On June 28, 1838, the streets of London swelled with crowds eager to see their new monarch: an 18-year-old woman named Victoria. Her procession to Westminster Abbey for her coronation was a glorious spectacle, but it marked more than the start of a new reign. It represented a chance for the British monarchy to rehabilitate its image after decades of scandal and public disapproval.
The Monarchy in Crisis
By 1838, the British crown was in desperate need of a fresh start. The extravagant and dissolute reigns of Victoria‘s uncles, George IV and William IV, had severely damaged the monarchy‘s reputation. As historian Jane Ridley notes, "The monarchy was in a state of crisis in 1837. It was deeply unpopular, it was seen as extravagant and out of touch."
George IV, who ruled from 1820 to 1830, was known for his lavish spending and scandalous personal life, including a failed attempt to divorce his wife Caroline that aired the dirty laundry of their disastrous marriage. His brother William IV, who took the throne at 64, was seen as an improvement, but still faced criticism for his naval background and brusque manners. As the The Times sniffed, "We rejoice to have escaped from the dreary reigns of George IV and William IV, with all their squalid and vulgar accessories."
The growing reform movement also threatened the monarchy‘s power and relevance. The Great Reform Act of 1832 had expanded voting rights and modernized Parliament, leading some to question the role of the crown in an increasingly democratic age. Republican sentiment was on the rise. It would fall to the young Victoria to win back the public‘s affection and prove the monarchy‘s place in 19th century Britain.
A Coronation for a New Age
Victoria‘s coronation offered a chance for a symbolic fresh start, and her advisors seized the opportunity. While tradition was important, Prime Minister Lord Melbourne and others recognized the need to scale back the pomp and focus on connecting the new queen with her people. As the Globe reported, the aim was a "judicious reduction in the splendour" in favour of "gratifying to the utmost the curiosity of the people."
Some rituals were deemed outdated and inappropriate for a young female monarch, such as the Royal Champion‘s challenge to any who would deny Victoria‘s claim to the throne. The banquet at Westminster Hall was also scrapped. Instead, the focus was on a grand public procession, the longest since the coronation of Charles II over 175 years prior.
Length of public procession route:
- Queen Victoria (1838): 3 miles
- King George IV (1821): 1.5 miles
- King William IV (1831): 1 mileSource: Comparative Coronation Statistics, Journal of Victorian Culture, 2019
An estimated 400,000 spectators, many coming by the newly built railways, packed the streets to cheer their young queen. Newspapers gushed over the turnout, with the Morning Herald declaring, "never did we witness so universal a demonstration of affectionate loyalty."
The ceremony itself was not without hiccups, including misplaced items and awkward pauses that revealed a lack of rehearsal. But Victoria comported herself with poise and grace. When the elderly Lord Rolle stumbled and fell while trying to pay homage, the queen personally helped him to his feet, a moment that endeared her to onlookers. As historian AN Wilson recounts, "The crowd adored her for it…It was the first of many gestures that turned her into the most popular monarch since Elizabeth I."
The Victorian Transformation
While her coronation marked an auspicious start, it was Victoria‘s personal character and capable reign over the next six decades that would truly remake Britain‘s monarchy. Just as she promised in her accession declaration to be "ever ready to protect the rights and promote to the utmost of my power the happiness and welfare of all classes of my subjects", Victoria devoted herself to the role of a modern constitutional monarch.
Victoria‘s scandal-free personal life and happy marriage to Prince Albert stood in stark contrast to her uncles. She championed family values and set a moral tone for her court and country. As biographer Lytton Strachey put it, "After the reigns of George III, George IV, and William IV, the people of England had relapsed into their ancient horror of matrimony…With Victoria, they could feel quite at ease. She, evidently, was not going to give them any trouble of that sort."
The queen also shrewdly avoided partisan politics, instead serving as a unifying national figurehead. She opened Parliament each year with dignified addresses and worked smoothly with prime ministers from different parties. Victoria‘s restrained approach would set a template for the neutral, apolitical style of the modern British monarchy.
Victoria‘s emotional intelligence also helped her connect with subjects. She made a point of visiting hospitals, coal mines, and factories, at a time when royals were not typically expected to meet ordinary citizens. When Sir Robert Peel was injured falling off a horse lent by Victoria, the concerned queen‘s daily visits to his sickbed were widely reported, boosting her popularity. As Charles Greville recorded in his diary, "It was impossible for a queen to have behaved with greater kindness, feeling, and good taste than she did."
Over her 63 year reign, as Britain‘s empire reached its zenith and patriotic pride swelled, the once-troubled crown enjoyed a remarkable turnaround. By Victoria‘s Golden Jubilee in 1887, marking 50 years on the throne, the monarchy had become a beloved rallying point. The Times captured the national mood:
"The Queen has understood her people and her people have understood her…In the Queen, the nation has recognised not merely an exalted ruler, but its own better self – its ideal of that which is true and upright, simple and unselfish."
Ten years later, Victoria‘s Diamond Jubilee procession through London in June 1897 attracted throngs of adoring subjects, not unlike her coronation day crowds six decades prior. The 78-year-old queen reflected in her diary, "No one ever, I believe, has met with such an ovation as was given to me, passing through those 6 miles of streets . . . The cheering was quite deafening & every face seemed to be filled with real joy."
Victoria‘s Legacy
Queen Victoria‘s coronation in 1838 marked the start of one of history‘s most remarkable royal turnarounds. With the crown‘s reputation and relevance at a low point, the young queen seized her chance to prove the monarchy‘s value to a changing Britain. Through her unifying presence, capable leadership, and the moral example of her reign, Victoria didn‘t just restore faith in the monarchy – she remade it entirely.
The modern British monarchy continues to follow the template Victoria established. Her great-great granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her own Platinum Jubilee in 2022, marking 70 years on the throne. Like Victoria‘s jubilees, it was a moment of immense national pride and goodwill towards the crown. Polls consistently show support for the monarchy above 60% in 21st century Britain – a far cry from the public‘s disapproval in 1838.
As historian David Cannadine argues, Victoria‘s reign was a "triumph of image-making" that lay the foundations for today‘s monarchy:
"By the end of the 19th century, there was a newly invented tradition of the royal family as the embodiment of morality, probity and bourgeois family values. That was a very powerful reimagining of the image of the monarchy, and that was what subsequently sustained it right through the 20th century."
In many ways, Queen Victoria‘s coronation was the crucial first step in that transformation. By rising to the occasion, she ensured the British monarchy would endure and adapt in an age of revolutions. The glorious June day in 1838 when a nation turned its eyes hopefully to a young queen would mark the start of a reign that forever changed the crown‘s place in British life.
