10 things you might not know about Queen Victoria
On the 200th anniversary of Queen Victoria’s birth, here are some facts you might not know about the long-reigning monarch.
1. Her name was actually Alexandrina Victoria and her childhood nickname was Drina, but she ruled as Victoria, which she is said to have preferred.
Queen Victoria was the first sovereign to rule from #BuckinghamPalace in 1837. https://t.co/GiZLwJlMTE#VictoriasPalacepic.twitter.com/m1okkuOsW6
— RoyalCollectionTrust (@RCT) May 13, 2019
2. When it looked likely she would become the heiress presumptive, her childhood became governed by a series of strict rules called the Kensington System.
3. She was kept under constant surveillance and isolated from the company of other children at the instruction of her mother the Duchess of Kent and her father’s former equerry John Conroy.
4. Victoria was forbidden from taking part in the scandalous new dance called the waltz. She would never waltz until married to Prince Albert.
Today in 1840: Queen Victoria marries Prince Albert. The couple first met at #KensingtonPalace. Discover their story https://t.co/iFQOjhzIHlpic.twitter.com/7LPMrJXexp
— Historic Royal Palaces (@HRP_palaces) February 10, 2017
5. She wed her first cousin Albert at the age of 20 after falling deeply in love with him.
#QueenVictoria & Prince Albert were married #OTD in 1840, in the Chapel Royal of St James's Palace. Sir George Hayter portrays the royal couple at the moment of joining hands. The Queen sat for Hayter in March in her 'Bridal dress, veil, wreath & all'. https://t.co/gL7BegFDS3pic.twitter.com/Gs34pluTvF
— RoyalCollectionTrust (@RCT) February 10, 2019
6. The couple had nine children but Victoria was not a doting mother and thought it was her duty to be “severe”. She loathed being pregnant.
Queen Victoria did not nurture a romantic view of pregnancy and child birth. #VictoriaITVpic.twitter.com/7yjilNmo7a
— Historic Royal Palaces (@HRP_palaces) October 9, 2016
7. In 1857, Queen Victoria was so shocked by Michelangelo’s nude statue of David that a fig leaf was made and used to cover up the sculpture.
8. She insisted on having all windows open, even in winter.
9. There were eight assassination attempts on Queen Victoria’s life.
10. When she died in 1901 at the age of 81 after a period of ill health, no proper plans were in place for her funeral. The complex arrangements – including transporting Victoria’s body across the Solent from the Isle of Wight and a military procession through London – had to be organised from scratch in 10 days.