Victoria controlled an extensive
network of intelligence sources
that fed explosive revelations to
the British government – or direct
to her. Rory Cormac and
Richard J Aldrich investigate
her adventures in espionage
We’ve added a pair of 19th-century
folding eyeglasses to Alexander
Bassano’s famous photograph of
Victoria. By the time the photo was
taken, in 1882, she had cultivated
an impressive espionage network
spanning Europe and beyondON THE