QUEEN VICTORIA

Life:
Alexandrina Victoria was born in 24th of May in 1819 in the Cupola Room at Kensington Palace and she dies in 1901. Queen Victoria was the monarch of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland during 63 years (from 20 June 1837 until her death), which is the longest of any female monarch in history, is known as the Victorian era. Her uncle Leopoldo of Belgium was a very big influence for her. When she was eighteen inherited the crown of UK from her uncle Jorge IV. In 1840 she married for first time with her cousin who changed her ideologies as queen and they had nine children. She called Grandmother of Europe because most of her children and grandchildren married into royal and noble families across the continent. The new ideologies who she introduced in the monarchy characterized the Victorian era. Victoria died at Osborne House with rheumatism in her legs that prevented walking and her vision was very affected by cataracts.

LOVE STORY
Victoria met Prince Albert when she was just sixteen years, before she became queen. She knew that her mother was thinking that he might be a good man for her. After their first meeting, she wrote this text in her diary: Albert is extremely handsome; his hair is about the same color as mine; his eyes are large and blue, and he has a beautiful nose and a very sweet mouth with fine teeth; but the charm of his countenance is his expression, which is most delightful. The day she met her cousin, Prince Albert, the man who had to be her husband, fell in love at first sight. Since that time he became the centre of her life. They were married on the 10th of February 1840. The day after their wedding, Victoria wrote a text in her diary, where she explains her feelings for Albert and says that that day was the best of her life. She and Albert had nine children although the Queen hated being pregnant. She thought newborn babies were ugly. The following years Albert was always next to Victoria, helping her with her problems, both personal and family, because Victorias mother had recently died.

In 1860, Albert was diagnosed with typhoid fever and died. Since then, the queen always wore black and the people never saw her laugh. Years later Victoria died at Osborne House that Albert had designed for them.

CURIOSITIES
During Victoria's first pregnancy in 1840, in the first few months of the marriage, Edward Oxford attempted to assassinate her while she was riding in a carriage with Prince Albert on her way to visit her mother. Both Queen Elizabeth, the Queen today, and her consort (as her husband is known), the Duke of Edinburgh, are great-great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria. Victoria's first language was German. At three years old she learnt to speak English and French. Later she learnt to speak Hindustani because she was the ruler of India as well. Victoria hates her hands, so she tried to hide covering the fingers with many rings. People didnt use to wear white to their wedding. It was queen Victoria of England who wore a beautiful white dress when she got married to Prince Albert. As a result, wearing this colour became fashionable in all Europe where some women even used to wear black for their own weddings occasions. Queen Victoria survived many assassination attempts, seven exactly. After Prince Albert died, Queen Victoria wore black for the rest of her reign and became known as the Widow of Windsor because she avoided London and public appearance, and spent most of her time at Windsor Castle, which was built by Albert. For her funeral, London was festooned in purple and white because the Queen hated black funerals.