Nonetheless, here are ten fascinating facts about Queen Victoria that might surprise you.

1. Victoria was not meant to become Queen

When she was born, Victoria was fifth in line to the throne. Her grandfather was King George III. His first son and heir to the throne, George IV, had a daughter named Princess Charlotte.

Portrait of Victoria aged four by Stephen Poyntz Denning, (1823).

Charlotte died in 1817 due to complications during childbirth. This led to panic about who would succeed George IV. His younger brother William IV took the throne, but failed to produce an heir. The next youngest brother was Prince Edward. Prince Edward died in 1820, but he had a daughter: Victoria. Victoria thus became Queen upon the death of her uncle, William IV.

2. Victoria kept a journal

Victoria began writing in a journal in 1832 when she was just 13 years old. This was where she shared all of her thoughts, feelings, and secrets. She described her coronation, her political views, and her relationship with her husband, Prince Albert.

By the time of her death, Victoria had written 43,000 pages. Queen Elizabeth II digitised the surviving volumes of Victoria’s journals.

3. Victoria moved the royals to Buckingham Palace

Before Victoria ascended the throne, British royals had lived at various residences, including St James’s Palace, Windsor Castle, and Kensington Palace. Yet, three weeks after inheriting the crown, Victoria moved into Buckingham Palace.

She was the first sovereign to rule from the palace. The palace was renovated and continues to serve as personal and symbolic home to the sovereign today.

4. Victoria was the first to wear white on her wedding day

The dress that started it all: Victoria marrying Prince Albert wearing a white wedding dress.

Women typically wore their favourite dresses on their wedding day, regardless of its colour. Yet, Victoria opted to wear a white satin and laced gown. She accessorised with an orange blossom wreath, a diamond necklace and earrings, and a sapphire brooch. This began a tradition of white wedding dresses that continues today.

5. Victoria is known as the ‘Grandmother of Europe’

Victoria and Albert had nine children. Many of their sons and daughters married into European monarchies to strengthen allegiances and British influence.

They had 42 grandchildren in royal families throughout Europe, such as Britain, Germany, Spain, Norway, Russia, Greece, Sweden, and Romania. The warring leaders in World War One were Victoria’s grandchildren!

6. Victoria spoke many languages

As her mother was German, Victoria grew up speaking fluent German and English. She had a strict education and learnt to speak some French, Italian, and Latin.

When Victoria was older, she began to learn Hindustani. She developed a close friendship with her Indian servant, Abdul Karim, who taught her some phrases so that she could speak with her servants.

7. Victoria mourned Albert for almost 40 years

Albert died in December 1861, when Victoria was just 42 years old. After his death she wore only black to reflect her deep mourning and sadness. She withdrew from her public duties. This began to affect Victoria’s reputation, as people began to lose patience.

She eventually returned to her royal duties in the 1870s, but continued to mourn for Albert until her death.

8. She was a carrier of the royal disease

Victoria was a carrier of haemophilia, a rare inherited disease that prevents blood from clotting. The condition has appeared in many European royal families that trace their lineage to Victoria. Victoria’s son Leopold had the condition and died after a fall triggered a cerebral haemorrhage.

9. Victoria survived assassination attempts

There were at least six attempts on Victoria’s life. The first attempt was in June 1840, when Edward Oxford tried to shoot Victoria whilst she and Albert were on an evening carriage ride. She survived further attempts that took place in 1842, 1949, 1850, and 1872.

10. There lots of places around the world named after Victoria

Cities, towns, schools and parks are just some of the places named after Victoria. The queen inspired Lake Victoria in Kenya, Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Victoria Park in Bhavnagar, India. Canada named two of its cities after her (Regina and Victoria), while Australia named two of its states after the monarch (Queensland and Victoria).

From the pomp and ceremony of Westminster Abbey to the unusual events and happenings, here is a brief history of coronations in the UK.

William the Conqueror (1066)

On Christmas Day, 1066, William the Conqueror was crowned as the King of England in Westminster Abbey after his victory at the Battle of Hastings. This was the first coronation ceremony held in England, and it set the precedent for all future coronations. The coronation was an important event for William, as it marked his claim to the English throne and helped to establish his legitimacy as king.

The ceremony was conducted by the Archbishop of York, as the Archbishop of Canterbury was in exile at the time, and it included a solemn procession, the anointing of the king with holy oil, and the presentation of a crown.

The coronation took place during a tense time, as the ruling classes had been ousted by the Normans. However, during the acclamation and recognition ceremony outside Westminster Abbey, Norman soldiers who were not familiar with the ceremony became alarmed by the cheering and shouting coming from inside.

This misunderstanding led to pandemonium, as the soldiers thought foul play was at hand. They began attacking people and setting fire to some buildings, causing a riot. Almost everybody except the monks and churchmen left the abbey in a panic and started putting out the fires due to this epic misunderstanding.

King Richard I (1189)

Richard I, also known as Richard the Lionheart, was crowned as the King of England in Westminster Abbey on 3 September 1189, just days after he had ordered the massacre of thousands of Jewish people in England.

Many people, including church officials, were outraged by Richard’s actions and felt that he was not fit to be king. Nevertheless, the coronation proceeded as planned, and Richard went on to become one of England’s most legendary monarchs.

When a group of Jewish people arrived at Westminster Hall to present Richard with gifts, they were stopped by a crowd of Christians, an incident that sparked antisemitic riots which spread from the city of London into the eastern counties of England. Jewish communities were attacked, and their homes and businesses were destroyed. Many Jewish people were forced to seek refuge in castles and churches for protection.

Portrait of King Henry VIII, half-length, wearing a richly embroidered red velvet surcoat, holding a staff, 1542

Image Credit: Workshop of Hans Holbein the Younger, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

King Henry VIII (1509)

The coronation of King Henry VIII on 24 June 1509 was notable for its grandeur and extravagance, with the king and his queen, Catherine of Aragon, wearing lavish robes and jewels. Henry VIII was just 18 years old at the time and had recently ascended to the throne following the death of his father, Henry VII.

The coronation was a lavish affair, with Henry riding on a horse decked in gold through the streets of London, and a coronation banquet famously described at the time as being “greater than any Caesar had known”.

One of the most notable aspects of Henry VIII’s coronation was his decision to break with tradition by wearing a crown of gold rather than the traditional crown of St. Edward. He also had a new sceptre made for the occasion, known as the ‘sceptre with the dove’. These changes were seen as a symbol of Henry’s desire to break away from the past and establish himself as a powerful and independent monarch.

Queen Elizabeth I (1559)

Queen Elizabeth I was the first Protestant queen to be crowned in England, and her coronation was a triumph for the Protestant Reformation in England. The ceremony was held in Westminster Abbey on 15 January 1559, and it included many of the traditional elements of a coronation ceremony. However, there were some notable differences, such as the absence of a bishop to anoint the queen with holy oil, which was seen as a break with tradition.

At the age of just 18, Queen Victoria’s coronation marked the beginning of a new era of British power and prosperity. The ceremony was attended by thousands of people, and it was estimated that over 400,000 spectators lined the streets of London to catch a glimpse of the new queen.

Despite her youth and inexperience, Queen Victoria’s coronation was a resounding success. The ceremony was conducted with great pomp and pageantry, and it included many traditional elements, such as the anointing of the queen with holy oil and the presentation of the symbols of office.

However, there were also some notable departures from tradition, such as the fact that the queen refused to wear the imperial crown. Instead, she chose to wear a smaller, lighter crown that was more suited to her delicate frame. This decision was seen as a sign of her humility and her determination to rule in a more modern and accessible way.

Queen Elizabeth II (1953)

The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 2 1953 marked the beginning of a new era for the country as it emerged from the devastation of World War Two. The ceremony itself was steeped in tradition, with many of the same elements that had been part of previous coronations with Elizabeth wearing a robe made of gold cloth and a crown that had been made for the coronation of her father, King George VI.

Queen Elizabeth II wearing her Coronation robes and regalia, June 1953

Image Credit: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was the first British coronation to be televised, with an estimated audience of over 27 million people in the UK alone. The broadcast was also viewed by millions of people across the Commonwealth and the world, making it one of the most-watched television events in history.

During her long reign, Victoria met all of the tsars whose sovereignty coincided with her own: Nicholas I, Alexander II, Alexander III and Nicholas II. What she did not envisage was that some of the Romanovs would marry into her own close family and that one of her granddaughters would occupy what she called “this thorny throne”.

Yet her empire and country would always come before family connections. Here’s the history of Queen Victoria’s strained relationship with the Romanov tsars of Russia.

Queen Victoria’s unfortunate aunt Julie

In 1795, Russia’s Catherine the Great chose the attractive Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld to make an arranged marriage with her grandson, Grand Duke Constantine.

Juliane was 14 years old, Constantine 16. Constantine was sadistic, coarse and brutal, and by 1802 Juliane had fled Russia. Stories about Julie’s treatment soured Victoria’s relations with the Romanovs.

Bowled over by a grand duke

Victoria became Queen in 1837. Two years later, Tsar Nicholas I sent his heir Tsarevich Alexander to England. Despite reservations about meeting him, Victoria was bowled over by the handsome Alexander during balls at Buckingham Palace.

“I really am quite in love with the Grand Duke,” the twenty-year-old Queen wrote. But the Tsar quickly summoned his heir home: there could be no question of a marriage between the Queen of England and the heir to the Russian throne.

Nicholas I

In 1844, Tsar Nicholas I arrived in Britain uninvited. Victoria, now married to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg, was not amused. To her surprise they got on splendidly, but Nicholas’ political discussions with the Queen’s ministers did not go so well and the good personal relations did not last.

Trouble was brewing between Russia and the Ottoman Empire at the time, and in 1854 the Crimean War broke out. Britain fought against Russia and Tsar Nicholas I became known as “an ogre”. In 1855, in the middle of the conflict, Nicholas died.

Alexander II

Russia’s new ruler was Alexander II, the man who once whirled Victoria giddily around the ballroom. The Crimean War ended with punitive terms for Russia. In an effort to mend fences, the Queen’s second son Alfred visited Russia, and the Tsar’s heir Tsarevich Alexander and his wife Marie Feodorovna were invited to Windsor and Osborne.

The Russian daughter-in-law

In 1873, Queen Victoria was stunned when Prince Alfred announced he wanted to marry Alexander’s only daughter, Grand Duchess Marie. The Tsar refused to give in to any of the Queen’s demands about the wedding and more disagreeable wrangling took place over the marriage contract, which made Marie independently wealthy. The spectacular wedding in St Petersburg in January 1874 was the only one of her children’s weddings the Queen did not attend.

Prince Alfred with Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, c. 1875.

Image Credit: Chris Hellier / Alamy Stock Photo

The autocratic Marie did not like living in England. She demanded to be known as ‘Imperial and Royal Highness’ and take precedence over the Queen’s daughters. This did not go down well. When war broke out between Russia and Turkey in 1878, the Russian marriage became a problem. England tried to avoid being dragged into the conflict.

In 1881, Victoria was shocked to hear that the liberal Tsar Alexander II had been assassinated by a terrorist bomb just as he was about to grant concessions to his people.

Alexander III

The reactionary Alexander III lived under the constant threat of terrorism. This state of affairs alarmed Victoria, especially when her granddaughter Princess Elisabeth (Ella) of Hesse wanted to marry Alexander III’s brother, Grand Duke Sergei.

“Russia I could not wish for any of you,” wrote Victoria, but failed to prevent the marriage. Despite Ella’s frequent protests, Victoria did not quite believe her granddaughter was happy.

The Great Game

By 1885, Russia and Britain were almost at war over Afghanistan and in 1892 there was more trouble on the border with India. Diplomatic relations remained frosty. Alexander III was the only Russian monarch who did not visit the Queen during his actual reign. He called Victoria “a pampered, sentimental, selfish old woman”, while to her he was a sovereign whom she could not regard as a gentleman.

In April 1894, Alexander III’s heir Tsarevich Nicholas became betrothed to Princess Alix of Hesse, Ella’s sister. Queen Victoria was appalled. For several years Alix had refused to convert to Orthodoxy and marry him. Victoria had mobilised all her forces but failed to prevent another granddaughter going to “horrid Russia”.

Nicholas II

By the autumn of 1894, Alexander III was seriously ill. When Alexander died, the Queen’s 26-year-old future grandson became Tsar Nicholas II. The family connection would now have to be balanced alongside the political relationship between their countries. Queen Victoria was upset that her granddaughter would soon be placed on an unsafe throne.

The marriage of the new Tsar Nicholas II and Princess Alix took place soon after Alexander III’s funeral. Yet it took a long time for the Queen to accustom herself to the fact that her granddaughter was now Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia.

Tsar Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna in Russian dress.

Image Credit: Alexandra Palace via Wikimedia Commons / {{PD-Russia-expired}}

Last meeting

In September 1896, Queen Victoria welcomed Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra and their baby daughter Olga to Balmoral. The weather was terrible, Nicholas did not enjoy himself and his political discussions with the Prime Minister were a failure. Victoria liked Nicholas as a person but she distrusted his country and his politics.

Distrust of Kaiser William II of Germany brought Queen and Tsar closer together but her health was now failing. She died on 22 January 1901. Luckily, she did not live to see her fears fulfilled when her granddaughters Ella and Alix were killed by the Bolsheviks in 1918.

Legacy

Queen Victoria left a deadly legacy to the Romanovs: haemophilia, inherited by Nicholas’ only son Alexei through Alexandra and responsible for the rise of Rasputin. So in her own way, Queen Victoria was partly responsible for the downfall of the dynasty she always distrusted.

Coryne Hall is a historian, broadcaster and consultant specialising in the Romanovs and British and European royalty. The author of many books, she is a regular contributor to Majesty, The European Royal History Journal and Royalty Digest Quarterly and has lectured in England (including the Victoria & Albert Museum), America, Denmark, The Netherlands and Russia. Her media appearances include Woman’s Hour, BBC South Today and ‘Moore in the Morning’ for Newstalk 1010, Toronto. Her latest book, Queen Victoria and The Romanovs: Sixty Years of Mutual Distrust, is published by Amberley Publishing.

Here are the 10 that always blow my mind.

1. “Et tu, Brute?” – Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar did not say “et tu, Brute?” as he was being stabbed by a gang of assassins. It was made up by William Shakespeare, who may have borrowed it from an earlier playwright.

The Roman historian Suetonius writes that Caesar said nothing. Others claim he spat out the Greek phrase kai su, teknon which means roughly, “you too, young man.”

2. “Houston, we have a problem” – Jack Swigert

Perhaps it was Tom Hanks in the movie Apollo 13, but the expression “Houston, we’ve got a problem” is used so often that it’s probable that at any one point in time someone on earth is saying it. Maybe.

Anyway, in the film, the spaceship’s commander Jim Lovell, played by Tom Hanks, issues the famous line. But in reality Jack Swigert, the Command Module Pilot from Apollo 13, called Mission Control and said, “okay, Houston, we’ve had a problem here.”

3. “Let them eat cake!” – Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette has become the ultimate meme. The go-to personification for an out-of-touch, super-wealthy idiot who totally fails to understand the rage and discontent of the people who are hungry, angry and mobilised.

As she watched a massive crowd of protestors from a palace window, she is supposed to have said, “let them eat cake.” Her reputation was sealed.

Marie Antoinette with her two eldest children, Marie-Thérèse Charlotte and the Dauphin Louis Joseph, in the gardens of the Petit Trianon

Image Credit: Adolf Ulrik Wertmüller, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Problem is, she never said this—the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau did. Even better, he was not even talking about Marie Antoinette or cake for that matter. He wrote a book before the French Revolution even began in which an anonymous ‘great princess’ says of the hungry, “let them eat brioche!”

4. “I see no ships” – Admiral Horatio Nelson

Admiral Horatio Nelson famously ignored a signal from the flagship of his commanding officer during his victory over the Danish navy at the Battle of Copenhagen. But he did not say, “I see no ships.”

Instead, he said, “I have a right to be blind sometimes. I really do not see the signal.” Nelson did however say, “kiss me, Hardy”, on his death bed at the Battle of Trafalgar a couple of years later.

5. “We are not amused” – Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria has a bad rep. In the popular imagination, she is thought of as the grumpy, round granny who never got over the death of her beloved husband – a bit of a fun-free zone who epitomises the stuffy era over which she presided.

This is, like all two-dimensional characterisations, obviously unfair. She was as varied and full of surprises and contradictions as any of us. And her diaries are pretty racey, but that’s another story.

What matters here is that Queen Victoria almost certainly never said “we are not amused.” According to her granddaughter, in fact, Victoria herself insisted that she had never said this. It was seemingly made up by a courtier who said she heard the story from someone at Windsor Castle.

6. “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” – Neil Armstrong

To be fair, the audio from Neil Armstrong’s landing on the moon is as patchy as you would expect a signal broadcast across a quarter of a million miles of empty space in the 1960s to be. That has helped to muddle the memory of the exact words that he spoke as he stepped onto the surface of another celestial object.

We all quote, “that’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” but it doesn’t actually make sense. It’s tautological, man and mankind are synonyms. In fact, he said, “that’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”

7. “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” – Henry Morton Stanley

Explorer and journalist Henry Morton Stanley did indeed go looking for Dr. David Livingstone, history’s most useless missionary, after he had disappeared in east Africa. After a terrible 700 mile trek, in which many of his porters were killed by tropical diseases, Stanley found Livingstone living in Ujiji, near Lake Tanganyika, in modern Tanzania.

Stanley later claimed that he held out his hand and said, in an appropriately clipped, detached Victorian manner, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” Neither of the men mentions it in accounts at the time and Stanley probably made it up later, to make himself sound cool.

8. “We shall fight them on the beaches” – Winston Churchill

It is Winston Churchill’s signature line, the ultimate roar of defiance in the face of the Nazi war machine, one of the greatest expressions of resolution in history. But he didn’t exactly say, “We shall fight them on the beaches” in the summer of 1940.

He did say, “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”

9. “Walk softly but carry a big stick” – Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt helped to reshape the Americas as European colonial powers retreated in the face of independence movements and the growing power of the economically vibrant USA. He is famous for using the expression, “walk softly but carry a big stick,” which he actually never used.

But he was fond of the expression, “speak softly and carry a big stick: you will go far.” He used it in relation to New York politics, and then he used it again as Vice President when commenting on the American role in the world.

Four days after using the line in Minnesota, President William McKinley was assassinated, Roosevelt was sworn in, and it was now to be seen whether he would turn these words into actions.

President Theodore Roosevelt delivering a speech in Concord, New Hampshire. 28 August 1902.

Image Credit: SMU Central University Libraries / Public Domain

10. “The only two certainties in life are death and taxes” – Mark Twain

There comes a time in all of our lives when we throw down the old Mark Twain quote, “the only two certainties in life are death and taxes.” We think it makes us sound worldly-wise, cynical about government and, most importantly, witty.

But maybe the joke is on us, because Mark Twain never said this. It’s also not true, there are many other certainties, like the fact that we will end up misattributing fake historical sayings throughout our lives.

Two far less famous writers in the 18th century said something similar to the famed quote oft attributed to Twain. Christopher Bullock, for example, wrote in 1716, “tis impossible to be sure of anything but death and taxes,” surprisingly ignoring the certainty of renewed Jacobite attempts to regain the throne. And Edward Ward wrote in 1724, “death and taxes, they are certain.”

Bonus: “May the force be with you” – Obi-Wan Kenobi

And here’s a bonus misquote. Many oft-quoted lines from movies are wrong. But my particular favourite is that Alec Guinness, aka Obi-Wan Kenobi, never says “may the force be with you” in the original Star Wars movies.

From these children they had an impressive 42 grandchildren and 87 great-grandchildren, who would form the royal families of Britain, Russia, Romania, Yugoslavia, Greece, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Spain and what is now Germany. It is therefore no surprise that Queen Victoria is often referred to as the ‘Grandmother of Europe’.

Not only determining the royal rulers of Britain, Queen Victoria and her children began a dynasty that would, as part of the ruling classes, shape the future of Europe for decades to come.

Cousins at war

Born in 1840, the Princess Royal Victoria or ‘Vicky’ was the eldest child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Aged 17, she married Emperor Frederick of Prussia and together they had 8 children. Their eldest son was Wilhelm II who assumed the throne at a young age when his father died in 1888. Wilhelm was also the last German Emperor (or Kaiser), and abdicated in 1918.

Wilhelm was more politically conservative than his parents; Victoria had been ostracised in the German court for her liberal views favouring constitutional monarchy, modelled by her mother in Britain.

Almost 8,000 letters between Victoria and her mother survive, detailing life inside the Prussian court between 1858 and 1900, the period that saw her son Wilhelm sack the Chancellor Otto von Bismarck and show growing hostility to foreign powers.

A photograph of the rulers of Europe at Windsor for King Edward VI’s funeral in 1910. King George V sits in the centre with his cousin, Kaiser Wilhelm II, behind him.

Image Credit: W. & D. Downey / Public Domain

The Prince of Wales, Albert or ‘Bertie’ was Queen Victoria’s first son, born in 1841. Bertie became King Edward VII – after which the ‘Edwardian period’ was named – when Queen Victoria died in January 1901. Before then he had gained a reputation as a playboy prince, souring his relationship with the Queen.

Because his mother’s reign lasted so long, Bertie was only king for 9 years, dying from cancer in 1910. Nevertheless, his short reign is noted for significant scientific and political developments, including the proliferation of steam power and growth of socialism.

Bertie was also father of future king George V, who would go to war with his cousin Wilhelm II in 1914. George changed the name of the British royal family during World War One from Saxe-Coburg to Windsor because of the royals’ unsavoury German heritage.

Princess Alice

Born in 1843, Princess Alice was the third child of Victoria and Albert, and nursed her father when he became ill with typhoid. Alice became passionate about nursing and spoke openly about gynaecological medicine, much to the horror of her family.

Alice married the Duke of Hesse (a minor German duchy) and, while in an unhappy marriage, this relationship gave birth to some of Europe’s most notable royals. These included her daughter Alix, who married Tsar Nicholas II and became the last Empress of Russia, Alexandra Feodorovna Romanova.

Photograph of the Hessian Family in 1876, including Princess Alice and her daughter, Alix, looking uncertain in the centre.

Image Credit: Royal Collection / Public Domain

Her grandson was Louis Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India, and her great-grandson, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, was her granddaughter Princess Alice of Battenburg’s son. Philip would marry Queen Elizabeth II, granddaughter of Edward VII (Bertie) and his third cousin.

Alice was the first child Queen Victoria survived. She died from diphtheria on 15 December 1878, just a day after the anniversary of her father Albert’s death.

Dutiful sons and daughters

The Princesses Helena and Louise dedicated themselves to their royal duties and remained close with their mother. Even after her marriage to the impoverished Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, Helena lived in Britain where she could act as Victoria’s unofficial secretary.

Helena was the most active of Victoria’s children in fulfilling her role and supporting charity; the princess presided over debutant balls, was a founding member of the Red Cross and president of the Royal British Nurses’ Association – even clashing with Florence Nightingale over the topic of nurse registration.

Princess Louise was Victoria’s fourth daughter. In public life she supported the arts, higher education and the feminist movement (as did her sister Helena), writing to the notable Victorian feminist and reformer, Josephine Butler.

Louise married her husband, John Campbell, Duke of Argyll, for love, although their marriage would be childless. Queen Victoria allowed the love match as she did not want to lose her daughter to a foreign prince.

Princes Alfred and Arthur, the fourth and seventh children of Queen Victoria respectively, both had a long and distinguished military careers. A naval admiral, Alfred also took his father’s title as Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and married the sister of Tsar Nicholas II, Grand Duchess Maria, with whom he had 5 children.

Arthur was Queen Victoria’s last surviving son, travelling the empire during his 40-year army service which included the titles of Governor General of Canada, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, and Chief of the British Army in Ireland. Arthur gave military advice during World War Two before his death in 1942.

The haemophilia gene

The youngest son of the Queen, Prince Leopold also acted as his mother’s secretary, kept close because of his haemophilia. Haemophilia is a relatively rare hereditary disease that prevents blood from clotting, and more commonly effects male carriers.

Noted for his great intelligence, Leopold studied at Oxford University before marrying Princess Frederica of Waldeck-Pyrmont. Together they had two children, although Leopold died before the birth of his son when he fell and hit his head whilst staying in Cannes in 1884. Nonetheless, through his son Charles Edward, Leopold became the great-great-grandfather of the current king of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf.

Leopold’s sister, Princess Alice, also passed on the royals’ haemophilia gene to her daughter Alexandra or ‘Alix’, who in turn passed it to her son, the Tsaravich Alexei. Alexei’s frailty drove the Tsarina to find support and solace in the mystical courtly figure, Rasputin, contributing to her unpopularity in the final years of imperial Russia.

A legacy in letters

A photograph of Princess Beatrice reading to her mother, Queen Victoria, at Windsor Castle in 1895.

Image Credit: Royal Collections / Public Domain

Princess Beatrice was the youngest child of Albert and Victoria. Born just 4 years before her father’s death, Beatrice lived until 1944 (aged 87) surviving all of her siblings, their spouses, as well as her nephew Kaiser Wilhelm II. Beatrice was 17 years younger than her eldest sister, Victoria, and so spent much of her life by the Queen’s side as her secretary and confidant.

As with her other daughters, Queen Victoria was reluctant to let Beatrice marry, but eventually allowed her to wed Henry of Battenberg – on the condition they would live with the ageing Queen. When Henry died of malaria in 1896, Beatrice continued supporting her mother. After the Queen died in 1901, Beatrice spent 30 years transcribing and editing her mother’s legacy from a lifetime’s worth of journals and letters.

They lost America but oversaw the rise of the British Empire to span nearly 25% of the world’s population and surface area. The Britain Victoria left in 1901 was dramatically different to the one the German-born George I arrived in in 1714.

George I (1714-27)

The second cousin of Queen Anne, George was born in Hanover, heir to the German Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, which he inherited in 1698, along with the title Elector of Hanover.

Shortly after this, it became clear that George was much nearer to the English throne that first thought thanks to his Protestantism: in 1701 he was invested with the Order of the Garter, and in 1705, a law was passed to naturalise his mother and her heirs as English subjects so it would be possible for them to inherit.

He became heir presumptive to the English Crown in 1714 following the death of his mother, and a few months later, ascended to the throne when Queen Anne died. George was not initially very popular: riots accompanied his coronation and many were uncomfortable about a foreigner ruling them.

Legend has it he barely spoke English when he first arrived in England, although this is a dubious claim. Many were also scandalised by George’s treatment of his wife, Sophia Dorothea of Celle, who he kept a virtual prisoner for over 30 years back in her native Celle.

George was a relatively successful ruler, managing to quash numerous Jacobite rebellions. It was during his reign that the monarchy, whilst theoretically absolute, became increasingly accountable to Parliament: Robert Walpole became a de facto Prime Minister and George never really used many of the powers that were technically attributed to him as a monarch.

Historians have struggled to understand George’s personality and motivation – he remains elusive and to all accounts, was relatively private. However, he did leave the succession secure for his son, George.

George II (1727-60)

Born and brought up in northern Germany, George had received honours and titles from England since it became clear he was in the line of succession. He arrived with his father in England in 1714 and was formally invested as the Prince of Wales. George courted the English and quickly became much more popular than his father, which became a source of resentment between the two.

Portrait of King George II by Thomas Hudson. Image credit: Public Domain.

The King banished his son from the palace following a spat and prevented Prince George and his wife Caroline from seeing their children. In retaliation, George began to oppose his father’s policies and his house became a meeting place for leading members of the Whig opposition, including men like Robert Walpole.

George I died in June 1727 on a visit to Hanover: his son won further appeal in the eyes of England by refusing to travel to Germany for his father’s funeral, which was viewed as a mark of fondness for England. He also ignored his father’s attempts to divide the kingdoms of Hanover and Britain between his grandsons. George had little control over policy by this point: Parliament had grown in influence, and the crown was dramatically less powerful than it had been.

The last British monarch to lead his troops into battle, George reopened hostilities with Spain, fought in the War of Austrian Succession and quashed the last of the Jacobite rebellions. He had a strained relationship with his son, Frederick Prince of Wales, and like his father, had him banished from court. George spent most summers in Hanover, and his departures from England were unpopular.

George died in October 1760, aged 77. Whilst his legacy is far from a glorious one, historians have increasingly emphasised his steadfast rule and desire to uphold constitutional government.

George III (1760-1820)

The grandson of George II, George III inherited the throne aged 22, and became one of the longest reigning monarchs in British history. Unlike his two Hanoverian predecessors, George was born in England, spoke English as his first language and never visited Hanover, despite his throne. He had a remarkably loyal marriage to his wife, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, with whom he had 15 children.

Foreign policy was one of the dominating factors of George’s reign. The American War of Independence saw Britain lose many of its American colonies, and this has become one of George’s defining legacies despite notable victories against France in the Seven Years’ War and the Napoleonic Wars.

George also had a keen interest in the arts: he was a patron of Handel and Mozart, developed much of Kew under the influence of his wife, and oversaw the foundation of the Royal Academy of Arts. During his reign, there was something of an agricultural revolution, with huge growth in rural populations. He has often been nicknamed Farmer George for his interest in what many politicians saw as the mundane or provincial.

George’s legacy is perhaps most defined by his bouts of mental illness. Exactly what caused these is unknown, but they increased in severity throughout his life, until in 1810 a regency was officially established in favour of his oldest son, George Prince of Wales. He died in January 1820.

George IV (1820-30)

The eldest son of George III, George IV ruled for 10 years as Regent during his father’s final illness, and then subsequently 10 years in his own right. His interference in politics proved a source of frustration to Parliament, especially given the king had very little power by this point. Ongoing disputes over Catholic emancipation were particularly fraught, and despite his opposition to the matter, George was forced to accept this.

George had an extravagant and flamboyant lifestyle: his coronation alone cost £240,000 – a huge sum at the time, and over 20 times the cost of his father’s. His wayward lifestyle, and particularly his relationship with his wife, Caroline of Brunswick, made him markedly unpopular amongst ministers and the people.

Despite, or perhaps because of this, the Regency era has become synonymous with luxury, elegance and achievements across art and architecture. George embarked on several costly building projects, including most famously, Brighton Pavilion. He was nicknamed the ‘First Gentleman of England’ on account of his style: his life of luxury took a serious toll on his health, and he died in 1830.

Portrait of George, Prince of Wales (later George IV) by Mather Byles Brown. Image credit: Royal Collection / CC.

William IV (1830-7)

George IV had died without any heirs – his only legitimate daughter Charlotte had predeceased him – so the throne went to his younger brother, William, Duke of Gloucester. As third son, William never expected to be king, and spent time abroad with the Royal Navy as a young man, and was appointed Lord High Admiral in 1827.

William inherited the throne aged 64, and his reign saw much needed reforms, including to the poor law and child labour legislation. Slavery was also finally (and almost entirely) abolished across the British Empire and the 1832 Reform Act removed rotten boroughs and provided electoral reform. William’s relationship with Parliament was far from completely peaceful, and he remains the last British monarch to appoint a Prime Minister against the will of Parliament.

William had 10 illegitimate children with his longstanding mistress Dorothea Jordan, before marrying Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen in 1818. The pair remained devoted in marriage, although they produced no legitimate children.

As it became apparent William’s niece, Victoria, was heir to the throne, conflict arose between the royal couple and the Duchess of Kent, Victoria’s mother. William was said to be desperate to live long enough to see Victoria reach her majority so that he knew he could leave the country in ‘safe hands’. On his death in 1837, the crown of Hanover finally left English control as Salic law prevented Victoria from inheriting.

Victoria (1837-1901)

Victoria inherited the throne as a relatively inexperienced 18 year old, having had a sheltered and somewhat isolated childhood in Kensington Palace. Her political dependence on Lord Melbourne, the Whig Prime Minister, quickly earned the resentment of many, and several scandals and ill-judged decisions ensured her early reign had several rocky moments.

She married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg in 1840, and the couple had a famously happy domestic life, producing 9 children. Albert died of typhus in 1861, and Victoria was distraught: much of her image of a sombre old woman dressed in black stems from her grief following his death.

The Victorian Era was one of immense change in Britain. The British Empire expanded to reach its zenith, ruling over approximately 1/4 of the world’s population. Victoria was granted the title of Empress of India. Technological change following the Industrial Revolution transformed the urban landscape, and living conditions began to gradually improve towards the end of Victoria’s reign.

Many historians have seen Victoria’s rule as the consolidation of the monarchy as a kind of constitutional figurehead. She curated an image of a solid, stable, morally upright monarchy in contrast to previous scandals and extravagance, and this appealed to the increased emphasis on the family in Victorian England.

Parliament, and especially the Commons, increased and solidified their power. She was the first monarch in British history at that point to have celebrated a Diamond Jubilee, marking 60 years on the throne. Victoria died aged 81 in January 1901.

Smitten with him from the day they met, the pair would rule over a golden age of British industrial growth and birth a family tree large enough to place its members in many of the royal courts of Europe. Here are 10 facts about their famed marriage.

1. They were cousins

Many argue that Victoria and Albert had been intended for one another long before they ever met, through the schemes and plans of their family – the same family, seeing as Victoria’s mother and Albert’s father were siblings.

In the 19th century, members of the aristocracy would often marry distant members of their own families to strengthen their faction and influence. The two seemed like a good match, being born just three months apart, and were finally introduced in May 1836 when Victoria was seventeen and Albert just shy of the same age.

Victoria was immediately attracted to the young prince, describing him in her diary as ‘extremely handsome’ with a ‘beautiful nose and a very sweet mouth’.

2. Albert was not William IV’s first choice for his niece

As was common with such royal matches, and particularly with regards to the inheritance of the throne, political gain was an important prerequisite to marriage. Thus, Albert was not the first choice of the King of Great Britain – the aged and grumpy William IV.

William disapproved of the tiny state of Saxe-Coburg as one fit to produce a consort for the future queen, and instead wanted her to marry Alexander, the son of the King of the Netherlands and member of the House of Orange.

Victoria was highly unimpressed upon meeting Alexander and his brother however, writing to her uncle Leopold that

‘the Netherlander boys are very plain…they look heavy, dull, and frightened and are not at all prepossessing’

before quipping,

‘so much for the Oranges, dear Uncle’.

Alongside the extremely favourable description of his appearance previously mentioned in her diary, she wrote to Leopold after the meeting saying that ‘he possesses every quality that could be desired to render me perfectly happy’.

As the couple were still very young, no official arrangements were made, yet both sides were aware that a match was likely one day.

Prince Albert by John Partridge (Image Credit: Royal Collection / Public Domain).

3. She was in no rush to marry

In 1837 however, William IV died childless and Victoria became an unexpected teenage queen. All eyes turned to the prospect of her marriage, as many believed that a young woman was not strong enough to rule alone. Due to her unmarried status, she was even required to remain in the household of her mother, with whom she shared a fractured relationship.

Victoria believed herself still too young to enter into marriage however, and when Lord Melbourne suggested she marry to escape her mother’s suffocating presence, she replied that the idea was a ‘shocking alternative’.

Despite her attraction to Albert when they had last met, the new queen put off a second visit from him until October 1839.

4. Victoria proposed to Albert

This visit was an even greater success than the first however, and any hesitations about marriage fizzled away. Just five days into the trip, the young queen requested a private meeting with Albert, and proposed, as it was the monarch’s prerogative to do so.

With much joy he accepted, in what Victoria termed the ‘happiest brightest moment in my life’. They were married on 10 February the following year in the Chapel Royal at St James’ Palace in London.

5. The wedding set off a number of traditions

The royal wedding of Albert and Victoria was unlike any other, and began a number of traditions still observed today. Straying from the royal protocol of holding private wedding ceremonies at night, Victoria was determined to let her people see the bridal procession in the light of day, and invited more guests to observe it than ever before. This opened the door to more publicised royal weddings.

10th February 1840: Queen Victoria and Prince Albert on their return from the marriage service at St James’s Palace, London. Original Artwork: Engraved by S Reynolds after F Lock. (Photo Credit: Public Domain)

She dressed in a white gown, exuding purity and allowing her to be seen more easily by the crowds, and dressed her twelve bridesmaids in the same. As the dress was fairly simple and easy to recreate, a boom of white wedding dresses began, leading of course to the well-established tradition of the modern day.

Their wedding cake was also vast, weighing around 300 lbs, and required four men to carry it. Following the event, another tradition was born when Victoria planted the myrtle from her bouquet in her garden, in which a sprig would be later used for Elizabeth II’s bridal bouquet.

6. Victoria was ecstatic

In Victoria’s lifelong and extensive diaries, she described her wedding night with all the excitement of a new bride, beginning the entry with,

‘I NEVER, NEVER spent such an evening!!! MY DEAREST DEAREST DEAR Albert…his excessive love & affection gave me feelings of heavenly love & happiness I never could have hoped to have felt before!’

She went on to describe the day as the happiest of her life, and praised her husband’s ‘sweetness & gentleness’.

7. Albert became a valuable advisor to Victoria

From the outset of their marriage, the royal couple worked alongside one another with competence – literally moving their desks together so that they could sit and work side-by-side. The prince had been educated at the University of Bonn, studying law, political economy, history of art and philosophy, and was thus well-equipped to assist in state business.

Albert in particular helped to guide her through difficult stretches of her reign such as the Irish potato famine in 1845, and through her grief following her mother’s death in 1861 despite his own ill-health.

8. They had a large family

Despite a well-publicised hatred of babies, Victoria gave birth to nine of them between 1840 and 1857 – four boys and five girls. Most of these children married into other European royal families, affording her the title ‘the Grandmother of Europe’ in later life.

This meant, intriguingly, that the King of the United Kingdom, the Kaiser of Germany and the Tsar of Russia during the First World War were all first cousins and grandchildren of Victoria.

Tsar Nicholas II of Russia with King George V of England, who bear a striking resemblance. (Image Credit: Hulton Archives / Getty Images / WikiMedia: Mrlopez2681)

9. Their marriage was not all bliss

Despite their reputation as the perfect marital couple, Victoria and Albert’s relationship was often fraught with arguments and tension. Victoria’s pregnancies took a large toll on her, and often created a power struggle between the pair as Albert took over many of her royal duties.

She reportedly suffered from post-natal depression, and during her last two pregnancies was even prone to hysterical episodes, in which her physicians began to suspect her of inheriting her grandfather George III’s madness.

Following one such episode, Albert wrote Victoria a rather telling yet patient note stating,

‘If you are violent I have no other choice but to leave you…and retire to my room in order to give you time to recover yourself’.

10. Albert died whilst trying to patch up a royal scandal

While in their 21st year of marriage, the couple caught wind of a scandal involving their eldest son and heir Bertie, and a well-known Irish actress with whom he was having an affair. Albert travelled to Cambridge to personally scold his son, during which he fell terribly ill and died of typhoid fever in 1861.

Victoria fell into a period of intense mourning and seclusion that lasted five years and caused vast rifts in her popularity. She blamed her son for her husbands death, and their relationship worsened. As a testament to her everlasting love, Victoria was interred with one of Albert’s old dressing gowns upon her death at the age of 81.

Prince Albert and Queen Victoria with their children by John Jabez Edwin Mayall. (Image Credit: Public Domain)

Her uncle William IV had previously declared that he wanted to live to see her 18th birthday, if only to avoid a regency by her mother. He succeeded, though barely, dying a month after she turned 18 – part of the reason she reigned for such a long time.
A year later, on Thursday 28 June 1838, her coronation took place and she was formally invested as the Queen of England.

Planning and protest

Official planning for the coronation was started in March 1838 by the cabinet of Lord Melbourne, the Whig Prime Minister of the UK. Melbourne was seen as a father figure by the young Victoria, who had grown up isolated; his presence reassured her throughout the coronation ceremony.

One of the great challenges he faced was involving the general public. The popularity of the monarchy had fallen during the preceding age of reform, and especially due to her despised uncle George IV. Melbourne decided upon a public procession through the streets. Scaffolding was built for the spectators, and apparently there was:

“scarcely a vacant spot along the whole [route] that was unoccupied with galleries or scaffolding”.

This procession was the longest since that of Charles II 200 years earlier. 

The Gold State Coach that Victoria rode in. Image credit: Steve F-E-Cameron / CC.

However, the traditional banquet at Westminster Hall, and the challenge of the Royal Champion were omitted. Imagine someone riding in full armour through Westminster, throwing down a gauntlet and issuing a challenge, then you may understand why this ritual has not been used since the coronation of George IV.

These exclusions were to meet the budget of £70,000, a compromise between the lavish coronation of George IV (£240,000) and the frugal one of William IV (£30,000).

Both the Tories and the Radicals objected to the coronation, though for different reasons. The Tories disapproved of the focus on the public procession as opposed to the ceremonies at Westminster.

The Radicals disapproved of the expense, and were generally anti-monarchist. An association of London traders also protested due to not having sufficient time to order their merchandise. 

The Crown Jewels

St Edward’s Crown had traditionally been used for the coronation of British monarchs: the iconic crown is also used as the crown in the Royal Arms of the United Kingdom (visible on British passports), on the logo of Royal Mail, and on the rank insignia of the British Army, Royal Air Force and police.

However, it was thought that it may be too heavy for the young Victoria, and so a new crown, the Imperial State Crown, was made for her.

On this new crown two notable jewels were mounted — the Black Prince’s Ruby (named after the Black Prince, who gained fame as a commander in the Hundred Years’ War), and St Edward’s Sapphire. This jewel is almost a millennia old, thought to be the stone from Edward the Confessor’s coronation ring.

Edward the Confessor is known for his death, which sparked the Battle of Hastings and the conquest of William of Normandy. 

A “botched” ceremony

The day of the coronation dawned. The streets of London were full to the brim. Due to newly built railways, some 400,000 people from around the country came to London to view the coronation.  Victoria wrote in her diary:

“I was alarmed at times for fear the people would be crushed, in consequence of the tremendous rush & pressure.”

Another spectator felt that London’s population felt as if it had “suddenly quadrupled”. After the hour long procession, the service at Westminster took 5 hours and involved two dress changes. It was obvious to the spectators that there was very little rehearsal. A young Benjamin Disraeli wrote they:

“were always in doubt as to what came next, and you saw the want of rehearsal”.

As a consequence there were mistakes, such as the Archbishop placing the ring on the wrong finger. An elderly peer, aptly named Lord Rolle, fell and rolled down the steps. Victoria gained public approval when she descended a couple of steps to prevent another fall.

The music itself was also widely criticised, with only one original piece written for the occasion. It was also the only time the Hallelujah chorus was sung at a British coronation.

Nevertheless, not all were critical. The Bishop of Rochester praised the music for having a suitably religious tone, and Victoria herself wrote:

“The demonstrations of enthusiasm affection, & loyalty were really touching & shall ever remember this day as the proudest in my life”.

Queen Victoria’s coronation medal (1838), designed by Benedetto Pistrucci. Image credit: the Met / CC.

Reimagining Monarchy

Many considered the young, female Victoria a breath of fresh air following decades of rule by old men. A picture of beauty and morally uprightness, unlike her uncles, Victoria quickly won the hearts of her people, even if it took somewhat longer for her to understand the intricacies of politics.

Her relationship with Parliament was respectful, and unlike her predecessor William IV, she understood where there were lines which she could not cross as a constitutional monarch.

1. Abolition of Slavery

Whilst technically slavery was abolished prior to Victoria’s reign, the end of ‘apprenticeships’ and the start of true emancipation only came into force in 1838. Subsequent acts passed in 1843 and 1873 continued to outlaw practices associated with slavery, although the Slave Compensation Act ensured that slave owners continued to profit from slavery. The debt was only paid off by the government in 2015.

2. Mass urbanisation

The population of the United Kingdom grew by more than double during the course of Victoria’s reign, and society was transformed through the Industrial Revolution. The economy moved from a primarily rural, agricultural based one to an urban, industrialised one. Working conditions were poor, wages were low and hours were long: urban poverty and pollution proved to be one of the biggest blights of the era.

However, urban centres proved to be an attractive prospect for many people: they quickly became hubs for radical new political thought, the dissemination of ideas and social centres.

An illustration from a Charles Dickens novel: Dickens frequently addressed social issues in his writing. Image credit: Public Domain.

3. Rising living standards

By the end of Victoria’s reign, legislation was coming into force to improve living conditions for the very poorest in society. The Factory Act of 1878 prohibited work before the age of 10 and applied to all trades, whilst the Education Act of 1880 introduced compulsory schooling until the age of 10.

Reports on the full extent of poverty, as well as a greater understanding of its causes were also being published towards the end of the 19th century, including Seebohm Rowntree’s investigation into poverty in York and Charles Booth’s ‘poverty line’ in London.

The Boer War (1899-1902) further highlighted the issues poor living standards as large numbers of young men who enlisted failed to pass basic medical inspections. David Lloyd George’s Liberal party won a landslide victory in 1906, promising

4. The British Empire reached its zenith

Famously the sun never set on the British Empire under Victoria: Britain ruled around 400 million people, nearly 25% of the world’s population at the time. India became a particularly important (and financially lucrative) asset, and for the first time, the British monarch was crowned Empress of India.

British expansion in Africa also took off: the age of exploration, colonisation and conquest was in full force. The 1880s saw the ‘Scramble for Africa’: European powers carved up the continent using arbitrary and artificial lines to allow for competing interests and colonial interests.

White colonies also gained more self-determination, with Canada, Australia and New Zealand being granted dominion status by the late 19th century, which effectively allowed them some level of self-determination.

5. Modern medicine

With urbanisation came disease: cramped living quarters saw diseases spread like wildfire. At the start of Victoria’s reign, medicine remained somewhat rudimentary: the rich were often no better off in the hands of doctors than the poor. The Public Health Act (1848) established a central board of health, and further breakthroughs in the 1850s established dirty water as a cause of cholera, as well as the use of carbolic acid as an antiseptic.

Victoria herself used chloroform as a means of pain relief during the birth of her sixth child. Advances in medicine and surgery proved hugely beneficial at all levels of society, and life expectancy was on the up by the end of her reign.

6. Extending the franchise

Whilst suffrage was far from universal by the start of the 20th century, over 60% of men had the right to vote, as opposed to 20%, which was the case when Victoria became queen in 1837. The 1872 Ballot Act allowed for parliamentary election ballots to be cast in secret, which greatly reduced external influences or pressures affecting voting habits.

Unlike many other European counterparts, Britain managed to extend the franchise gradually and without revolution: she remained politically stable throughout the 20th century as a result.

7. Redefining the monarch

The monarchy’s image was badly tarnished when Victoria inherited the throne. Known for extravagance, loose morals and infighting, the Royal Family needed to change its image. The 18 year old Victoria proved to be a breath of fresh air: 400,000 people lined the streets of London on her coronation day in the hope of catching a glimpse of the new queen.

Victoria and her husband Albert created a much more visible monarchy, becoming patrons of dozens of charities and societies, sitting for photographs, visiting towns and cities and presenting awards themselves. They cultivated the image of a happy family and domestic bliss: the couple appeared to be very much in love and produced nine children. Victoria’s long period of mourning following Albert’s death became a source of frustration to money, but attested to her devotion to her husband.

Victoria, Albert and their family (1846), by Franz Xaver Winterhalter. Image credit: Royal Collection / CC.

8. Leisure time and popular culture

Leisure time did not exist for the vast majority of the population prior to urbanisation: agricultural work was physically demanding, and sparsely populated land left little to do for fun outside of working hours (assuming of course there was sufficient light to do so). The rise of new technologies like oil and gas lamps, combined with higher wages, limits on working hours and large numbers of people close together fuelled a rise in leisure activities.

Museums, exhibitions, zoos, theatres, seaside trips and football matches all became popular ways to enjoy leisure time for many, rather than just the elites. An increasingly literate population saw a boom in newspaper and book production, and whole new economies, like those of department stores as well as cheap books, theatres, and shops began to spring up: some proved, like the Great Exhibition of 1851, proved to be an excellent political and propaganda opportunity, museums proved a chance to enlighten and educate the masses, whilst penny dreadfuls proved popular (and lucrative) amongst the masses.

Although the event boasted exhibits from across the globe, more than half of the 100,000 items on display came from the host nation and its colonies alone. For the millions of visitors who passed through the turnstiles, the experience was to serve as a potent reminder of the wealth and might of Britain’s empire.

Here are eight interesting facts about the Great Exhibition – from its mid-19th century inception to the Crystal Palace’s final, fiery demise.

1. The idea was originally conceived by a London civil servant

The exhibition is commonly associated with Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, who lobbied the government into setting up a royal commission to make the ‘Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations’ a reality.

However, the brainchild of the project was arguably a civil servant named Henry Cole (1808–82). A talented inventor, Cole piqued Albert’s attention while serving as a council member of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.

Inventor and civil servant Henry Cole (1808–82), who came up with the original idea for the Great Exhibition (Image Credit: Public Domain).

When Albert became the society’s president in 1843, Cole set about creating a series of exhibitions showcasing the very best of British industrial design.

However, after visiting a similar event in Paris, Cole believed he could do something even bigger – with an international scope. With Albert’s support, the concept of the Great Exhibition was born.

2. Nearly 250 venue designs were submitted – and scrapped

In 1850 it was decided that the Great Exhibition should be hosted inside a temporary venue in Hyde Park, with a competition held to find the best design. A total of 245 entries were submitted, but none of the proposed structures were deemed suitable – partly because they would be difficult to remove once the event had ended.

However, a solution was found by landscape gardener Joseph Paxton (1803–65), who had previously designed greenhouses for the Duke of Devonshire.

One of the key advantages of Paxton’s structure (nicknamed the ‘Crystal Palace’ by Punch magazine) was that it could be assembled and dismantled in a relatively short space of time. Indeed, the prefabricated structure – which included 294,000 panes of glass – was constructed in just eight months.

3. Ticket prices varied considerably

When the Great Exhibition opened its doors on 1 May 1851, there was a flurry of excitement across Britain, with all sections of society clamouring to see the sights on offer.

On the first two days of the exhibition, tickets were priced £1 each, before being reduced to five shillings for the following three weeks.

The admission fee then dropped to one shilling (approximately £7 in 2020), which proved immensely popular with the general public. In fact, the one-shilling tickets accounted for more than two-thirds of the total 6 million tickets sold.

However, ticket prices still remained high – and too expensive for most visitors – on the peak days of Friday and Saturday, when they were fixed at two shillings and sixpence and five shillings respectively.

4. A star attraction turned out to be a disappointment

From steam engines and telescopes to ceramics and stuffed animals, visitors to the Crystal Palace were treated to a myriad of weird and wonderful exhibits.

However, one of the star attractions was to be found in the ‘India’ section, which contained a priceless diamond known as the Koh-i-Noor (‘Mountain of Light’) that had been presented to Queen Victoria in 1850.

When the Koh-i-Noor diamond turned out to be a disappointment, Prince Albert (left) intervened and tried to make its meagre appearance (right) more flattering (Image Credit: Public Domain / Public Domain).

Unfortunately, the gem’s dull-looking appearance was regarded to be underwhelming, with attendees disappointed by its lack of sparkle. Prince Albert personally intervened and requested that the diamond be presented in a new display cabinet containing lamps and mirrors, but this failed to do the trick, and spectators eventually lost interest.

5. Going to the toilet was a luxurious experience

A major innovation of the Great Exhibition was its ‘public waiting rooms’, which boasted flushing toilets – a feature typically only found in the homes of the very wealthy. Designed by a plumber named George Jennings, the facilities cost one penny to visit and also promised customers the use of a towel, comb and shoe shine.

Whether out of necessity or sheer curiosity, more than 827,000 attendees paid for the privilege during the time that the exhibition was open.

6. Some of the exhibits turned up late

Organising an event on the scale of the Great Exhibition was always going to be a mammoth undertaking, with thousands of priceless objects being shipped to Britain from the far-flung reaches of the globe.

Things had mostly gone to plan by May 1851, but a small number of exhibits did not arrive in time. This included items due for display on the ‘Russia’ stand, which were left stranded in St Petersburg due to an abundance of ice in the Baltic Sea.

But according to contemporary reports, it was worth the wait. When the missing shipments arrived in June, they featured a set of malachite doors bearing the handiwork of 30 men who had toiled “day and night for a whole year” to create them.

The Great Exhibition boasted exhibits from across the British Empire and further afield. This illustration shows the stands for Jersey and Guernsey, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and Malta (Image Credit: British Library / CC).

7. The Great Exhibition left a lasting legacy…

Despite the exorbitant costs of putting the Great Exhibition together, the project managed to turn a healthy profit of £186,000 (around £26 million in 2020).

This money was then used to establish the famous cultural institutions of South Kensington, notably the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum.

A short distance from the museums also lies the Albert Memorial, which features a gilt-bronze statue of the prince consort unveiled in 1876. Although the memorial was funded by public subscription, it bears a lasting reminder of the Great Exhibition in the form of a display catalogue, which is held in Albert’s right hand.

The Albert Memorial, located just a short distance from the original Crystal Palace site in Hyde Park, depicts the prince consort with a copy of the Great Exhibition catalogue in his hand (Image Credit: Geographer / CC).

8. … but the Crystal Palace suffered a terrible fate

When the Great Exhibition closed its doors on 15 October 1851, the Crystal Palace was dismantled and transported seven miles away to Sydenham Hill, having been purchased by a consortium of prominent businessmen.

Over the next eight decades, the re-erected (and slightly modified) structure fulfilled a number of purposes, hosting events ranging from classical concerts to dog shows.

Unfortunately, the palace fell into decline, and on the night of 30 November 1936, a devastating fire reduced Joseph Paxton’s masterpiece to a twisted heap of burning metal.

All that was left of the Crystal Palace following the devastating fire on the night of 30 November 1936 (Image Credit: Public Domain).

Today, the name of the surrounding area of south London – along with its famous football club – both serve as a reminder of the structure that once dominated the skyline. Plans to resurrect the Crystal Palace were mooted as recently as 2014, but it seems likely that it will remain lost to history.