Queen Victoria‘s marriage to Prince Albert was one of the defining relationships of her life and reign. A match planned by their shared family, it blossomed into a deep love and political partnership that shaped 19th-century Britain. But it also had its share of challenges and heartbreak. Here‘s an in-depth look at the legendary royal romance.
An Arranged Match Turns to Love
Victoria and Albert were first cousins, born just three months apart to royal siblings. Their shared grandmother saw potential in the match and began planning a union between the British and German royal houses. But when they first met in 1836, it was far from a mere political arrangement. The 17-year-old Victoria was instantly smitten with Albert, gushing in her diary that he was "extremely handsome" with beautiful features.
King William IV disapproved of tiny Saxe-Coburg and Gotha as a marital prospect for his niece, preferring the Dutch royal family. But Victoria would not be persuaded otherwise. Three years later, she was queen and determined to wed Albert. In an unusual move, she proposed to him herself in October 1839. With "the greatest joy," he accepted what Victoria called the happiest moment of her life.
The Wedding of the Century
Victoria and Albert‘s wedding on February 10, 1840 was a lavish affair that captured public imagination and set many precedents. Breaking with the tradition of private nighttime royal weddings, Victoria insisted on a public procession in the daytime so the people could see. She wore a white dress to look pure and stand out to onlookers, starting the white wedding gown tradition.
Their cake weighed in at a colossal 300 pounds. Victoria saved a sprig of myrtle from her bouquet to plant in her garden. Every British royal bride since has carried a clipping of that same plant. The newlywed queen was over the moon, writing breathlessly in her diary of her wedding night: "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!"
Ruling Side by Side
As husband and wife, Victoria and Albert were also political partners. The prince used his education in law, philosophy, political economy and art history to act as a key advisor to the queen. They famously had their desks moved next to each other so they could work side by side on state business.
Albert helped guide Victoria through crises like the Irish Potato Famine in 1845 and comforted her after her mother‘s death in 1861. He also became an influential patron of the arts, sciences and social reforms. Many credit him with helping to modernize the monarchy in a time of great change.
A Royal Brood
Victoria and Albert had 9 children together between 1840-1857, including 4 boys and 5 girls. Victoria reportedly hated pregnancy and newborns but the royal family grew rapidly nonetheless:
- Victoria, Princess Royal (1840-1901)
- Edward VII (1841-1910)
- Princess Alice (1843-1878)
- Prince Alfred (1844-1900)
- Princess Helena (1846-1923)
- Princess Louise (1848-1939)
- Prince Arthur (1850-1942)
- Prince Leopold (1853-1884)
- Princess Beatrice (1857-1944)
Many of these children would go on to make prestigious royal marriages of their own. Victoria became known as the "Grandmother of Europe" thanks to her 42 grandchildren populating royal houses across the continent. In an incredible historical coincidence, the reigning King of England, Tsar of Russia and Kaiser of Germany during World War I were all first cousins as grandsons of Victoria.
Not Always a Fairy Tale
For all its storybook romance, Victoria and Albert‘s marriage was not without strife. Victoria suffered severe postpartum depression and even had hysterical fits after some pregnancies that made doctors fear she‘d inherited the madness of her grandfather King George III. She and Albert are known to have had heated arguments and power struggles, especially when he took on more of her duties while she was pregnant.
After one fight, Albert wrote his wife: "I have no other choice but to leave you…in order to give you time to recover yourself." Their relationship could be turbulent as they negotiated the dynamics of a reigning queen and her prince consort. But their bond remained strong through the years.
Intense Grief
Sadly, Victoria and Albert‘s marriage met a tragic end in 1861 after 21 years. Albert fell ill with typhoid while traveling to Cambridge to deal with an embarrassing scandal – their eldest son Bertie‘s affair with an actress. The prince never recovered and died at Windsor Castle at age 42.
Victoria fell into deep mourning and blamed Bertie for Albert‘s death, causing a long rift. She withdrew from public life and wore black for the remaining 40 years of her reign. When Victoria died, she had Albert‘s dressing gown and a plaster cast of his hand placed in her coffin to be buried with her – poignant symbols of her undying love for him even decades after his death.
The tale of Victoria and Albert is no simple love story but one filled with passion, partnership, power struggles, trials and intense devotion. Their marriage defined Victoria‘s reign as one of the longest in British history and left a lasting impact on the monarchy and Europe as a whole through their children and grandchildren. It remains an endlessly rich and fascinating union.
