IN SIGHT
146 PRESTIGE J U LY 2019
Above: Queen Victoria’s
journal, with a sketch of
herself and Prince Albert
wearing their costumes
for the Stuart Ball
Opposite page: A
portrait of Queen
Victoria by Thomas Sully“She was quite a fiery little girl,” Williams adds, “but her relationship
with her mother was a very loving one, at least in her early childhood.
Her struggles with her mother only appeared later, when she was a
teenager and when Sir John Conroy tried to have her appoint him as her
private secretary.”
The idea that in later life Queen Victoria didn’t care about her
appearance, especially after Prince Albert passed away, is challenged by
Polly Putnam, curator of Victoria: Woman and Crown, who notes that “a
closer look at her mourning dresses debunks this myth”. Pointing out fruit
basket embroideries on one of the many dresses on display, she says,
“They may be black, but they are definitely not plain.”
During her 63-year reign, Britain embraced innovations leading
to a massive industrial transformation on the home front while
expanding its empire to the four corners of the globe. At home,
Victoria, with Albert’s support, proved to be a moderniser, turning a
new royal residence, Buckingham Palace, into the heart of the British
monarchy, dramatically redesigning it to transform it into a rallying
point for national celebrations as well as a comfortable family home
for a modern monarch.
In 1837, just three weeks into her reign, the young queen moved into
the then-unfinished Buckingham Palace, determined to quickly begin a
new life on her own terms. Conversion of the palace had been started by
her uncle, King George iv, but no one had ever lived there as his
successor, King William iv, preferred the nearby Clarence House.