...)
Reign 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901
Coronation 28 June 1838
PredecessorWilliam IV
SuccessorEdward VII
Prime MinistersSee list
ConsortPrince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Issue
Victoria, the Princess Royal
King Edward VII
Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse
Prince Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha
Helena, Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein
Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught
Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany
Beatrice, Princess Henry of Battenberg
* [for fuller titles, seeChildren below]
Full name
Alexandrina Victoria
HouseHouse of Hanover
FatherPrince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn
MotherPrincess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
Born 24 May 1819 (1819-05-24)
Kensington Palace, London
Died 22 January 1901 (1901-01-23) (aged 81)
Osborne House,Isle of Wight
Burial 2 February 1901
Frogmore,Windsor
Signature
Queen Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was theQueen regnant of theUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and the firstEmpress of India of theBritish Raj from 1 May 1876, until her death. At 63 years and 7 months, her reign as the Queen lastedlonger than that of any other British monarch, and is thelongest of any female monarch in history. Her reign is known as theVictorian era, and was a period of industrial, cultural, political, scientific, and military progress within the United Kingdom.
Victoria was of mostly German descent; she was the daughter of the fourth son ofGeorge III,Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn. Both the Duke of Kent and George III died a year after her birth, and she inherited the throne at the age of 18 after her father's three elder brothers died without surviving legitimate issue. She ascended the throne when the United Kingdom was already an establishedconstitutional monarchy, in which the king or queen held relatively few direct political powers and exercised influence by the prime minister's advice; but she became the iconic symbol of the nation and empire. She had strict standards of personal morality. Her reign was marked by a great expansion of theBritish Empire, which reached its zenith and became the foremostglobal power.
Her 9 children and 42 grandchildren married into royal families across the continent, tying them together and earning her the nickname "the grandmother of Europe".[1] She was the lastBritish monarch of theHouse of Hanover; her sonKing Edward VII belonged to theHouse of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Contents
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1 Heiress to the throne2 Early reign3 Marriage4 Assassination attempts5 Early Victorian politics and foreign policy5.1 Further assassination attempts
6 Ireland7 Empress of India8 Widowhood9 Later years9.1 Golden Jubilee and an assassination attempt9.2 Diamond Jubilee9.3 Death and succession
10 Legacy10.1 Within Britain10.2 International Legacy10.2.1 Australia10.2.2 Canada
11 Titles, styles, coat of arms and cypher11.1 Titles and styles11.2 Coat of arms11.3 Royal Cypher
12 Ancestry13 Children14 See also15 Notes and references15.1 Bibliography
16 External links
Heiress to the throne
Victoria was born at 4.15 a.m. on 24 May 1819 atKensington Palace in London.[2] She was the only child ofPrince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, and his wife,Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. The Duke of Kent was the fourth son of the reigning King of the United Kingdom,George III. Victoria was christened privately by theArchbishop of Canterbury,Charles Manners-Sutton, on 24 June 1819 in the Cupola Room atKensington Palace. Her godparents were EmperorAlexander I of Russia (for whom her uncle theDuke of York stood proxy), her uncle the Prince Regent (laterGeorge IV), her auntQueen Charlotte of Württemberg (whose sisterPrincess Augusta Sophia stood in proxy) and her maternal grandmother theDowager Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (for whomPrincess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh, the infant princess's aunt, stood proxy). On the instructions of the Prince Regent, she was named Alexandrina, after Emperor Alexander I, and Victoria after her mother.[3]

Princess Victoria, aged four
Painting byStephen Poyntz Denning, 1823
The King's three eldest sons, the Prince Regent, the Duke of York, and the Duke of Clarence (laterWilliam IV), had no surviving legitimate children, which placed Victoria fifth in the line of succession after her uncles and father. Her grandfather and father died in 1820, and the Duke of York died in 1827. On the death of her uncle George IV in 1830, she becameheiress presumptive to her surviving uncle, William IV. Parliament passed theRegency Act 1830, to make special provision for a child monarch if William died while Victoria was still a minor. Victoria's mother, the Duchess of Kent, would act as sole Regent during the Queen's minority, without a council to limit her powers.[4] King William distrusted the Duchess's capacity to be Regent, and declared in her presence that he wanted to live until Victoria's 18th birthday, so that a regency could be avoided.[5]
Victoria later described her childhood as "rather melancholy."[6] Victoria's mother was extremely protective of the princess, who was raised largely isolated from other children under the so called "Kensington System", an elaborate set of rules and protocols devised by the Duchess and hercomptroller, SirJohn Conroy, who was rumoured to be the Duchess's lover.[7] The system prevented the princess from meeting people whom her mother and Conroy deemed undesirable, and was designed to render her weak and utterly dependent upon them.[8] The Duchess was scandalised by the mistresses and bastard children of her brothers-in-law, and the widespread public contempt for the royal family that resulted; she taught her daughter that she must avoid any hint of sexual impropriety, which has been proposed as having prompted the emergence ofVictorian morality.[9] Victoria studied with private tutors to a regular timetable; her play hours were spent with her dolls and herKing Charles spaniel, Dash.[10] She was required to share a bedroom with her mother every night until she became queen.[9]
As a teenager, Victoria resisted their threats and rejected their attempts to make Conroy her personal secretary. Once queen, she immediately banned Conroy from her quarters (though she could not remove him from her mother's household) and consigned her mother to a distant corner of the palace, often refusing to see her.[9]
By 1836, Victoria's ambitious uncle,Leopold, who had been King of the Belgians since 1831, hoped to marry his niece to his nephew,Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.[11] Her mother, the Duchess of Kent,Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, was the sister of both Albert's father (the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) and Leopold. Leopold arranged for his sister, Victoria's mother, to invite the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and his two sons to visit her in May 1836, with the purpose of meeting Victoria. William IV, however, disapproved of any match with the Coburgs, and instead favoured the suit ofPrince Alexander of the Netherlands, second son ofthe Prince of Orange.[12] Victoria was well-aware of the various matrimonial plans and critically appraised a parade of eligible princes.[11] Some authors have written that she initially found Albert to be rather dull,[13] however according to her diary, she enjoyed his company from the beginning. After the visit she wrote, "[Albert] is extremely handsome; his hair is about the same colour as mine; his eyes are large and blue, and he has a beautiful nose and a very sweet mouth with fine teeth; but the charm of his countenance is his expression, which is most delightful."[14] Alexander, on the other hand, was "very plain".[15]
Victoria wrote to her uncle Leopold, whom Victoria considered her "best and kindest adviser",[16] to thank him "for the prospect of great happiness you have contributed to give me, in the person of dear Albert ... He possesses every quality that could be desired to render me perfectly happy."[17] However at seventeen, Victoria, though interested in Albert, was not yet ready to marry. Although the parties did not undertake a formal engagement, the Coburgs widely assumed that the match would take place.[18]
Early reign

Victoria receives the news of her accession to the throne fromLord Conyngham (left) andthe Archbishop of Canterbury.
On 24 May 1837 Victoria turned 18, and a regency was avoided. On 20 June 1837,William IV died at the age of 71, and Victoria became Queen of the United Kingdom. In her diary she wrote, "I was awoke at 6 o'clock by Mamma, who told methe Archbishop of Canterbury andLord Conyngham were here and wished to see me. I got out of bed and went into my sitting-room (only in my dressing gown) and alone, and saw them. Lord Conyngham then acquainted me that my poor Uncle, the King, was no more, and had expired at 12 minutes past 2 this morning, and consequently that I am Queen."[19] Drafts of all the official documents (proclamation, oaths of allegiance, etc.) prepared on the first day of her reign described her as Queen Alexandrina Victoria, but at her first Privy Council meeting she signed the register as Victoria and the first name was withdrawn at her own wish.[20] Hercoronation took place on 28 June 1838, and she became the first monarch to take up residence atBuckingham Palace.[21]
UnderSalic law, however, no woman could be monarch ofHanover, a realm which had shared a monarch with Britain since 1714. Hanover passed to her uncle, the Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, who becameKing Ernest Augustus I. As the young queen was as yet unmarried and childless, Ernest Augustus washeir presumptive to the throne of the United Kingdom until Victoria's first child was born in 1840.[22]

A young Queen Victoria, by Winterhalter.
At the time of her accession, the government was led by theWhig Prime MinisterLord Melbourne, who at once became a powerful influence on the politically inexperienced Queen, who relied on him for advice—some even referred to Victoria as "Mrs. Melbourne".[23] However, the Melbourne ministry would not stay in power for long; it was growing unpopular and, moreover, faced considerable difficulty in governing the British colonies, especially during theRebellions of 1837.
Though initially Victoria was quite popular, her reputation suffered in an 1839 court intrigue when one of her mother's ladies-in-waiting,Lady Flora Hastings, developed an abdominal growth that was widely rumoured to be an out-of-wedlock pregnancy by Sir John Conroy.[24] Victoria believed the rumours.[25] She hated Conroy, and despised "that odious Lady Flora",[26] because she had conspired with Conroy and the Duchess of Kent in the construction of theKensington System.[27] At first, Lady Flora refused to submit to a naked medical examination, until in mid-February she eventually agreed, and was found to be virgin.[28] When she died in July, the post-mortem revealed an enlarged liver had distended her abdomen.[29] Conroy and Lady Flora's brother organised a press campaign accusing the Queen of spreading false and disgraceful insults about Lady Flora.
In 1839, Melbourne resigned afterRadicals andTories (both of whom Victoria detested) voted against a Bill before theHouse of Commons that would have suspended the Constitution ofJamaica.[30] The Queen commissioned a Tory,Sir Robert Peel, to form a new ministry. At the time, it was customary for the Prime Minister to appoint members of theRoyal Household, who were usually his political allies. Many of the Queen'sLadies of the Bedchamber were wives of Whigs, and Peel expected to replace them with wives of Tories. In what became known as thebedchamber crisis, Victoria, advised by Melbourne, objected to the removal of these ladies. Peel refused to govern under the restrictions imposed by the Queen, and consequently resigned his commission, allowing Melbourne to return to office.[31]
Marriage

Marriage of Victoria and Albert bySir George Hayter
Though queen, as an unmarried young woman Victoria was required by social convention to live with her mother, with whom she was quite angry over theKensington system. Victoria gave her mother a remote apartment inBuckingham Palace and often refused to meet her. When Victoria complained to Melbourne that her mother's close proximity promised "torment for many years", Melbourne sympathised but said it could be avoided by marriage, which Victoria called a "shocking alternative".[32] Her letters of the time show interest in Albert's education for the future role he would have to play as her husband, but she resisted attempts to rush her into wedlock.[33]
Victoria continued to praise Albert following his second visit in October 1839 after she had become Queen, when she wrote of him: "...dear Albert... He is so sensible, so kind, and so good, and so amiable too. He has besides, the most pleasing and delightful exterior and appearance you can possibly see."[13] Albert and Victoria felt mutual affection and the Queen proposed to Albert on 15 October 1839 just five days after he had arrived at Windsor.[34]
The Queen andPrince Albert were married on 10 February 1840, in theChapel Royal ofSt. James's Palace, London. Albert became not only the Queen's companion, but an important political advisor, replacing Lord Melbourne as the dominant figure in the first half of her life following Melbourne's death.[35] Victoria's mother was evicted from the palace, and Victoria rarely visited her.
Victoria's childhood governess,Baroness Lehzen fromHanover, had been a formative influence on Victoria,[36] and Lehzen continued to run Victoria's household after she ascended the throne. Victoria's close relationship with Lehzen ended after the Queen married Prince Albert, who found Lehzen incompetent for her authority in the household, to the point of threatening the safety and health of their first child.
Assassination attempts
During Victoria's first pregnancy, eighteen-year-oldEdward Oxford attempted to assassinate the Queen while she was riding in a carriage with Prince Albert in London.[37] Oxford fired twice, but both bullets missed. He was tried forhigh treason, but was acquitted on the grounds ofinsanity.[38] In the immediate aftermath of the attack, Victoria's popularity soared, mitigating residual discontent over the Hastings affair and the bedchamber crisis.[39] The first of the royal couple's nine children, namedVictoria, was born on 21 November 1840.

Earliest known photograph of Victoria, here with her eldest daughter, c. 1844[40]
Further attempts to assassinate Queen Victoria occurred between May and July 1842. First, on 29 May atSt. James's Park, John Francis fired a pistol at the Queen while she was in a carriage,[37] but was immediately seized by Police Constable William Trounce. Francis was convicted of high treason. The death sentence was commuted totransportation for life. Then, on 3 July, just days after Francis's sentence was commuted, another boy, John William Bean,[37] attempted to shoot the Queen. Prince Albert felt that the attempts were encouraged by Oxford's acquittal in 1840. Although his gun was loaded only with paper and tobacco, his crime was still punishable by death. Feeling that such a penalty would be too harsh, Prince Albert encouraged Parliament to pass theTreason Act 1842. Under the new law, an assault with a dangerous weapon in the monarch's presence with the intent of alarming her was made punishable by seven years' imprisonment andflogging.[41] Bean was thus sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment; however, neither he, nor any person who violated the act in the future, was flogged.[42]
During the same summer as these two assassination attempts, Victoria made her first journey by train, travelling fromSlough railway station (nearWindsor Castle) to Bishop's Bridge, nearPaddington (in London), on 13 June 1842 in the special royal carriage provided by theGreat Western Railway. Accompanying her were her husband and the engineer of the Great Western line,Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The Queen and the Prince Consort both complained the train was going too fast at 20 mph (30 km/h), fearing the train would derail.[37]
Early Victorian politics and foreign policy
Melbourne's support in the House of Commons continued to weaken, and in the1841 general election the Whigs were defeated. Peel became prime minister, and the Ladies of the Bedchamber most associated with the Whigs were replaced.[43] By 1846, Peel's ministry faced a crisis involving the repeal of theCorn Laws. Many Tories—by then known also asConservatives—were opposed to the repeal, but some Tories (the "Peelites") and most Whigs supported it. Peel resigned in 1846, after the repeal narrowly passed, and was replaced byLord John Russell. Russell's ministry, though Whig, was not favoured by the Queen. Particularly offensive to Victoria was theForeign Secretary,Lord Palmerston, who often acted without consulting the Cabinet, the Prime Minister, or the Queen.[44]
Victoria's British Prime Ministers
Year Prime Minister (party)
1835Lord Melbourne (Whig)
1841Sir Robert Peel (Conservative)
1846Lord John Russell (W)
1852 (Feb.)Lord Derby (C)
1852 (Dec.)Lord Aberdeen (Peelite)
1855Lord Palmerston (Liberal)
1858 Derby (C)
1859 Palmerston (L)
1865 Russell (L)
1866 Derby (C)
1868 (Feb.)Benjamin Disraeli (C)
1868 (Dec.)William Ewart Gladstone (L)
1874 Disraeli (C)
1880 Gladstone (L)
1885Lord Salisbury (C)
1886 (Feb.) Gladstone (L)
1886 (July) Salisbury (C)
1892 Gladstone (L)
1894Lord Rosebery (L)
1895 Salisbury (C)
See alsoList of British Prime Ministers
and, for her British and Imperial premiers,
List of Prime Ministers of Queen Victoria
Victoria took a keen interest in then-improving relations between France and Britain, making and hosting several visits and orchestrating several marriages between the British royal house and thehouse of Orleans. In 1843 and 1845, she and Albert stayed with KingLouis Philippe I at hischâteau d'Eu in Normandy; she was the first British or English monarch to visit a French one since the meeting on theField of the Cloth of Gold in 1520.[45] When Louis Philippe made a reciprocal trip in 1844, he became the first French king to visit a British sovereign.[46] In 1848, Louis Philippe was deposed in therevolutions of 1848, and fled to exile in England.[47] At the height of a revolutionary scare in the United Kingdom in April 1848, Victoria and her family left London for the greater safety ofOsborne House on theIsle of Wight. Demonstrations byChartists andIrish nationalists failed to attract widespread support, and the scare died down without any major disturbances.[48]
In 1849, Victoria complained to Russell that Palmerston had sent official dispatches to foreign leaders without her knowledge. She repeated her remonstrance in 1850, but to no avail. It was only in 1851 that Palmerston was removed from office after he announced the British government's approval for PresidentLouis-Napoleon Bonaparte'scoup in France without consulting the Prime Minister.[44] The following year, President Bonaparte was declared Emperor Napoleon III, by which time Russell's administration had been replaced by a short-lived minority government led byLord Derby. In early 1855, Victoria approached both Derby and Russell to form a ministry, after the government ofLord Aberdeen fell amidst recriminations over the poor management of British troops in theCrimean war. Neither Derby nor Russell had sufficient support, and Victoria was forced to appoint Palmerston as prime minister.[49]
Napoleon III visited London in April 1855 and from 17 to 25 August the same year Victoria and Albert returned the visit. Napoleon III met the couple atDunkirk and personally accompanied them to Paris. They visited theExposition Universelle (successor to Albert's 1851 brainchild theGreat Exhibition) andNapoleon I's tomb atLes Invalides (to which his remains had only beenreturned in 1840), and were guests of honour at a 1,200-guest ball at theChateau de Versailles.[50] Victoria and Albert were also invited to the opening of a new basin at the military port ofCherbourg on 5 August 1858, in a failed attempt by Napoleon III to reassure Britain that his military preparations were not directed against her—on that occasion she and Albert stayed less than three days and on her return Victoria wrote to Lord Derby reprimanding him for the poor state of theRoyal Navy in comparison to theFrench Navy.[51]
Further assassination attempts

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, 1854
The period during which Russell was Prime Minister also proved personally distressing to Queen Victoria. In 1849, an unemployed and disgruntled Irishman named William Hamilton attempted to alarm the Queen by firing a powder-filled pistol as her carriage passed alongConstitution Hill, London. Hamilton was charged under the 1842 act; he pleaded guilty and received the maximum sentence of seven years ofpenal transportation.[52] In 1850, the Queen did sustain injury when she was assaulted by a possibly insane ex-Army officer,Robert Pate. As Victoria was riding in a carriage, Pate struck her with his cane, crushing her bonnet and bruising her. Pate was later tried; he failed to prove his insanity, and received the same sentence as Hamilton.[44]
Ireland
The young Queen Victoria fell in love with Ireland, choosing to holiday inKillarney inKerry. Her love of the country was matched by initial Irish warmth towards the young Queen. In 1845, Ireland was hit by apotato blight that over four years cost the lives of over a million Irish people and saw the emigration of another million.[53] In response to what came to be called theGreat Famine (in Irish, An Gorta Mór), the Queen personally donated £2,000 (2,000pounds sterling) to the Irish people.[54] However, myths were generated towards the end of the 19th century that she had donated a maximum of £5 in aid to the Irish, and on the same day also gave £5 to Battersea Dog Shelter. This was false, as she in fact contributed £2,000, substantially more than many Irish Catholic Bishops, one of whom donated £1,000 to a charity for the hungry and £10,000 to a University project.[55]
Additionally, the policies of her prime minister,Lord John Russell, were often blamed for exacerbating the severity of the famine, which adversely affected the Queen's popularity in Ireland. However Victoria was a strong supporter of the Irish; she supported theMaynooth Grant and made a point, on visiting Ireland, of visiting the seminary.[56]
Victoria's first official visit to Ireland, in 1849, was specifically arranged byLord Clarendon, theLord Lieutenant of Ireland—the head of the British administration—to try to both draw attention from the famine and alert British politicians through the Queen's presence to the seriousness of the crisis in Ireland. Despite the negative impact of the famine on the Queen's popularity she remained popular enough for many Irish nationalists at party meetings to finish by singing "God Save the Queen".[57] She became known in Ireland as "The Famine Queen",[58] and was much vilified then, as now.[59] In 1853 she visited theGreat Industrial Exhibition which was the biggest international event held to date in Ireland. Over one million attended and Victoria knighted the architect of the exhibition, John Benson.[60]

Prince Albert, Queen Victoria and their nine children. Left to right : Alice, Arthur, The Prince Consort, The Prince of Wales, Leopold ( in front of him), Louise, Queen Victoria with Beatrice, Alfred, Victoria and Helena
By the 1870s and 1880s the monarchy's appeal in Ireland had diminished substantially, partly because Victoria refused to visit Ireland in protest at theDublin Corporation's decision not to congratulate her son, thePrince of Wales on both his marriage toPrincess Alexandra of Denmark and on the birth of the royal couple's oldest son,Prince Albert Victor.[56] Queen Victoria had also felt deeply hurt after Dublin Corporation had returned a bust of her beloved late husband Albert, which she sent as a gift to the people of Dublin. In addition, she had felt hurt by the indignation at the suggestion to place a statue of Albert on St. Stephen's Green in Dublin, and to rename it 'Albert Green'. It has been theorised that these perceived 'insults' to her beloved Albert's memory hardened her views of the Irish people.[61]
Victoria refused repeated pressure from a number of prime ministers, lords lieutenant and even members of the Royal Family, to establish a royal residence in Ireland.[57]Lord Midleton, the former head of the Irish unionist party, writing in his memoirs of 1930 Ireland: Dupe or Heroine?, described this decision as having proved disastrous to the monarchy and theunion.[62]
The Queen paid her last visit to Ireland in 1900, when she came to appeal to Irishmen to join theBritish Army and fight in theSecond Boer War. Nationalist opposition to her visit was spearheaded byArthur Griffith, who established an organisation calledCumann na nGaedhael to unite the opposition. Five years later Griffith used the contacts established in his campaign against the Queen's visit to form a new political movement,Sinn Féin,[57] which ultimately brought about the establishment of theIrish Free State.
Empress of India
Wikisource has original text related to this article:Queen Victoria's Proclamation
After theIndian Rebellion of 1857, theBritish East India Company, which had ruled much of India, was dissolved, and Britain's possessions and protectorates on theIndian subcontinent were formally incorporated into theBritish Empire. The Queen had a relatively balanced view of the conflict, and condemned atrocities on both sides.[63] She wrote of "her feelings of horror and regret at the result of this bloody civil war",[64] and insisted, urged on by Albert, that an official proclamation announcing the transfer of power from the company to the state "should breathe feelings of generosity, benevolence and religious toleration".[65] A reference to the "undermining of native religions and customs" was, at her behest, replaced by a passage guaranteeing religious freedom.[66]
The title "Empress of India" was taken by Victoria from 1 May 1876, and proclaimed at theDelhi Durbar of 1877.Prime MinisterBenjamin Disraeli is usually credited with creating the title for her.[67] Victoria began learningHindi andPunjabi in 1867.
Widowhood
The Prince Consort, diagnosed withtyphoid fever, died on 14 December 1861, believed to be due to the primitive sanitary conditions at Windsor Castle. His death devastated Victoria, who was still affected by her mother's death in March of that year.[68] She entered a state ofmourning and wore black for the remainder of her life. She avoided public appearances, and rarely set foot in London in the following years. Her seclusion earned her the name "Widow of Windsor." She blamed her sonEdward, the Prince of Wales, for his father's death, since news of the Prince's poor conduct had come to his father in November, leading Prince Albert to travel to Cambridge to confront his son.[68]
Victoria's self-imposed isolation from the public greatly diminished the monarchy's popularity, and even encouraged the growth of the republican movement. She did undertake her official government duties, yet she also chose to remain secluded in her royal residences—Balmoral Castle in Scotland,Osborne House on theIsle of Wight, andWindsor Castle.[68]
As time went by, Victoria began to rely increasingly on a manservant from Scotland,John Brown.[68] A romantic connection and even a secret marriage have been alleged, but both charges are generally discredited. However, when Victoria's remains were laid in the coffin, two sets of mementos were placed with her, at her request. By her side was placed one of Albert's dressing gowns, while in her left hand was placed a piece of Brown's hair, along with a picture of him. It was learned in 2008 that Victoria's body wore the wedding ring of John Brown's mother, placed on her hand after her death.[69][citation needed] Rumours of an affair and marriage earned Victoria the nickname "Mrs Brown".[68] The story of their relationship was the subject of the 1997 movieMrs. Brown.[70]
Later years
Golden Jubilee and an assassination attempt

Victoria'sGolden Jubilee silverdouble florin, struck 1887.
In 1887, theBritish Empire celebrated Victoria'sGolden Jubilee. Victoria marked the fiftieth anniversary of her accession on 20 June with a banquet to which 50 European kings and princes were invited. Although she could not have been aware of it, there was a plan—ostensibly by Irishanarchists—to blow upWestminster Abbey. This assassination attempt, when it was discovered, became known as theJubilee Plot. On the next day, she participated in a procession that, in the words ofMark Twain, "stretched to the limit of sight in both directions". By this time, Victoria was once again an extremely popular monarch.[44]
Diamond Jubilee

Queen Victoria in herDiamond Jubilee photograph (London, 1897)
On 25 September 1896, Victoria surpassedGeorge III as the longest-reigning monarch in English, Scottish, and British history. The Queen requested all special public celebrations of the event to be delayed until 1897, to coincide with herDiamond Jubilee. TheColonial Secretary,Joseph Chamberlain, proposed that the Diamond Jubilee be made a festival of theBritish Empire.[57]
The Prime Ministers of all the self-governing dominions and colonies were invited. The Queen's Diamond Jubilee procession included troops from every British colony and dominion, together with soldiers sent by Indian princes and chiefs as a mark of respect to Victoria, the Empress of India. The Diamond Jubilee celebration was an occasion marked by great outpourings of affection for theseptuagenarian Queen. A service of thanksgiving was held outsideSt. Paul's Cathedral. Queen Victoria sat in her carriage throughout the service; she wore her usual black mourning dress trimmed with white lace.[23] Many trees were planted to celebrate the Jubilee, including 60 oak trees atHenley-on-Thames in the shape of aVictoria Cross.[71][72] The VC was introduced on 29 January 1856 by Queen Victoria to reward acts of valour during theCrimean War, and itsmodern Commonwealth variants remain to this day the highest British, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and Commonwealth awards for bravery.
Death and succession
Following a custom she maintained throughout her widowhood, Victoria spent the Christmas of 1900 atOsborne House on theIsle of Wight. She died there from acerebral haemorrhage on Tuesday 22 January 1901 at half past six in the evening,[73][74] at the age of 81. At her deathbed she was attended by her son, the future King, and her eldest grandson,German Emperor Wilhelm II. As she had wished, her own sons lifted her into the coffin. She was dressed in a white dress and her wedding veil, and the coffin was draped with theRoyal Standard that had been flying at Osborne House; it was later given by Victoria's grandson, George V, toVictoria College at theUniversity of Toronto.[75] Her funeral was held on Saturday 2 February, and after two days of lying-in-state, she was interred beside Prince Albert inFrogmore Mausoleum atWindsor Great Park. Since Victoria disliked black funerals, London was instead festooned in purple and white. When she was laid to rest at the mausoleum, it began to snow.[76]
Flags in the United States were lowered to half-mast in her honour by order of PresidentWilliam McKinley, a tribute never before offered to a foreign monarch at the time and one which was repaid by Britain when McKinley was assassinated later that year. Victoria had reigned for a total of 63 years, seven months and two days—the longest of any British monarch—and surpassed her grandfather, George III, as the longest-lived monarch (since surpassed byElizabeth II) only three days before her death.[77][78]
Victoria's death brought an end to the rule of theHouse of Hanover in theUnited Kingdom. Her husband belonged to the House ofSaxe-Coburg and Gotha, and her son and heirEdward VII was the firstBritish monarch of this new house.[13] Later, in 1917, her grandsonKing George V changed the house name from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to the (currently serving)House of Windsor.
Victoria outlived three of her nine children. Alice, who had inherited most of her mother's duties at the age of 18 after the death of her father, died in 1878. Leopold died in 1884 and Alfred died in July 1900, just six months before his mother.
Her eldest daughter,Victoria, narrowly outlived her, dying in August 1901 just over six months after her mother. Her last surviving child, Beatrice, died in 1944.
She outlived 11 of her 42 grandchildren (3 were stillborn, 6 died as children, and 2 as adults).[79]
Her last surviving grandchild,Princess Alice of Albany andCountess of Athlone, died on 3 January 1981 at the age of 97.[80]
Legacy
Within Britain

TheVictoria Memorial in front ofBuckingham Palace
Queen Victoria's reign marked the gradual establishment of a modernconstitutional monarchy. A series of legal reforms saw theHouse of Commons' power increase, at the expense of theHouse of Lords and the monarchy, with the monarch's role becoming gradually more symbolic. Since Victoria's reign the monarch has had only, inWalter Bagehot's words, "the right to be consulted, the right to advise, and the right to warn".[57]
As Victoria's monarchy became more symbolic than political, it placed a strong emphasis on morality and family values, in contrast to the sexual, financial and personal scandals that had been associated with previous members of the House of Hanover and which had discredited the monarchy. Victoria's reign created for Britain the concept of the "family monarchy" with which the burgeoning middle classes could identify.[13]
The sudden appearance ofhaemophilia in Victoria's descendants has led to suggestions that her true father was not the Duke of Kent but a haemophiliac. Victoria was the first known carrier ofhaemophilia in the royal line. Since no haemophiliacs were among her known ancestors, hers was either an instance of spontaneous mutation, or she was actually illegitimate, her father an unidentified haemophiliac male rather than the Duke of Kent.[81] Spontaneous mutations account for about 30% of all haemophilia A,[82] and haemophilia B cases.[83] There is no documentary evidence of a haemophiliac man in connection with Victoria's mother, and as male carriers always suffer the disease, even if such a man had existed he would have been seriously ill.[84]
Evidence indicates Victoria passed the gene on to two of her five daughters:Princess Alice andPrincess Beatrice. Her son,Prince Leopold, was affected by the disease. The most famous haemophilia victims among her descendants were her great-grandson,Alexei, Tsarevich of Russia, andAlfonso, Prince of Asturias andInfante Gonzalo of Spain, the eldest and youngest sons ofKing Alfonso XIII of Spain andQueen Victoria Eugenie (Victoria's granddaughter).[85]
Queen Victoria experienced unpopularity during the first years of her widowhood, but afterwards became extremely well-liked during the 1880s and 1890s. In 2002, the BBC conducted a poll regarding the100 Greatest Britons; Victoria attained the eighteenth place.[86]
The design of the Queen's head onthe first postage stamp was based upon the 1837 Wyon City medal engraved by a famous coin engraverWilliam Wyon. The design of Queen Victoria's head is based on a sitting when she was a princess aged 15.[87] Victoria also started the tradition that a bride wears a white dress to her wedding. Before Victoria's wedding a bride would wear her best dress of no particular colour.[88]
TheVictoria Memorial outside Buckingham Palace—which was erected as part of the remodelling of the façade of the Palace a decade after her death.
International Legacy

Map of theDominions under Queen Victoria at the end of the nineteenth century.
Internationally Victoria was a major figure, not just in image or in terms of Britain's influence through the empire, but also because of family links throughout Europe's royal families, earning her the affectionate nickname "the grandmother of Europe". Queen Victoria remains the most commemorated British monarch in history, with statues to her erected throughout the former territories of theBritish Empire. For example, three of the main monarchs with countries involved in the First World War on the opposing side were either grandchildren of Victoria's or married to a grandchild of hers. Eight of Victoria's nine children married members of European royal families, and the other,Princess Louise, married theMarquess of Lorne, a futureGovernor-General of Canada.[89]
Victoria and Albert had42 grandchildren and their current descendants number into the hundreds. As of 2009, the European monarchs and former monarchsdescended from Victoria are:Queen Elizabeth II (as well asher husband),King Harald V of Norway,King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden,Queen Margrethe II of Denmark,King Juan Carlos I of Spain (as well ashis wife), and the deposed kingsConstantine II of Greece (as well ashis wife) andMichael of Romania. Thepretenders to the thrones ofSerbia,Russia,Prussia and Germany,Saxe-Coburg and Gotha,Hanover,Hesse,Baden andFrance (Legitimist) are also descendants.[90]
Around the world, places and memorials are dedicated to Victoria, especially in the Commonwealth nations.
Hundreds of places in the world have beennamed after Victoria, includingcapital of the Seychelles,Africa's largest lake, andVictoria Falls.[57]
The capital of Gozo, an island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean was named after Victoria in 1887 by the British government on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee, at the request of the Bishop ofMalta, Mons. Sir Pietro Pace. However Gozitans still often refer to it by its old name, Rabat. There is also a Queen Victoria Statue in the heart ofValletta, Malta's capital.
The prominentVictoria Memorial stands inKolkata (Calcutta), and inBangalore the statue of the Queen stands at the beginning of MG Road, one of the city's major roads.[91] In the town ofCape Coast,Ghana, a bust of the Queen presides, rather forlornly, over a small park where goats graze around her.[13] InWellington, the capital of New Zealand, a statue toward the harbour from the centre of Kent and Cambridge Terraces.
In Hong Kong, a statue of Queen Victoria is located on the east side ofVictoria Park inCauseway Bay,Hong Kong Island. The statue once sat inStatue Square inCentral but was removed and sent to Tokyo to be destroyed at the time of Japanese occupation of the territory, during World War II. With Japan's defeat and subsequent retreat in 1945, The United Kingdom recovered Hong Kong, and the statue was retrieved and placed in the park.
In Pietermaritzburg, capital of the South African province of KwaZulu Natal, formerly the British colony of Natal before formation of the Union of South Africa, there is a statue of Victoria in front of the provincial legislature building, the former parliament building of the colony of Natal. There is also a statue of Queen Victoria in front of the South African Parliament.
Queen Victoria invited Martha Ann Ricks, on behalf ofLiberian AmbassadorEdward Wilmot Blyden, to Windsor Castle on 16 July 1892. Martha Ricks, a former slave from Tennessee, had saved her pennies for more than fifty years, to afford the voyage from Liberia to England to personally thank the Queen for sending the British navy to patrol the coast of West Africa to prevent slavers from exporting Africans for the slave trade. Martha Ricks shook hands with the Queen and presented her with a Coffee Tree quilt, which Queen Victoria later sent to the 1893World's Columbian Exposition for display. A mystery remains as to where the Coffee Tree quilt is today. The Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital inThe Gambia is also named after the Queen.[92]
Australia

Statue of Queen Victoria in front of Sydney's Queen Victoria Building

Queen Victoria Square and statue Sturt Street, Ballarat
Queen Victoria was prominent in the Australian colonies. Two Australian States (Victoria andQueensland) were named after her. Australia went through a period of rapid growth and great prosperity during her reign due primarily to theAustralian gold rushes.
Most of the large capital cities that prospered during the Victorian era feature prominent statues of Queen Victoria.Sydney, the capital city ofNew South Wales has several. There is one statue (re-sited from the forecourt of the Irish Parliament building in Dublin) dominating the southern entrance to theQueen Victoria Building that was named in her honour in 1898. Another Sydney statue of Queen Victoria stands in the forecourt of the Federal Court of Australia building on Macquarie Street, looking across the road to a statue of her husband, inscribed "Albert the Good". InMelbourne, the capital of Victoria, theQueen Victoria Gardens named after her also features a large memorial statue in marble and granite. InPerth, capital city of Western Australia a marble statue stands inKing's Park overlooking the city. InAdelaide, capital city of the state ofSouth Australia, the Queen Victoria Square, named after her also has a large statue of her;.[93] InBrisbane, capital city of the state of Queensland, there is a statue of her in Queens Square, also named for her;.[94]Ballarat, aboomtown in Victoria has a statue of Queen Victoria in the main street directly opposite its town hall. A small bust of the Queen is in the Queen Victoria Gardens inBurnt Pine, the largest town in the Australian territory ofNorfolk Island.
During her reign, Victoria appeared on several Australian postage stamps including those of the colonies of Victoria one penny (1850); New South Wales two pence (1851); South Australia two pence (1855);Van Diemens Land (Tasmania) two pence (1855); Queensland two pence (1860). Victoria has been commemorated on Australian stamps of 1950, 1953, 1955, 1960, 1999, 2000 as well as in stamps for the Australia territoriesChristmas Island (1958) andCocos (Keeling) Islands (1982).
There are numerous Australian roads named after Queen Victoria including numerous Victoria Streets in towns and cities across Australia, perhaps the most notable being Melbourne'sVictoria Parade. Queen Victoria Street inBexley andDrummoyne in Sydney, inNorth Fremantle and the town ofLeonora in Western Australia, andNewington, a suburb of Ballarat.
Canada

Statue of Victoria onParliament Hill.Ottawa, Canada.

Canadian 20 cent stamp 1893
Queen Victoria was prominent in Canada and the capitals of British Columbia (Victoria) and Saskatchewan (Regina) are named for Queen Victoria.
Victoria Day is a Canadian statutory holiday celebrated on the last Monday before or on 24 May in honour of both Queen Victoria's birthday and the current reigning Canadian Sovereign's birthday. While Victoria Day is often thought of as a purely Canadian event, it is also celebrated in some parts of Scotland, particularly inEdinburgh andDundee, where it is also a public holiday.[95]
Queen Victoria has featured on Canadian stamps, including theNova Scotia 1/2 cent stamp (1860) and the Canadian 20 cent stamp (1893).
Statues erected to Victoria are common in Canada, where her reign was coterminous with theconfederation of the country and the creation of several new provinces. A bas-relief image of Victoria is on the wall of the entrance to theCanadian Parliament, and her statue is in the Parliamentary library as well as on the grounds.[96]
Titles, styles, coat of arms and cypher
Royal styles of
Victoria of the United Kingdom

Reference styleHer Majesty
Spoken style Your Majesty
Alternative style Ma'am
Titles and styles
24 May 1819 – 20 June 1837: Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent[97] 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901: Her Majesty The Queen[97] 1 May 1876 – 22 January 1901: Her Imperial Majesty The Queen-Empress[97]
As the male-line granddaughter of aKing of Hanover, Victoria also bore the titles of Princess of Hanover and Duchess of Brunswick and Lunenburg. In addition, she held the titles of Princess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Duchess in Saxony etc. as the wife of Prince Albert.[97]
At the end of her reign, the Queen's full style and title were:
“ Her Majesty Victoria, by the Grace of God, of theUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Queen,Defender of the Faith, Empress of India.[98] ”
Coat of arms
Main article:Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom
As Victoria could not succeed to the throne of Hanover, the royal arms since 1837 have no longer carried Hanoverian symbols but just four quarters representing England, Scotland and Ireland. Victoria's arms have been borne by all of her successors on the throne, including the present Queen.
Outside Scotland, the shield of Victoria's coat of arms—also used on herRoyal Standard—was:
Quarterly:
I and IV, Gules, three lionspassantguardant in pale Or [ — for England] ;
II, Or, a lionrampant within a doubletressure flory-counter-flory Gules [ — for Scotland] ;
III, Azure, a harp Or stringed Argent [ — for Ireland].
[In heraldicblazon,Or is gold (or yellow),Gules is red,Azure is blue, andArgent is silver (or white).]
Within Scotland, the first and fourth quarters were taken by the Scottish lion, and the second by the English lions.The Lion and the Unicorn whosupported the shield also differed between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom.[99][100]
Royal Cypher
Victoria'sRoyal Cypher was the first to be used on a postbox. The letters are VR interlaced, standing for "Victoria Regina". Victoria eventually used the cypher VRI ("Victoria Regina Imperatrix") when she becameEmpress, but this never appeared on postboxes. Victoria's cypher was the only one to appear on postboxes without a crown above it.[100]

The Royal Arms in England, Wales and Ireland

The Royal Arms in Scotland

Queen Victoria'sRoyal Cypher
Ancestry
[show]Ancestors of Queen Victoria
16.George II of Great Britain
8.Frederick, Prince of Wales
17.Margravine Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach
4.George III of the United Kingdom
18.Frederick II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
9.Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha
19.Princess Magdalena Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst
2.Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn
20.Adolphus Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
10.Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Prince of Mirow
21.Princess Christiane Emilie of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
5.Duchess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
22.Ernest Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen
11.Princess Elizabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen
23.Countess Sophia Albertine of Erbach-Erbach
1. Victoria of the United Kingdom
24.Francis Josias, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
12.Ernest Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
25.Princess Anna Sophie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
6.Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
26.Ferdinand Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
13.Duchess Sophie Antoinette of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
27.Duchess Antoinette Amalie of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
3.Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
28.Heinrich XIX, Count of Reuss-Ebersdorf
14.Heinrich XXIV, Count of Reuss-Ebersdorf
29.Countess Sophia Dorothea of Castell-Castell
7.Countess Augusta of Reuss-Ebersdorf
30.George Augustus, Count of Erbach-Schönberg
15.Countess Karoline Ernestine of Erbach-Schönberg
31.Countess Ferdinande Henriette of Stolbert-Gedern
Children
See also:Grandchildren of Victoria and Albert andRoyal descendants of Queen Victoria and King Christian IX
[show]Portrait of Queen Victoria's family in 1846 byFranz Xaver Winterhalter

(from left to right:) PrincesAlfred andAlbert Edward; The Queen andthe Prince Consort; PrincessesAlice,Helena andVictoria
Name Birth Death Spouse (dates of birth & death) and children[98][101]
The Princess Victoria,
Princess Royal 184021 November
1840 19015 August
1901 Married 1858 (25 January),
Prussian Crown Prince Frederick, laterFrederick III, German Emperor and King of Prussia (1831–1888);
4 sons, 4 daughters
(includingGerman Emperor William II
andSophia of Prussia, Queen of the Greeks)
The Prince Albert Edward,
Prince of Wales,
laterKing Edward VII 18419 November
1841 19106 May
1910 Married 1863 (10 March),
Princess Alexandra of Denmark (1844–1925);
3 sons, 3 daughters
(includingKing George V
andMaud of Wales, Queen of Norway)
The Princess Alice 184325 April
1843 187814 December
1878 Married 1862 (1 July),
Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine (1837–1892);
2 sons, 5 daughters
(includingAlexandra, the last Empress of All the Russias)
The Prince Alfred,
Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
andDuke of Edinburgh;
Admiral of the Fleet 18446 August
1844 190031 July
1900 Married 1874 (23 January),
Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia
(1853–1920);
2 sons (1still-born), 4 daughters
(includingMarie of Edinburgh, Queen of Romania)
The Princess Helena 184625 May
1846 19239 June
1923 Married 1866 (5 July),
Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg (1831–1917);
4 sons (1still-born), 2 daughters
The Princess Louise 184818 March
1848 19393 December
1939 Married 1871 (21 March),
John Douglas Sutherland Campbell (1845–1914),
Marquess of Lorne, later 9thDuke of Argyll,
alsoGovernor-General of Canada (1878–83);
no issue
The Prince Arthur,
Duke of Connaught and Strathearn;
Field Marshal,
Governor General of Canada (1911–1916) 18501 May
1850 194216 January
1942 Married 1879 (13 March),
Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia (1860–1917);
1 son, 2 daughters
The Prince Leopold,
Duke of Albany 18537 April
1853 188428 March
1884 Married 1882 (27 April),
Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont (1861–1922);
1 son, 1 daughter
The Princess Beatrice 185714 April
1857[102] 1944 26 October
1944 Married 1885 (23 July),
Prince Henry of Battenberg (1858–1896);
3 sons, 1 daughter
(includingVictoria Eugenie, Queen of Spain)
See also
British Royalty
House of Hanover

George III
Grandchildren
Charlotte, Princess Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
Princess Elizabeth of Clarence
Victoria
George V, King of Hanover
George, Duke of Cambridge
Augusta, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck
Victoria
Cultural depictions of Victoria of the United KingdomList of coupled cousinsSmall diamond crown of Queen VictoriaVictoria and Albert MuseumAbdul Karim, Queen Victoria'sMunshi
Notes and references
^ Carolly Erickson (1997). Her Little Majesty: The Life of Queen Victoria. Simon & Schuster.ISBN 0-7432-3657-2. ^ Woodham-Smith, p. 29^ Woodham-Smith, pp. 34–35^ Woodham-Smith, p. 81^ Woodham-Smith, p. 126^ Mike Mahoney."Queen Victoria". Englishmonarchs.co.uk.http://www.englishmonarchs.co.uk/hanover_6.htm. Retrieved 1 May 2010. ^Charles Greville's diary, vol. II, p. 194 and vol. IV, p. 199, quoted in Woodham-Smith, pp. 70–72^ Memorandum dictated byCharles, Prince of Leiningen, toPrince Albert's librarian, Dr Praetorius, "A complete History of the Policy followed at Kensington, under Sir John Conroy's guidance", 1840,Royal Archives M7/67 and Add. V2, quoted in Woodham-Smith, pp. 63–65 ^abc Lacey, Robert (2006). Great Tales from English History, Volume 3. London: Little, Brown, and Company. pp. 133–136.ISBN 0-316-11459-6. ^ Woodham-Smith, pp. 68–69, 91 ^ab Weintraub, pp. 43–49^ Weintraub, pp. 43–49; Woodham-Smith, p. 117 ^abcde Marshall, pp. 16–154^ Victoria quoted in Weintraub, p. 49^ Victoria quoted in Weintraub, p. 49 and Woodham-Smith, p. 119^ Victoria's journal, October 1835, quoted in Woodham-Smith, p. 104^ Weintraub, p. 51; Woodham-Smith, p. 122^ Weintraub, pp. 53, 58, 64, and 65^ St. Aubyn, pp. 55–60; Woodham-Smith, p. 138^ Ernest Llewellyn Woodward (1962). The age of reform, 1815–1870. Oxford University Press. p. 103.ISBN 0198217110. ^"Buckingham Palace". The Royal Family.http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page555.asp. Retrieved 14 September 2008. ^ Packard, pp. 14–15 ^ab Hibbert, pp. 16–78^ Woodham-Smith, pp. 164–166^ Woodham-Smith, p. 164^ Victoria's journal, 25 April 1838, quoted in Woodham-Smith, p. 162^ Woodham-Smith, pp. 162, 165^ Woodham-Smith, p. 167^ Woodham-Smith, p. 180^ Woodham-Smith, p. 169^ Hibbert, pp. 16–78; Woodham-Smith, pp. 170–174^ Woodham-Smith, p. 175^ Weintraub, p. 62^ Weintraub, pp. 77–81^"Prince Albert (1819–1861)". BBC.http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/albert_prince.shtml. Retrieved 19 September 2008. ^ Woodham-Smith, vol. 1, p. 100 ^abcd St. Aubyn, pp. 161–165^ Michael Diamond (2003). Victorian sensation. Anthem Press.ISBN 1-84331-150-X.OCLC 57519212. ^ Woodham-Smith, p. 213^Queen Victoria and the Princess Royal. Royal Collection.http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/eGallery/object.asp?searchText=2931317%2Ec&x=5&y=15&object=2931317c&row=0&detail=about. Retrieved 30 July 2010 ^"Treason Act 1842 (c.51) – Statute Law Database". Statutelaw.gov.uk. [16 July 1842].http://www.statutelaw.gov.uk/content.aspx?activeTextDocId=1034300. Retrieved 18 September 2008. ^ Steve Poole (2000). The Politics of Regicide in England, 1760–1850: Troublesome Subjects. Manchester University Press. pp. 199–203.ISBN 0719050359.OCLC 222735433 44915199 47352204 59575274 185769902 222735433 44915199 47352204 59575274. ^ Woodham-Smith, pp. 221–222 ^abcd St. Aubyn, pp. 9–27^ Woodham-Smith, pp. 242, 250^ Woodham-Smith, p. 248^ Woodham-Smith, pp. 282–284^ Woodham-Smith, pp. 287–290^ Woodham-Smith, pp. 354–355^1855 visit of Victoria to Versailles^Napoleon III Receiving Queen Victoria at Cherbourg, 5 August 1858^"Third Attack on American Presidents" (PDF). New York Times. 7 September 1901.http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9B07E0DF1E39EF32A25754C0A96F9C946097D6CF&oref=slogin. Retrieved 24 March 2008. ^ David Ross (2002). Ireland: History of a Nation. New Lanark: Geddes & Grosset. p. 268.ISBN 1842051644.OCLC 52945911. ^ Pope Pius IX."Multitext – Private Responses to the Famine". Multitext.ucc.ie.http://multitext.ucc.ie/d/Private_Responses_to_the_Famine3344361812. Retrieved 18 September 2008. ^ Kenny M., Crown and Shamrock – love and hate between Ireland and the British Monarchy, New Island, 2009 ^ab"Victoria (queen of United Kingdom)". Encyclopædia Britannica.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/627603/Victoria. Retrieved 14 September 2008.  ^abcdef St. Aubyn,[page needed]^ Maud Gonne's 1900 article upon Queen Victoria's visit to Ireland was entitled this^"Famine Queen row in Irish port". BBC News. 15 April 2003.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/2951395.stm. Retrieved 9 April 2010. ^Dublin 1853 Main Hall – A Treasury of World's Fair Art & Architecture^ Kenny M., 'Crown and Shamrock – love and hate between Ireland and the British Monarchy',(2009),New Island Press^ Midleton, William St. John Fremantle Brodrick Midleton, William St. John Fremantle Brodrick (1932). Ireland-dupe or Heroine. William Heinemann. ^ Hibbert, pp. 249–250; Woodham-Smith, pp. 384–385^ Woodham-Smith, p. 386^ Hibbert, p. 251; Woodham-Smith, p. 386^ Hibbert, p. 251; Woodham-Smith, p. 386^"History of the Monarchy, Victoria". Royal.gov.uk.http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page118.asp. Retrieved 1 May 2010.  ^abcde Marshall,[page needed]^"Queen Victoria's sex life exposed (Royal Watch News)". Monsters and Critics.com. 30 May 2008.http://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/royalwatch/news/article_1408421.php/Queen_Victorias_sex_life_exposed. ^"Mrs. Brown (1997)". Rotten Tomatoes.http://uk.rottentomatoes.com/m/mrs_brown/. Retrieved 19 September 2008. ^"Special trees and woods – Henley Cross | The Chilterns AONB". Chilternsaonb.org.http://www.chilternsaonb.org/caring/stwp_site_details.asp?siteID=585&frommap=truein. Retrieved 18 September 2008. ^"Google Maps".http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Henley-on-Thames&sll=51.535552,-0.893841&sspn=0.018232,0.05652&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Henley-on-Thames,+Bell+Street,+Henley-on-Thames,+Oxfordshire+RG9+2,+United+Kingdom&t=h&ll=51.551873,-0.913314&spn=0.005417,0.016512&z=17. Retrieved 28 April 2010. ^"Calendar for year 1901". Gazzetes-Online.co.uk.http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/index.html?year=1901&country=1. Retrieved 23 August 2008. ^"Supplement to The London Gazette". London Gazette. 23 January 1901.http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/ViewPDF.aspx?pdf=27270. Retrieved 23 August 2008. [dead link]^ Rynor, F. Michah (2001)."Royal Gems". UofT Magazine (Toronto: University of Toronto) (Winter 2001).http://www.magazine.utoronto.ca/looking-back/founding-of-victoria-college-royal-gems/. Retrieved 3 October 2009. ^ St. Aubyn, p. 600^ Hamilton, Alan (21 December 2007)."The record-breaking age of Elizabeth, longest-lived monarch to reign over us". The Times (London).http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3080583.ece. Retrieved 14 September 2008. ^"History of the Monarchy > Hanoverians > Victoria". The Royal Family.http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page118.asp. Retrieved 13 September 2008. ^"Grieving a grown-up child". BBC News. 15 February 2002.http://news.google.co.uk/archivesearch/url?sa=t&source=archive&ct=res&cd=5-0&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.bbc.co.uk%2F1%2Flow%2Fuk%2F1820374.stm&ei=JzLNSJqkOpeC3QbNytRq&usg=AFQjCNGHVO8irqyKbf57waEJem-58ewkXg. Retrieved 14 September 2008. [dead link]^[1]^ Potts and Potts,[page needed]^"Hemophilia A (Factor VIII Deficiency)".http://www.hemophilia.org/NHFWeb/MainPgs/MainNHF.aspx?menuid=179&contentid=45&rptname=bleeding. Retrieved 20 June 2010. ^"Hemophilia B (Factor IX)".http://www.hemophilia.org/NHFWeb/MainPgs/MainNHF.aspx?menuid=181&contentid=46&rptname=bleeding. Retrieved 20 June 2010. ^ "In the Blood".Jones, Steve.In the Blood.BBC. 1996.^ Daniel L. Hartl, Elizabeth W. Jones (2005). Genetics. Jones & Bartlett.ISBN 9780763715113.OCLC 55044495. ^ Wells, Matt (22 August 2002)."The 100 greatest Britons: lots of pop, not so much circumstance". The Guardian (London).http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2002/aug/22/britishidentityandsociety.television. Retrieved 14 September 2008. ^"A Royal Icon – The Machin Stamp". Postal Heritage.http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache:ReXbbK72LRYJ:postalheritage.org.uk/exhibitions/icons/downloads/Teachers_notes_MachinStamp.pdf+Teachers+Notes+Machin+Stamp&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=uk&client=firefox-a. Retrieved 14 September 2008. ^ Newell, Claire (9 April 2006)."Here comes the scarlet bride". The Times (London).http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article703537.ece. Retrieved 14 September 2008. ^ Martin J. Daunton, Bernhard Rieger (2001). Meanings of Modernity. Berg Publishers.ISBN 9781859734025.OCLC 238671662 45647912 46737764 186477900 238671662 45647912 46737764. ^ Elizabeth Longford (1965). Queen Victoria: Born to Succeed. Harper & Row. ^"Striving for musical freedom". Deccan Herald.http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Aug212008/metrothurs2008082085629.asp. Retrieved 14 September 2008. [dead link]^ Kyra E. Hicks (2006). Martha Ann's Quilt for Queen Victoria. Brown Books Publishing Group.ISBN 978-1933285597.OCLC 70866874. ^"Adelaide – Statues and Memorials". State Library South Australia.http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/manning/adelaide/statues/statues.htm. Retrieved 14 September 2008. ^"Valour of the visionary". The Australian. 21 July 2008.http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24048837-16947,00.html. Retrieved 14 September 2008. ^ Hepburn, Bob (15 May 2008)."Let's get rid of Victoria Day". The Toronto Star.http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/425517. Retrieved 14 September 2008. ^ Taylor, Bill (17 May 2008)."Sun never sets on Queen Victoria statues". The Toronto Star.http://www.thestar.com/article/425461. Retrieved 14 September 2008.  ^abcd Greg Taylor, Nicholas Economou (2006). The Constitution of Victoria. Federation Press. pp. 72–74.ISBN 9781862876125.OCLC 81948853.  ^abWhitaker's Almanack, 1900, Facsimile Reprint 1999 (ISBN 0-11-702247-0), p. 86^ Greg Taylor, Nicholas Economou (2006). The Constitution of Victoria. Federation Press. p. 19.ISBN 9781862876125.OCLC 81948853.  ^ab Stephen Patterson (1996). Royal Insignia. Merrell Holberton.ISBN 9781858940250.OCLC 243897335 37141041 185677084 243897335 37141041. ^Whitaker's Almanack, 1993, Concise Edition, (ISBN 0-85021-232-4), pp. 134–136^ Victoria was 37 years and 326 days at the time of the birth of Beatrice, her youngest child. This is two days older thanQueen Elizabeth II was at the time of the birth ofPrince Edward in 1964. Victoria remains the oldest English or British Queen Regnant to have given birth.
Bibliography
Auchincloss, Louis. Persons of Consequence: Queen Victoria and Her Circle. Random House, 1979.ISBN 0-394-50427-5 Benson, Arthur Christopher & Esher (Viscount). The Letters of Queen Victoria: A Selection From Her Majesty's Correspondence Between The Years 1837 and 1861. John Murray, 1908 Cecil, Algernon. Queen Victoria and Her Prime Ministers. Eyre and Spottiswode, 1953. Eilers, Marlene A. Queen Victoria's Descendants. 2d enlarged & updated ed. Falköping, Sweden: Rosvall Royall Books, 1997.ISBN 0-8063-1202-5 Hibbert, Christopher. Queen Victoria: A Personal History. Harper Collins Publishing, 2000. Hicks, Kyra E. "Martha Ann's Quilt for Queen Victoria". Brown Books, 2007.ISBN 978-1-933285-59-7 Kirwn, Anna. "The royal diaries; Victoria. May blossom of Britannia" Scholastic Inc. New York, 2001Longford, Elizabeth Victoria R.I. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1998.ISBN 0-297-84142-4. Marshall, Dorothy. The Life and Times of Queen Victoria. George Weidenfeld and Nicolson Ltd, 1972. Packard, Jerrold M. Victoria's Daughters. St. Martin's Press, 1998.ISBN 0 312 24496 7 Potts, D. M. & W. T. W. Potts. Queen Victoria's Gene: Haemophilia and the Royal Family. Alan Sutton, 1995.ISBN 0-7509-1199-9 St. Aubyn, Giles. Queen Victoria: A Portrait. Sinclair-Stevenson, 1991.ISBN 1 85619 086 2Strachey, Lytton. Queen Victoria. Londres, Chatto et Windus Publishers, 1921.ISBN 2-228-88610-6 Waller, Maureen, "Sovereign Ladies: Sex, Sacrifice, and Power. The Six Reigning Queens of England". St. Martin's Press, New York, 2006.ISBN 0-312-33801-5Weintraub, Stanley (1997) Albert: Uncrowned King London: John Murray.ISBN 0719557569Woodham-Smith, Cecil (1972) Queen Victoria: Her Life and Times, London: Hamish Hamilton,ISBN 0241022002
External links
Wikisource has original works written by or about:Queen Victoria
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:Queen Victoria
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:Queen Victoria
Works by Queen Victoria atarchive.orgThe Death of Queen Victoria Original reports from The TimesQueen Victoria Memorial Page atFind a GraveHistorica’s Heritage Minute video docudrama “Responsible Government.”(Adobe Flash Player.)Archival material relating to Queen Victoria listed at the UKNational Register of ArchivesHistorical Images of Slough Railway Station Queen Victoria's first rail journeyHistorical Images of Constitution Hill, London. Scene of failed assassinations on Queen VictoriaHistorical Images of Osborne House one of the royal residences held by Queen VictoriaImages of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee at Westminster AbbeyHistorical Images of The Royal Mausoleum at Frogmore which Victoria ordered to be built following the death of Prince Albert
Queen Victoria
House of Hanover
Cadet branch of theHouse of Welf
Born: 24 May 1819 Died: 22 January 1901
Regnal titles
Preceded by
William IVQueen of the United Kingdom
20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901 Succeeded by
Edward VII
Vacant Title last held by
Bahadur Shah II
asMughal emperorEmpress of India
1 May 1876 – 22 January 1901
British royalty
Preceded by
Prince William, Duke of ClarenceHeir to the throne
asheiress presumptive
26 June 1830 – 20 June 1837 Succeeded by
Ernest Augustus I of Hanover
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The generations indicate descent fromGeorge I, who formalised the use of the titles prince and princess for members of the British Royal Family. Where a princess may have been or is descended from George I more than once, her most senior descent, by which she bore or bears her title, is used.
1st generation
Sophia, Queen in Prussia
2nd generation
Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange ·The Princess Amelia ·The Princess Caroline ·Mary, Landgravine of Hesse-Cassel ·Louise, Queen of Denmark and Norway
3rd generation
Augusta, Duchess of Brunswick ·Princess Elizabeth ·Princess Louisa ·Caroline Matilda, Queen of Denmark and Norway
4th generation
Charlotte, Queen of Württemberg ·The Princess Augusta Sophia ·Elizabeth, Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg ·Sophia of Gloucester · Caroline of Gloucester ·Mary, Duchess of Gloucester ·The Princess Sophia ·The Princess Amelia
5th generation
Charlotte Augusta, Princess Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld · Frederica of Hanover ·Charlotte of Clarence ·Victoria ·Elizabeth of Clarence ·Augusta, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz ·Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck
6th generation
Victoria, Princess Royal and German Empress ·Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse ·Helena, Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein ·Frederica, Baroness Alfons von Pawel-Rammingen ·Louise, Duchess of Argyll ·Marie of Cumberland ·Beatrice, Princess Henry of Battenberg
7th generation
Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife ·The Princess Victoria ·Maud, Queen of Norway ·Marie, Queen of Romania ·Victoria Melita, Grand Duchess of Hesse ·Alexandra, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg ·Marie Louise, Princess Maximilian of Baden ·Margaret, Crown Princess of Sweden ·Alexandra, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin ·Alice, Countess of Athlone ·Beatrice, Duchess of Galliera ·Olga of Hanover ·Patricia of Connaught
8th generation
Alexandra, Duchess of Fife ·Maud, Countess of Southesk ·Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood ·Sibylla, Duchess of Västerbotten ·Caroline Mathilde of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha ·Frederica, Queen of the Hellens
9th generation
Elizabeth II ·Margaret, Countess of Snowdon ·Alexandra, The Hon Lady Ogilvy
10th generation
Anne, Princess Royal
11th Generation
Beatrice of York ·Eugenie of York ·Lady Louise Windsor
[show]v • d • e
Hanoverian princesses by birth
1st GenerationCharlotte, Queen of Württemberg* ·The Princess Augusta Sophia* ·Elizabeth, Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg* ·Mary, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh* ·The Princess Sophia* ·The Princess Amelia*
2nd Generation
Charlotte Augusta, Princess Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld* ·Princess Frederica* ·Princess Charlotte* ·Victoria of the United Kingdom* ·Princess Elizabeth* ·Augusta, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz* ·Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck*
3rd Generation
Frederica, Baroness Alfons von Pawel-Rammingen* ·Princess Marie*
4th Generation
Marie Louise, Princess Maximilian of Baden* ·Alexandra, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin* ·Princess Olga*
5th Generation
Frederica, Queen of the Hellenes*
6th Generation
Marie, Countess of Hochberg ·Princess Frederica, Mrs. Jerry Cyr ·Princess Olga ·Alexandra, Princess of Leiningen ·Princess Caroline-Louise ·Princess Mireille
7th Generation
Princess Saskia, Mrs. Edward Hooper ·Princess Vera, Mrs. Manuel Dmoch ·Princess Nora, Mrs. Christian Falk ·Princess Alexandra ·Princess Eugenia
* alsoprincess of theUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
[show]v • d • e
Princesses of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, duchesses in Saxony by marriage
1st generationDuchess Marie of Württemberg  ·Maria Antonia, Princess of Kohary* ·Princess Louise of Orléans
2nd generationPrincess Alexandrine of Baden ·Victoria of the United Kingdom ·Maria II of Portugal ·Princess Clémentine of Orléans ·Archduchess Marie Henriette of Austria** ·Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen**
3rd generationPrincess Alexandra of Denmark*** ·Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia*** ·Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia*** ·Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont*** ·Princess Louise-Marie of Belgium ·Princess Leopoldina of Brazil ·Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria**
4th generationPrincess Mary of Teck*** ·Alexandra, Duchess of Fife*** ·Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg*** ·Archduchess Karoline Marie of Austria · Princess Mathilde of Bavaria
5th generationCountess Viktoria-Luise of Solms-Baruth · Denyse Henriette de Muralt^  · Johanna Károlyi de Károly-Patty^ · Edith de Kózolne^
6th generation Carin Dabelstein^ · Freiin Gabrielle of Fürstenberg ·Princess Mathilde of Saxony
7th generation Kelly Rondesvedt^
* princess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld by marriage until 1826
** also a princess of Belgium by marriage
*** also aprincess by marriage of theUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
^ did not have a royal or noble title by birth

Persondata
NAME Queen Victoria
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Alexandrina Victoria
SHORT DESCRIPTIONQueen of theUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and the firstEmpress of India from 1 May 1876, until her death on 22 January 1901. The period centred on her reign is known as theVictorian era.
DATE OF BIRTH 24 May 1819
PLACE OF BIRTHKensington Palace, London, England
DATE OF DEATH 22 January 1901
PLACE OF DEATHOsborne House,Isle of Wight, England
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria"
Categories:Victoria of the United Kingdom |Women of the Victorian era |Empresses regnant |Monarchs of the United Kingdom |Monarchs of Australia |Heads of state of Canada |Heads of state of New Zealand |Protestant monarchs |Queens regnant in the British Isles |House of Hanover |Indian empresses |Indian monarchs |British princesses |English diarists |Attempted assassination survivors |Founders of English schools and colleges |People from Kensington |Deaths from cerebral hemorrhage |1819 births |1901 deaths |19th-century monarchs in Europe |19th-century female rulers |People associated with the Royal National College for the Blind |Dames Grand Cordon of the Order of the White Elephant