Queen Victoria and Prince Albert: sincere love contrary to the prim traditions of the British court

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Victorian era in the understanding of contemporaries, it is associated with stiffness and puritanism. But it was not always so. The early years of the young queen's reign were different. Then she considered herself a happy wife and mother. Everything changed after the death of his beloved spouse. Heartbroken Queen Victoria until the end of her days she wore mourning for her beloved Albert.

The first meeting between Victoria and Albert took place a year before her accession to the throne. The young people did not make any impression on each other. But Victoria's uncle, who became King of Belgium, began to cherish the dream of the wedding of the future Queen of England and his nephew Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. And he didn't care that they were cousins to each other. Then such a relationship was not considered closely related. Victoria, in turn, indicated in her letters that the very idea of marriage was disgusting to her.

The situation changed radically when Albert and his brother Ernest came to visit Windsor in 1839. Then the queen looked at her cousin in a completely different way, and she fell in love. If earlier in her diary Victoria spoke of Albert as "disabled" or "delicate stomach", now she admired the young man's virtues: "exquisite nose", "beautiful figure, broad at the shoulders and thin at the waist." A day after Albert's arrival in Windsor, Victoria retired with her cousin and made him an offer herself. The groom did not dare to refuse.

On February 10, 1840, an event took place that was later called "the main wedding of the 19th century." For the first time, the Queen's wedding dress was white, and there was a 5-meter snow-white train at the back. When the pictures of the royal couple hit the press, the brides immediately rushed to order white wedding dresses.

The happy and loving queen described in her diary her feelings from the wedding night as follows:

Whether Albert loved his wife as selflessly is difficult to say. There was no overwhelming passion, but genuine affection was there. Historians note that for the entire period of family life, Albert was never seen in any compromising story. He wrote about his relationship with his wife in letters to friends that he was completely satisfied with her.

At first, the courtiers did not take Albert seriously. He was not admitted to political affairs, the daily routine was scheduled by the hour. Slowly but surely, Albert became the Queen's most indispensable advisor in terms of government. He drew up diplomatic letters, wrote answers to the ministers, and Victoria had only to sign them. Seeing how the brave husband understands state affairs, the queen wrote in her diary:.

After a year of marriage, the queen gave birth to a girl. They had nine children in total. Victoria has repeatedly exclaimed how she hates being pregnant. She believed that there is nothing worse than breastfeeding, and children, in her understanding, were "ugly creatures" with huge heads and short arms and legs.

But, as it happens, happiness cannot last forever. In 1861, Albert fell ill. The Queen did not attach any importance to this. The alarm was sounded only when the doctors informed Victoria that her "Sweet Angel" was dying. Albert's last words were: "my dear wife."

The queen closed herself in on herself. She did not leave the bedroom, was not interested in state affairs, ordered to put Albert's clean pajamas on the bed every evening. It was already whispering at court that the queen was going mad. The only thing that distracted Victoria was the creation of monuments to her husband. She ordered to build a mausoleum in the palace park, where Albert was buried.

After some time, Victoria came out of her trance and continued to rule. The queen outlived her husband by 40 years. She grieved the death of Albert so hard that she not only grieved for the rest of her life, but also for her subjects. introduced strict rules governing the wearing of mourning.