40 Queen Victoria And Prince Albert Facts: British Royal Family
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The British royal family has always remained in the limelight and has attracted public attention.
Among famous British royal couples, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert are perhaps the most popular. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert shared a very close relationship and were married for over 20 years and had nine children together.
It is said that Queen Victoria always depended on Prince Albert for support, both emotionally and mentally. He was her confidant, and she relied on him for advice.
Prince Albert was also very involved in politics, and he helped Queen Victoria make important decisions. The two of them were truly devoted to each other, which makes them a legendary couple in the history of the British royal household. Read on to learn some lesser-known Queen Victoria and Prince Albert facts.
History Of Queen Victoria And Prince Albert
Queen Victoria was a very popular queen who was the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 1837 until she died in 1901. She is still one of the most well-known monarchs in British history, along with her husband, Prince Albert.
Here is a short history of Prince Albert's and Queen Victoria's life before marriage.
Francis Albert Augustus Charles Emmanuel, popularly known as Prince Albert, was born to Duke Ernest III (also spelled Duke Ernst) of Saxe-Coburg and his first wife, Princess Louise of Saxe-Coburg on August 26, 1819, in Germany.
Prince Albert's family was related to that of Queen Victoria. Queen Victoria's mother, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg, was the sister of Prince Albert's father, Ernest III of Saxe-Coburg.
Queen Victoria was the only child of Prince Edward, the Prince of Kent, and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg and was born on May 24, 1819, as Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent at the Kensington Palace. She was older than Prince Albert by three months.
Interestingly, the same midwife delivered Prince Albert and Queen Victoria.
Soon after her birth, Queen Victoria's father passed away. Hence, the young Princess was solely brought up by her mother, who kept her under strong supervision and trained her in all the skills required for the Queen of the British throne.
Ironically, Prince Albert also spent most of his childhood without a parent. When Prince Albert was only seven years old, his parents divorced, and his mother was no longer allowed to see her children.
Princess Alexandrina, aka Queen Victoria, met her future husband, Prince Albert when she was 17 years old. They were introduced to each other by their Uncle Leopold. As per their memoirs, it was love at first sight for both of them.
In her diary, the Princess described Prince Albert in the following words, 'He is extremely handsome. His hair is about the same color as mine; his eyes are large and blue, and he has a beautiful nose and a very sweet mouth with fine teeth.'
Queen Victoria's height was quite short. She was only 5 ft (152.4 cm) tall. Although the height of Prince Albert is unknown, he was taller than her.
Prince Albert often expressed his love for the Princess through music. The royal duo performed duets together. In fact, Prince Albert had also composed a serenade for the future British Queen.
Even though the Princess loved Prince Albert immensely, she was hesitant to get married as she was too young.
Princess Alexandrina became a young queen on June 20, 1837, at the age of 18 years.
Queen Victoria became the first monarch to make Buckingham palace her home.
Relationship Of Queen Victoria And Prince Albert
Whether the union of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert was a happy or a sad one is often debated. However, from their history, it does appear that the royal couple was indeed in love. Here are some facts associated with Prince Albert's life with Queen Victoria.
Breaking the conventional societal rules, Queen Victoria proposed to Prince Albert, who was also her first cousin, for marriage four years after meeting him for the first time in 1839. This was because a royal tradition did not allow anyone to propose to a reigning monarch.
On February 10, 1840, the couple exchanged their wedding vows at the Chapel Royal at St. James's Palace in London. Both Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were 20 years old at the time.
The Queen was deeply and madly in love with her husband, Prince Albert, and expressed so in her journal.
Queen Victoria and Albert were parents to nine children: five girls and four boys. Albert Edward, commonly known as King Edward VII, was their son.
After the demise of Queen Victoria's Prime Minister, Prince Consort, Prince Albert became her chief advisor and private secretary.
The royal couple was a big support to each other. In one of her journal entries, Queen Victoria wrote how proud she was of her husband, who had created the 1851 Great Exhibition in Britain.
For the initial 17 years of their marriage, Prince Albert was addressed as His Royal Highness Prince Albert until, in 1857, Queen Victoria bestowed the title of Prince Consort on him for his support and counsel.
It is reported that Queen Victoria maintained an optimistic approach. While her husband's health deteriorated, she told one of Albert's doctors that he would not die as his loss would kill her.
In 1861, Queen Victoria suffered heartbreak when her beloved husband, Prince Albert, died at the young age of 42 due to typhoid fever. He breathed his last in the Blue Room at Windsor Castle.
Queen Victoria and Albert were laid to rest together at the Frogmore Museum after her death in 1901.
Lifestyle Of Queen Victoria And Prince Albert
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert lived a very lavish lifestyle at Buckingham Palace. They had many servants and often held grand parties at their various residences. Other facts about their lifestyle are:
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert often conversed in German.
The royal couple started the tradition of decorating Christmas trees themselves in 1848. Since then, British royal families have always decorated their Christmas trees at the festival.
Since Prince Albert was very fond of art, both Queen Victoria and Albert took up the hobby of etching and frequently sketched together.
Queen Victoria and Prince Consort were a much-loved pair in the United Kingdom. They frequently appeared in public and made official visits to various places together.
Queen Victoria initiated the trend of wearing a white wedding dress.
After her husband's death, Queen Victoria became a widow at the age of 42 years. For the rest of her reign, she wore only black colored dresses, a widow's black lace cap, and an ermine stole. The last two were reminders of her late husband.
Following Prince Albert's death, no changes were made to his rooms. In all their houses, Prince Albert's rooms were kept and cleaned. Just they had been done earlier.
Education Of Queen Victoria And Prince Albert
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were both very well-educated.
Queen Victoria received private tutoring from some of the best teachers in England, while Prince Albert initially got tutored at home and later attended a prestigious boarding school in Germany.
Prince Albert attended the University of Bonn, where he studied several subjects like art history, political economy, law, and philosophy.
Queen Victoria was fluent in several languages, including English, German, French, Latin, and Italian.
The system adopted by Queen Victoria's mother to educate her daughter was later known as the 'Kensington System.'
Since Queen Victoria spent most of her time training to be a queen, she rarely interacted with children of her own age.
Social Reforms Of Queen Victoria And Prince Albert
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were also very involved in charity work, and they helped many people and organizations in need.
Prince Albert's love of the arts led him to organize the Great Exhibition in 1951 at the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London. It was the first international design and manufacturing exhibition and was attended by notable figures such as Karl Marx, Charles Darwin, and Charles Dickens.
The South Kensington Museum, now known as Victoria and Albert Museum, results from the Great Exhibition. The Royal British couple made several donations to this museum.
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert patronized the Photographic Society. Prince Albert, the Prince Consort, even commissioned some photographs to capture the Royal household's daily life and other events.
Prince Albert designed the royal residence of the Osborne House on the Isle of Wight.
During his lifetime, Prince Albert designed, created, and compiled more than 500 works that are still preserved in the Royal Collection Trust.
Together, Prince Albert and Queen Victoria ruled the country at a time of great change. During her reign, the Industrial Revolution took place, and the British Empire expanded to its greatest extent.
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Sources
https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a14510744/queen-victoria-facts/
https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/queen-victoria-prince-albert
https://www.royal.uk/timeline-queen-victoria-and-prince-albert
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Bachelor of Business Administration, Master of Science specializing in Management
Akshita RanaBachelor of Business Administration, Master of Science specializing in Management
With a Master's in Management from the University of Manchester and a degree in Business Management from St. Xavier's, Jaipur, India, Akshita has worked as a content writer in the education sector. She previously collaborated with a school and an education company to improve their content, showcasing her skills in writing and education. Akshita is multilingual and enjoys photography, poetry, and art in her free time, which allows her to bring a creative touch to her work as a writer at Kidadl.
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