Why Queen Victoria?

            Ever since I was a little kid I was fascinated by history. First it was the Revolutionary War, then the French Revolution. In recent years I’ve discovered the Victorian Era. The culture, customs, writers, and people of this era I find endlessly interesting. But I didn’t really know anything about the person that this era was named after, Queen Victoria. Of course I’d heard of her. In school there were really only three English monarchs that anyone talked about: Elizabeth I, Henry VIII, and Victoria. But for some reason Victoria was the one that was always overshadowed.

            I really became intrigued by Queen Victoria when I watched the movie The Young Victoria starring Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend. Being a lover of historical movies, I was completely drawn into the story of Victoria’s journey to power and most importantly her relationship with Prince Albert. All I know about her is based on that movie. She became queen of England at age 18 and is the longest reigning English monarch to date. She married her cousin Prince Albert and they had nine children before Albert died. But is this information and the portrayal of her in the movie accurate? I don’t know. So this is the big question I want to answer while researching her: What was the real Victoria like? Hopefully I’ll find an answer.