- 3rd great-grandmother of: King Charles III, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, David Armstrong-Jones, Sarah Armstrong-Jones, Prins Gustav af Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, Prinsesse Alexandra af Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia, Kronprins Haakon, Prinsesse Märtha Louise, Frederik X, Prins Joachim, Cristina de Borbón, Elena de Borbón, Simoneta Gómez Acebo, King Felipe VI of Spain, Crown Prince of Greece Pavlos, Prince Nikolaos, Carl Prinz von Hohenzollern, Hubertus von Hohenzollern, Kronprinsessan Victoria, Prins Carl Philip, Prinsessan Madeleine, Lord Frederick Windsor, and Theodora Greece.
- Victoria's Secret lingerie was named after her.
- Was the longest reigning English or British monarch in history, reigning for nearly 64 years, until she was surpassed by her great-great-granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II on September 9, 2015.
- Kept a painting of Prince Albert in his coffin by her bedside.
- Until the age of three, she spoke German only, and, according to contemporary accounts, never fully mastered English. She later learned Italian because of her love for opera.
- Delivered by Marianna Theodore Charlotte Heidenreich von Siebold, the first women in Germany to earn a medical degree, and believed to be the world's first female gynecologist. Three months later, she delivered Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Victoria's future husband.
- At the time of her death, she was head of state for nearly a quarter of the world's population.
- She was the first British monarch to be photographed. Family photographs of her date back to the 1840s, and she posed for her first official portraits in 1860. She was also the first British monarch to be filmed, during her autumn holiday in Balmoral in 1896. Also appearing were the infant Prince Edward (later Duke of Windsor), Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia.
- Dedicated the Royal Albert Hall to the memory of Prince Albert.
- 5th great-grandmother of Prince George of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales, Prince Louis of Wales, and Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.
- Wrote a letter of condolence to Abraham Lincoln's widow upon learning of his assassination. In something of an irony, Great Britain and France were the only foreign countries to give any formal recognition to the Confederate States, granting it belligerent status, which allowed it to contract with private parties.
- Great-grandmother of: King Olav V, Duke of Windsor, Prince John, Edward Windsor, Princess Alexandra, Prince Michael of Kent, Grand Duchess Olga, Viktoria Luise von Preußen, Crown Prince Hohenzollern, King George VI, Princess Alice of Battenberg, Grand Duchess Tatiana, Grand Duchess Maria, Duke of Gloucester, Louis Mountbatten, Grand Duchess Anastasia, King Carol II, Duke of Kent, Aleksey Nikolaeyvitch Romanov, Prince Sigvard Bernadotte, Princess Mary, Lady Iris Mountbatten, Beatriz de Borbón y Battenberg, Juan de Borbón, Princess Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen, Prince Sigismund of Prussia, Prince Nicholas of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Alexandra Beatrice of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Queen Louise, Princess Alexandra, Prince Gustaf Adolf, Dronning Ingrid, Bertil Gustaf Oskar Carl Eugén, Her Grand Ducal Highness Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine, and Alfonso de Borbón.
- Great-great-grandmother of: Prince Philip, King Carl XVI Gustaf, Edward Windsor, King Michael, George Earl of Harewood, King Peter II of Yugoslavia, Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret, King Harald V, Juan Carlos de Borbón, Pilar de Borbón, Gonzalo de Borbón, Alfonso de Borbón Dampierre, H.M. Queen Margrethe of Denmark, King Constantine II, Sofía de Grecia, Princess Irene of Greece, Prinsesse Benedikte, Duke of Gloucester, Princess Alexandra, Prince Michael of Kent, and Queen Anne-Marie.
- Because she carried the gene for hemophilia, speculation ran rampant for decades that Victoria was not fathered by Edward Augustus, The Duke of Kent. However, researchers on her medical background believe that the disease was more likely to have resulted from genetic mutation, a by-product of royal intermarriages.
- She had to propose to Prince Albert. He couldn't ask her to marry him because she was queen.
- She and her husband Prince Albert were also first cousins-Victoria's mother and Albert's father were siblings. They were also third cousins once removed through other ancestors.
- The Duke and Duchess of Kent wanted to name their daughter Georgiana Charlotte Augusta Alexandrina Victoria. However, the baby's godfather, the Prince Regent, refused to allow his (George) or his late daughter's (Charlotte Augusta) name to be bestowed upon the possible future monarch. He announced she would be named Alexandrina after her other godfather, Tsar Alexander I.
- So overcome with grief by the death of her son Leopold, she was unable to walk and was in a wheelchair for the rest of her life.
- After Albert's death, she wore only black for the rest of her life.
- 4th great-grandmother of Prince William of Wales, Prince Harry, Zara Tindall, Peter Phillips, Princess Beatrice, Kronprins Christian, Princess Eugenie, Felipe Juan Froilán de Marichalar y Borbón, Victoria Federica de Marichalar y Borbón, Juan Urdangarín Borbón, Pablo Urdangarín Borbón, Miguel Urdangarín Borbón, H.E. Greve Nikolai, and H.E. Greve Felix.
- On September 22, 1896, having reigned for 59 years and 97 days, she surpassed her grandfather King George III as the longest-reigning English or British monarch in history. On September 9, 2015, her great-great-granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II surpassed her as the longest-reigning monarch.
- Cousin of King Leopold II.
- Buried at Frogmore Mausoleum at Windsor Great Park, London. (February 1901)
- Victoria sponge cake was named after her.
- Although associated with the phrase "We are not amused", Victoria herself denied ever saying it. Her family and those who knew her said she had a good sense of humor, and smiled and roared with laughter on many occasions.
- Ascended the throne as queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions on June 20, 1837. In 1876, she gained the title of empress of India.
- Grandmother of: Princess Margaret of Connaught, Princess Charlotte of Prussia, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Charles Edward, Kaiser Wilhelm II, Prince Henry of Prussia, Prince Albert Victor, Princess Alice, King George V, Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom, Tsarina Alexandra, Dronning Maud, Queen Marie of Romania, Elizabeth Feodorovna, Princess Irene of Prussia, Ernest Louis, Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna of Russia, Victoria Mountbatten, Princess Patricia of Connaught, Princess Louise, and Queen Victoria Eugenia.
- When she first visited Benjamin Disraeli at Hughenden Manor, she ordered the legs of her dining chair to be cut so that her feet would touch the floor when she dined. This chair can still be found in the Manor today.
- She, Prince George, and Princess Augusta of Cambridge were the grandchildren of George III. Prince George's and Princess Augusta's niece, Queen Mary, married Victoria's grandson, King George V.
- The Victoria Embankment part of the Thames in London was named after her in 1870.
- Has several streets and train stations named after her in London.
- Queen Victoria's favorite granddaughter was Tsarina Alexandra (1872-1918).
- Around the world, places and memorials are dedicated to her, especially in the Commonwealth nations. Places named after her include Africa's largest lake, Victoria Falls, the capitals of British Columbia (Victoria) and Saskatchewan (Regina), two Australian states (Victoria and Queensland), and the capital of the island nation of Seychelles.
- There is a Statue of her in Southend, pointing imperiously out to sea, but missing the pointing hand.
- Since 1714, Britain had shared a monarch with Hanover in Germany, but under Salic law women were excluded from the Hanoverian succession. While Victoria inherited all the British Dominions, her father's unpopular younger brother, the Duke of Cumberland, became King of Hanover. He was her heir presumptive while she was childless.
- Melbourne's support in the House of Commons weakened through the early years of Victoria's reign, and in the 1841 general election the Whigs were defeated. Peel became prime minister, and the ladies of the bedchamber most associated with the Whigs were replaced.
- By 1846, Peel's ministry faced a crisis involving the repeal of the Corn Laws. Many Tories-by then known also as Conservatives-were opposed to the repeal, but Peel, some Tories (the "Peelites"), most Whigs and Victoria supported it. Peel resigned in 1846, after the repeal narrowly passed, and was replaced by Lord John Russell.[8.
- Melbourne's support in the House of Commons weakened through the early years of Victoria's reign, and in the 1841 general election the Whigs were defeated. Peel became prime minister, and the ladies of the bedchamber most associated with the Whigs were replaced.[75].
- In early 1855, the government of Lord Aberdeen, who had replaced Derby, fell amidst recriminations over the poor management of British troops in the Crimean War. Victoria approached both Derby and Russell to form a ministry, but neither had sufficient support, and Victoria was forced to appoint Palmerston as prime minister.[.
- At the end of her reign, the Queen's full style was: "Her Majesty Victoria, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Queen, Defender of the Faith, Empress of India.
- The Victoria Cross was introduced in 1856 to reward acts of valor during the Crimean War, and it remains the highest British, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand award for bravery. Victoria Day is a Canadian statutory holiday and a local public holiday in parts of Scotland celebrated on the last Monday before or on 24 May (Queen Victoria's birthday).
- Albert became an important political adviser as well as the Queen's companion, replacing Melbourne as the dominant influential figure in the first half of her life. Victoria's mother was evicted from the palace, to Ingestre House in Belgrave Square. After the death of Victoria's aunt, Princess Augusta, in 1840, Victoria's mother was given both Clarence and Frogmore Houses.[60] Through Albert's mediation, relations between mother and daughter slowly improved.
- Daughter of Duke of Kent and Strathearn Prince Edward and Duchess of Kent and Strathearn.
- Among the actors who have played her: Helen Hayes, Judi Dench, Patricia Routledge, Irene Dunne, Prunella Scales, Pamela Stanley, Gemma Jones, Miriam Margolyes, Pauline Collins, Imelda Staunton, Kathy Bates, Julie Harris, Victoria Hamilton, Anna Neagle, Emily Blunt, Michael Palin, and Peter Sellers (both in drag).
- Was known to be a fast eater. Those who attended royal engagements rarely got to finish their meals, as everyone's plate was removed once the queen was done with hers.
- She wanted to style her husband Prince Albert as "The King Consort" but the government would not allow it, as Albert was foreign-born and the title of king is usually reserved for the monarch. They eventually settled on "The Prince Consort".
- She is the earliest British monarch whom audio recordings exist of and whose voice can be heard.
- During her widowhood, she was known to be close with her Scottish attendant John Brown. Contemporaries believed Victoria and Brown were lovers, and Victoria was sometimes referred to as "Mrs. Brown" in the press. Brown gifted Victoria his mother's wedding ring, which she was buried with at her request, along with a lock of his hair. The nature of their relationship has been debated by historians, which was also the subject of Mrs. Brown (1997).
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content