0:00:04 > 0:00:06Victoria.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12Her empire ruled a quarter of the world's population.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15But she was once a passionate, excitable young girl -
0:00:15 > 0:00:18a girl who had to battle to become Queen.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23While researching my book on Victoria,
0:00:23 > 0:00:27a forgotten story emerged of her epic struggle to come to the throne.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33It's a story of greed and power
0:00:33 > 0:00:37played out in royal palaces and some of Britain's greatest buildings.
0:00:37 > 0:00:42It's also a story of a bankrupt monarchy redeemed.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45This is a film about the torturous early life
0:00:45 > 0:00:48of the most powerful little girl in the world.
0:01:05 > 0:01:10King George III was a popular monarch who came to the throne in 1760.
0:01:10 > 0:01:17Farmer George fathered 15 children - nine sons and six daughters.
0:01:17 > 0:01:22His court was famously bourgeois, family-centred and dull.
0:01:25 > 0:01:30But by 1817, the King was insane and locked away at Windsor.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33The future of the Crown was in doubt.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36His sons had grown into selfish playboys who drank too much,
0:01:36 > 0:01:38had scores of illegitimate children
0:01:38 > 0:01:40and were running up enormous debts.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44The King's eldest son, George, was appointed Prince Regent,
0:01:44 > 0:01:47ruling over the country while his father was incapable.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50Prinny was also the only son who had managed to father
0:01:50 > 0:01:52a legitimate heir to the throne -
0:01:52 > 0:01:54his daughter, Princess Charlotte.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58Unlike her father, she was much loved by the people -
0:01:58 > 0:02:01the great hope for the future of the monarchy.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05She set up a happy home at Claremont House in Surrey, but here
0:02:05 > 0:02:07events took a disastrous turn.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10Aged just 21, Princess Charlotte died tragically in childbirth.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14The death of Charlotte brought the country close to revolution.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17But out of the tragedy of Charlotte's death
0:02:17 > 0:02:20comes this incredible story of struggle and success,
0:02:20 > 0:02:23of a young Princess who was passionate, vibrant
0:02:23 > 0:02:25and determined to fight for the throne.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29With the young heiress Charlotte dead,
0:02:29 > 0:02:32George's brothers took centre stage.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36Those next in line to the throne were the Duke of York...
0:02:36 > 0:02:38the Duke of Clarence...
0:02:38 > 0:02:40the Duke of Kent...
0:02:40 > 0:02:43- and the Duke of Cumberland. - When Charlotte dies,
0:02:43 > 0:02:47this is the starting pistol for the baby race,
0:02:47 > 0:02:51because all the other brothers now have to make legitimate marriages.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54So there was an absolute panic for everybody to acquire
0:02:54 > 0:02:57a legitimate wife and acquire a legitimate child
0:02:57 > 0:02:59who could be heir to the throne of England.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03And people were joking about it even at the time.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06There's one poem I really like. It's by Peter Pindar.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10Do you know this one? It goes, "Hot and hard each royal pair
0:03:10 > 0:03:12"Are at it hunting for the heir."
0:03:13 > 0:03:16The fourth son of the King was Edward, the Duke of Kent.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18Of all the dukes,
0:03:18 > 0:03:21he was considered by many to be the best of a bad bunch,
0:03:21 > 0:03:24although he, too, had a long-term mistress.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28But now he set his sights on a young widow,
0:03:28 > 0:03:32Princess Victoire, from the tiny German principality of Saxe-Coburg.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36They were married in the summer of 1818.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39He was 50. She was just 32.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41Well, she was born a Coburg,
0:03:41 > 0:03:46a very powerful family ruling an incredibly tiny principality.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48Then she gets this flattering offer
0:03:48 > 0:03:51from the Duke of Kent which brings her into the English Royal Family,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54which is obviously a step up, but it's a risk,
0:03:54 > 0:03:56because she's got independence,
0:03:56 > 0:04:00she's got her life sorted out, really, and she takes the risk.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02I feel kind of sorry for her,
0:04:02 > 0:04:06because, although she's entering the English Royal Family,
0:04:06 > 0:04:08they don't want her - she's German.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17Barely two months after their wedding,
0:04:17 > 0:04:21the Duke and Duchess of Kent left London to live in Germany.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23The Duke was in severe financial difficulties,
0:04:23 > 0:04:27and the move was a desperate attempt to save money.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33They arrived here in the palace of Amorbach in central Germany,
0:04:33 > 0:04:37then a cold, unmodernised ruin miles from civilisation.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40The Duchess was happier in her beloved Germany,
0:04:40 > 0:04:44and the Duke relished the chance to renovate a new property,
0:04:44 > 0:04:48consequently getting himself deeper and deeper in debt.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52The pair settled into a happy life here in the palace
0:04:52 > 0:04:55and soon had one piece of excellent news -
0:04:55 > 0:04:57the Duchess was pregnant.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00To prove that the child really was legitimate,
0:05:00 > 0:05:03it was imperative that the birth was witnessed
0:05:03 > 0:05:06by key members of the British Establishment.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08So with the Duchess eight months pregnant,
0:05:08 > 0:05:11she and the Duke had to collect their belongings
0:05:11 > 0:05:12and race back to London.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22The Duke of Kent applied to his brother,
0:05:22 > 0:05:25the Prince of Wales. He wanted money to come to England.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29The Prince of Wales refused, so they set off in this sort of procession,
0:05:29 > 0:05:30a rather scuzzy parade
0:05:30 > 0:05:33of, you know, phaetons and landaus and in fact,
0:05:33 > 0:05:35the Duke of Kent himself drove,
0:05:35 > 0:05:39just to save money, 470 miles, something like that,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42across potholed roads, with an inexperienced coachman
0:05:42 > 0:05:46and a seven-month pregnant Duchess. It was a pretty nasty thing.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01The party arrived in Calais on 18th April
0:06:01 > 0:06:05and then drummed their heels waiting for the weather to improve.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07The Duchess breathed deeply and held on.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09Finally, six days later,
0:06:09 > 0:06:12they embarked on the royal yacht for England.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14After three hours of rough seas,
0:06:14 > 0:06:17they arrived here in Dover and then set off for Kensington Palace.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42On 24th May 1819, the Duchess of Kent gave birth
0:06:42 > 0:06:46to a baby girl here in Kensington Palace.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02The new baby was described as being "a pretty little princess,
0:07:02 > 0:07:05"as plump as a partridge".
0:07:05 > 0:07:08But when the Regent heard that his brother had now produced an heir
0:07:08 > 0:07:10to the throne, he was furious.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13He turned the christening into a farce,
0:07:13 > 0:07:17vetoing all the family's regal-sounding chosen names.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20The Archbishop of Canterbury stood with the child by the font,
0:07:20 > 0:07:22waiting to be told what to call her.
0:07:22 > 0:07:27The Regent was determined that the Kents' baby would never be queen,
0:07:27 > 0:07:29so he refused to give her a royal name.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32Finally, he declared, "Give her the mother's name,"
0:07:32 > 0:07:34and so the little girl became
0:07:34 > 0:07:37the first person in England ever to be called Victoria.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40The royal world that Victoria was born into
0:07:40 > 0:07:42was a rapidly changing one.
0:07:42 > 0:07:43Under her grandfather,
0:07:43 > 0:07:47King George III, the monarchy had enjoyed widespread popularity.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51But under the despised Prince Regent with his profligate brothers,
0:07:51 > 0:07:54the once popular royal family seemed a thing of the past.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58People were very worried about the future of the monarchy,
0:07:58 > 0:08:02the political future, there were growing claims for political reform,
0:08:02 > 0:08:05the French Revolution was still in people's minds,
0:08:05 > 0:08:07so all of these things were playing out
0:08:07 > 0:08:10very much in a kind of public sphere of newspapers,
0:08:10 > 0:08:13caricaturists were pillorying the elite, so it was anxious times
0:08:13 > 0:08:16for Britain in those years.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18A lot of the royal dukes -
0:08:18 > 0:08:23what Victoria came to call later her disreputable or disgraceful uncles -
0:08:23 > 0:08:24they were all in debt.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27They gambled, borrowed money from their friends,
0:08:27 > 0:08:29they took out loans, they were profligate,
0:08:29 > 0:08:31and yet they were of the royal blood,
0:08:31 > 0:08:34so they had expectations of how they should live,
0:08:34 > 0:08:36so they got deeply in debt.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59The Duke of Kent was massively in debt, just like his brothers.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03In a bid to save money, he moved his new family to this house,
0:09:03 > 0:09:06then a damp, cold cottage by the sea.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09They arrived here on Christmas Day
0:09:09 > 0:09:12with Princess Victoria just six months old.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15The Duchess spent her time walking on the seafront
0:09:15 > 0:09:16and practising her English.
0:09:16 > 0:09:21But the Duke was less content. The debts were mounting and he decided
0:09:21 > 0:09:24that come springtime, they should all move back to Germany.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27But before the Duke could put his plan into action,
0:09:27 > 0:09:30events in Sidmouth sent little Victoria's life
0:09:30 > 0:09:32in an entirely different direction.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47The Duke of Kent took long walks on the beach in the pouring rain,
0:09:47 > 0:09:49often returning to the cottage soaked to the bone.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52He soon caught a cold and did not recover.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56By 12th January, Victoria's father was seriously ill.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Delirious, vomiting, and suffering from chest pains,
0:09:59 > 0:10:02he had to be propped up even to breathe.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04After the Duke of Kent took to his bed,
0:10:04 > 0:10:08the local doctor was called in and recommended cupping,
0:10:08 > 0:10:13which involved taking a heated cup, making a cut in the skin
0:10:13 > 0:10:15and placing the heated cup over it.
0:10:15 > 0:10:20As the cup cooled, it would create a vacuum that would draw increasing amounts of blood.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22This was repeated time and time again,
0:10:22 > 0:10:24taking out litres of blood over several days.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26The Duke had a strong constitution,
0:10:26 > 0:10:30but the cupping and the constant bleeding must have taken so much
0:10:30 > 0:10:31blood out of his system
0:10:31 > 0:10:34that ultimately it must have hastened his end.
0:10:48 > 0:10:53The dying Duke summoned the strength to ask for his will to be drawn up.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56In it, he appointed the Duchess sole guardian of Victoria.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59On being told that his signature was legible,
0:10:59 > 0:11:01he fell back against the pillows.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05Next morning, the Duke died, holding his Duchess's hand.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09Princess Victoria was now fourth in line to the throne.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12She and her mother were brought back from Sidmouth
0:11:12 > 0:11:14and into the royal fold in London.
0:11:21 > 0:11:22Within days,
0:11:22 > 0:11:26the infant Victoria would move even closer to the throne.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28Her grandfather, King George III,
0:11:28 > 0:11:31who'd been ill for so long, finally passed away.
0:11:55 > 0:12:00At the death of George III, the entire nation went into mourning.
0:12:00 > 0:12:05Thousands of people attended his funeral here in St George's Chapel.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09He had lost America and sired a clutch of useless children,
0:12:09 > 0:12:12but his plain speaking had charmed his people,
0:12:12 > 0:12:15and his struggle with illness had won their sympathies.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19They grieved for him and they dreaded the Regent becoming King.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26Victoria was now third in line to the throne.
0:12:26 > 0:12:31King George IV wanted the Duchess of Kent and her baby out of the way.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35Deep in debt and frightened of the new King, the Duchess began to rely
0:12:35 > 0:12:38on a handsome and persuasive young Irishman called John Conroy,
0:12:38 > 0:12:41previously the Duke of Kent's equerry.
0:12:41 > 0:12:46With the Duchess all alone, he seized his opportunity to influence
0:12:46 > 0:12:48her and her daughter, Victoria.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50Conroy, I think, wasn't good news.
0:12:50 > 0:12:55Conroy was an unscrupulous Irish person that got into the household
0:12:55 > 0:12:58and was on the make, wasn't he?
0:12:58 > 0:13:00He seized his opportunity.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04In 1820, the Duke of Kent died, the Princess's father,
0:13:04 > 0:13:10and he kind of moved in on the Duchess of Kent, you know,
0:13:10 > 0:13:13who wasn't exactly Einstein, for a start.
0:13:13 > 0:13:20And he obviously saw a way to controlling the way things could go.
0:13:20 > 0:13:21He was supposed to be a charming man.
0:13:21 > 0:13:26He was quite a persuasive man - he was quite a talker.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29He was actually quite a crude man, and he was very ambitious
0:13:29 > 0:13:32and he turned out to be very manipulative.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36He felt that he could... really end up
0:13:36 > 0:13:42as the kind of Svengali figure behind the future Queen.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45For the Duchess of Kent and John Conroy,
0:13:45 > 0:13:48Victoria's succession was vital.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50They knew the little princess
0:13:50 > 0:13:53was now their ticket to unlimited riches and power.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56Victoria herself was a real little terror,
0:13:56 > 0:13:58wasn't she? I can see...
0:13:58 > 0:14:02she must have been a real handful, because she had such a strong
0:14:02 > 0:14:04and determined character.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07But she had this really weird upbringing,
0:14:07 > 0:14:12because she was so heavily controlled, looked after,
0:14:12 > 0:14:15she was the focus of attention and her mother's meal ticket.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18She spent most of her time with adults,
0:14:18 > 0:14:21the only girls that she was allowed to play with were the daughters
0:14:21 > 0:14:23of the evil Sir John Conroy,
0:14:23 > 0:14:25so she was living in a sort of curious prison.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30Victoria's earliest memory was of crawling on the yellow carpet
0:14:30 > 0:14:33here in Kensington Palace. She was told that if she cried,
0:14:33 > 0:14:37her Uncle Sussex, who lived next door, would come and punish her.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39Typically, defiant little Victoria
0:14:39 > 0:14:43responded by screaming loudly every time she saw him.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47As the Duchess of Kent said, "The little mouse has a will of her own."
0:14:47 > 0:14:51This single-mindedness was a vital part of Victoria's character.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55She would come to rely on it in the years ahead in her battles
0:14:55 > 0:14:57with her mother and John Conroy.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59I think Victoria's childhood,
0:14:59 > 0:15:02what she called her "melancholy childhood",
0:15:02 > 0:15:03had several effects on her.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07I think it forged her as a character of steel.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10I think the iron entered her soul during her childhood
0:15:10 > 0:15:15and I think it showed her as the resolute monarch she was going to be
0:15:15 > 0:15:17throughout her very long reign.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20The Duchess and Conroy were determined to control Victoria,
0:15:20 > 0:15:22so they created a regime
0:15:22 > 0:15:25for her that became known as the Kensington System.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27At the heart of the system
0:15:27 > 0:15:29was 24-hour surveillance on the little girl.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33At the same time, she was forced to sleep in her mother's bedroom
0:15:33 > 0:15:35and she was never allowed to be alone.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43The Duchess appointed a governess for the young Victoria -
0:15:43 > 0:15:48Baroness Lehzen. The Baroness became Victoria's closest ally.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52The two were inseparable and Lehzen guarded the young girl obsessively.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58Even so, there were still fears for the safety of young Victoria.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01The Duke of Cumberland posed a particular threat,
0:16:01 > 0:16:06for following the death of the Duke of York, he was now third in the line of succession.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09The only person locking his route to the throne
0:16:09 > 0:16:11was little Princess Victoria.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14I think the Duke of Cumberland was seen as the vilest,
0:16:14 > 0:16:17in the eyes of the public, really.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21There were all sorts of terrible rumours about what he got up to,
0:16:21 > 0:16:23and what his reputation was like.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26He was supposed to have murdered his valet
0:16:26 > 0:16:28and have been involved in an incestuous relationship
0:16:28 > 0:16:32with one of his sisters, and it's reported
0:16:32 > 0:16:34that the Times noted when he died
0:16:34 > 0:16:38that they could find nothing good to say about him,
0:16:38 > 0:16:40he was so disliked by the British nation.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43The Duchess and Conroy were convinced
0:16:43 > 0:16:45that the Duke of Cumberland wished to kidnap
0:16:45 > 0:16:47and kill the young Victoria.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51As a consequence, she was watched at all times,
0:16:51 > 0:16:53her food was tasted before every meal,
0:16:53 > 0:16:56and she was forbidden to walk downstairs
0:16:56 > 0:16:58without someone else holding her hand.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01But the royal family was becoming increasingly concerned
0:17:01 > 0:17:04about Conroy's influence and greed for power.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06Various members of the family
0:17:06 > 0:17:10tried to warn the Duchess of Kent about him, but to no avail.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13The warnings given to the Duchess of Kent,
0:17:13 > 0:17:15particularly by Princess Adelaide,
0:17:15 > 0:17:17the wife of the Duke of Clarence,
0:17:17 > 0:17:23really reinforced her feeling that she must keep close to Conroy
0:17:23 > 0:17:26and that Conroy must continue to be her adviser.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29So this was evidence, she thought,
0:17:29 > 0:17:32that all of those relations were out to get her
0:17:32 > 0:17:36and trying to part her from her only source of support.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39In June 1830, King George IV died
0:17:39 > 0:17:43and the childless Duke of Clarence became King William IV.
0:17:43 > 0:17:48Victoria was now heir to the throne. Just 11 years old,
0:17:48 > 0:17:53the unlikely princess now seemed certain to be the next queen.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55It was at this point
0:17:55 > 0:17:58that Conroy and the Duchess of Kent made their bid for power.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02Almost the day after George IV died and his brother,
0:18:02 > 0:18:06the Duke of Clarence, ascended the throne as William IV,
0:18:06 > 0:18:08the Duchess wrote to the Duke of Wellington,
0:18:08 > 0:18:11who was the Tory Prime Minister,
0:18:11 > 0:18:13immediately laying out her claim,
0:18:13 > 0:18:18asking for...wanting to become the dowager Princess of Wales,
0:18:18 > 0:18:20asking for an increased allowance -
0:18:20 > 0:18:25basically positioning herself as the mother of William IV's heir.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28She says, "I'd like to have my debts paid, please,
0:18:28 > 0:18:32"and I'd like to be the official Regent to my daughter."
0:18:32 > 0:18:34So she's saying at that point,
0:18:34 > 0:18:37"I see Victoria as the heir to the throne.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40"I don't think William IV is going to have any children."
0:18:40 > 0:18:42She's really staking her claim.
0:18:42 > 0:18:43But this was the moment
0:18:43 > 0:18:46that they really saw the prize within their grasp
0:18:46 > 0:18:51and their actions from then on were absolutely to position themselves
0:18:51 > 0:18:54for her to be Regent and for Victoria to ascend the throne.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04The Duchess was obsessed with becoming Regent
0:19:04 > 0:19:08and getting her hands on the money that would come with the position.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12She embarked on an ambitious project to increase her own popularity
0:19:12 > 0:19:16by taking the young Victoria on a series of journeys
0:19:16 > 0:19:17all over the country.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26After months of planning and poring over maps,
0:19:26 > 0:19:30Victoria's first grand tour set out from Kensington Palace.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34The carriages rumbled off for the Midlands and the towns of Stratford,
0:19:34 > 0:19:37Warwick and Birmingham. The tour was a great success.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40There were brass bands and cheering crowds all the way.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42But Victoria was miserable.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46She missed her beloved pets, she was surrounded by Conroy and his family,
0:19:46 > 0:19:50and the Duchess kept pushing her aside to grasp the attention.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53And it wasn't just Victoria who resented the Duchess
0:19:53 > 0:19:54stealing the limelight.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56And if the Duchess of Kent
0:19:56 > 0:20:00and her daughter are staying in some of the great family houses
0:20:00 > 0:20:03of these elite families with their own political influence,
0:20:03 > 0:20:06if she's visiting some of the great mercantile cities
0:20:06 > 0:20:09and getting loyal addresses
0:20:09 > 0:20:12and entertainment and receptions and so on,
0:20:12 > 0:20:16it all detracts from the central role of the actual monarch.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19It does mean that William becomes quite a stickler
0:20:19 > 0:20:22for insisting that the Duchess of Kent should stay
0:20:22 > 0:20:25within the boundaries that have been provided.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32The conflict between King William and the Duchess was growing.
0:20:32 > 0:20:38In September 1831, William IV was crowned King at Westminster Abbey.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42He called it "a useless and ill-timed expense".
0:20:42 > 0:20:45But he imposed one very strict condition,
0:20:45 > 0:20:48and this made the Duchess of Kent so angry
0:20:48 > 0:20:49that she took drastic action,
0:20:49 > 0:20:52boycotting the ceremony and fleeing London.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04The King commanded that Princess Victoria must follow
0:21:04 > 0:21:07behind his brothers as he walked up the aisle.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10Furious at what she saw as an attack on her daughter's position
0:21:10 > 0:21:13as heir to the throne, the Duchess declared
0:21:13 > 0:21:16that she and the Princess would not attend the coronation.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20Instead, she whisked the young Victoria here,
0:21:20 > 0:21:22to Norris Castle on the Isle of Wight.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31London reeled at the shocking news
0:21:31 > 0:21:34that the Duchess had snatched the young Victoria away,
0:21:34 > 0:21:36snubbing the coronation.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39The Times reported that the Duchess had refused to attend
0:21:39 > 0:21:42and made it clear who should be blamed.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46"We should be glad to know who are the advisers
0:21:46 > 0:21:48"of this misguided lady."
0:21:52 > 0:21:57Victoria was angry and frustrated at missing her uncle's coronation,
0:21:57 > 0:22:01but even as a lonely and isolated child, she found solace
0:22:01 > 0:22:05in the beautiful surroundings. Victoria loved Norris Castle.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09Really, the Duchess was bribing her for not attending the coronation.
0:22:09 > 0:22:14The Princess adored the freedom of being away from Kensington,
0:22:14 > 0:22:17able to see the sea. As she wrote later,
0:22:17 > 0:22:21"Kensington looks so gloomy and the trees are quite bare.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25"What a sad, sad change from dear Norris."
0:22:37 > 0:22:41Now that Victoria was in her teens and showing signs of rebellion,
0:22:41 > 0:22:46the Duchess was growing ever more intent on absolute power,
0:22:46 > 0:22:51and to this end she introduced a new daily task.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55Eager to control her daughter, the Duchess bought her a diary,
0:22:55 > 0:22:59and told her to write in it every day.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02She wanted to read Victoria's innermost thoughts.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05But although she resented the invasion of privacy,
0:23:05 > 0:23:09Victoria embraced the diary, writing pages and pages every night.
0:23:09 > 0:23:14It now forms a unique insight into the mind of the teenage Princess.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19Victoria began her diary with a description of her first grand tour.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22It's clear that, at the tender age of 13,
0:23:22 > 0:23:24she was shocked by what she saw.
0:23:24 > 0:23:30"The men, women, children, country and houses are all black.
0:23:30 > 0:23:31"The country is very desolate -
0:23:31 > 0:23:35"engines flaming, everywhere smoking and burning coal heaps,
0:23:35 > 0:23:39"intermingled with wretched huts and little ragged children."
0:23:39 > 0:23:43The grand tour exposed Victoria to the general public
0:23:43 > 0:23:47and it began to open her eyes to the country she would one day rule.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49But it also infuriated the King.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53What I think in general affronts William
0:23:53 > 0:23:58is their presumption and their grandeur in acting so independently.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01This is not a tour which has court approval.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04We have to remember that under the Regency Act,
0:24:04 > 0:24:08the Duchess has been appointed Regent in the event of William not surviving
0:24:08 > 0:24:12until Victoria's 18th birthday in 1837.
0:24:12 > 0:24:17So a royal progress modelled very explicitly
0:24:17 > 0:24:21on those of the lioness herself, Elizabeth I,
0:24:21 > 0:24:24introducing Victoria as the heir to the throne,
0:24:24 > 0:24:27really does create an impression
0:24:27 > 0:24:29of vultures circling above William.
0:24:29 > 0:24:34So at a time when he's struggling to improve the popular image
0:24:34 > 0:24:36of the House of Hanover,
0:24:36 > 0:24:39it would have been deeply grating to receive reports
0:24:39 > 0:24:42of the loyal addresses, the cheering crowds,
0:24:42 > 0:24:46on occasion even the regal salutes, which greet her.
0:24:46 > 0:24:47As Victoria grew older,
0:24:47 > 0:24:50her relationship with the King grew stronger.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53He became even more opposed to the influence
0:24:53 > 0:24:55of her mother and John Conroy.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59They now hatched a plan to totally discredit the young princess.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01Victoria was almost 15
0:25:01 > 0:25:04and King William IV was gloating in his good health,
0:25:04 > 0:25:07determined to eke out his life
0:25:07 > 0:25:09until his young successor turned 18.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13The Duchess and Conroy saw power slipping away from them.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15So they decided to present Victoria
0:25:15 > 0:25:18as too childish to govern herself, let alone the country,
0:25:18 > 0:25:21and so she would need the Duchess to be her regent
0:25:21 > 0:25:24past the age of 18, perhaps up until 21.
0:25:24 > 0:25:29In July 1835, at Victoria's confirmation ceremony, the King
0:25:29 > 0:25:33publicly humiliated John Conroy, expelling him from the service.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36The incident brought mother and daughter
0:25:36 > 0:25:38into direct conflict yet again.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42Just an hour after the ceremony, the Duchess wrote to Victoria,
0:25:42 > 0:25:46telling her of all her great sacrifices for her.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49She commanded her to dismiss Baroness Lehzen,
0:25:49 > 0:25:51but Victoria refused.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53She knew she had great struggles ahead,
0:25:53 > 0:25:56and Lehzen would be her only support.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00"I felt that my confirmation was one of the most solemn
0:26:00 > 0:26:02"and important events in my life.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06"I went with the firm determination to become a true Christian,
0:26:06 > 0:26:11"to try and comfort my dear mama in all her griefs, trials and anxieties,
0:26:11 > 0:26:17"also to be obedient to dear Lehzen, who has done so much for me."
0:26:19 > 0:26:22It's interesting that when Victoria writes "dear Lehzen",
0:26:22 > 0:26:27the word "dear" is italicised - she's emphasising her affection.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29But when she writes "dear" referring to her mother,
0:26:29 > 0:26:31she doesn't bother to italicise it.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35This may seem like a minor detail,
0:26:35 > 0:26:38but it's a clear sign of what was developing into a struggle
0:26:38 > 0:26:39for the throne itself.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09In the autumn of 1835, Victoria, the Duchess and the Conroys
0:27:09 > 0:27:13took one of their customary holidays to Ramsgate
0:27:13 > 0:27:15and stayed here in Albion House.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18Soon after their arrival, Victoria fell seriously ill.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22Initially, the Duchess told her she was malingering, but then,
0:27:22 > 0:27:25when Victoria became delirious and seemed close to death,
0:27:25 > 0:27:28her mother desperately called for the doctors from London.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33Victoria was heir to the throne.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35But if she were to die now,
0:27:35 > 0:27:38the Duchess and Conroy would lose everything.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41The Duke of Cumberland would inherit.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45Victoria's illness in Ramsgate would be her greatest crisis so far.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48The Princess was still desperately ill
0:27:48 > 0:27:51when her mother paid a visit and commanded her to sign a paper
0:27:51 > 0:27:54appointing John Conroy as her private secretary
0:27:54 > 0:27:56in charge of her household.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59Victoria refused, but the Duchess loomed over her,
0:27:59 > 0:28:01demanding that she obey.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03Then she sent in Conroy to threaten.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06Over and over, as Victoria wept with fever,
0:28:06 > 0:28:09he thrust the paper under her nose and commanded her to sign.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15But Victoria still refused.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19She emerged from her ordeal determined to rely on herself.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22When Conroy and her mother told her
0:28:22 > 0:28:26that they were only trying to help her, she knew that they were lying.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29It was at Ramsgate that the battle lines were really drawn.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33We don't know why Princess Victoria hated Conroy so much.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35There's been a lot of speculation.
0:28:35 > 0:28:40In the wilder shores of speculation, it was that he made advances to her.
0:28:40 > 0:28:42I think that's very unlikely.
0:28:42 > 0:28:43It is possible he had a relationship
0:28:43 > 0:28:46with her mother that she judged to be inappropriate -
0:28:46 > 0:28:49that she was supposed to have found her mother in his arms
0:28:49 > 0:28:53at one time. We'll never know that. As for my part, I think that
0:28:53 > 0:28:57actually his behaviour to her, a young girl in her formative years,
0:28:57 > 0:29:00was sufficient to explain her dislike of him
0:29:00 > 0:29:03without us needing to look for other reasons.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08Seemingly destined to become queen,
0:29:08 > 0:29:12Victoria was still a pawn in the marriage market.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15But an unlikely suitor now appeared on the scene,
0:29:15 > 0:29:19a man who would play a major part in her battle with her mother.
0:29:29 > 0:29:35Prince Albert first arrived here in Kensington Palace in May 1836.
0:29:35 > 0:29:38Victoria waved at the top of the stone steps
0:29:38 > 0:29:42and watched Albert and his brother Ernest being shown in.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44She was not immediately impressed
0:29:44 > 0:29:47by Albert, rather preferring his brother Ernest,
0:29:47 > 0:29:50although she did admit to her diary that Albert had
0:29:50 > 0:29:53"a most honest, good-natured and intelligent countenance".
0:29:58 > 0:30:00She's very attracted to him,
0:30:00 > 0:30:05but this is partly because she leads this isolated life,
0:30:05 > 0:30:07and she doesn't get out very much
0:30:07 > 0:30:10and she's very glad to see another young person.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13She's not instantly in love and wanting to marry,
0:30:13 > 0:30:16but it's a significant moment. How could it not be?
0:30:16 > 0:30:18It's the start of her life, in many ways.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21In 1836, the King's health began to fail.
0:30:21 > 0:30:25If he died now, before Victoria reached 18,
0:30:25 > 0:30:28then the Duchess and Conroy would finally get their hands
0:30:28 > 0:30:31on the money and power they so craved.
0:30:31 > 0:30:35He was desperate to make sure that he stayed alive for long enough
0:30:35 > 0:30:39for Victoria to ascend the throne as queen in her own right,
0:30:39 > 0:30:41not with her mother
0:30:41 > 0:30:45and particularly her mother's, consort, co-conspirator,
0:30:45 > 0:30:49John Conroy, as a sort of co-regent.
0:30:52 > 0:30:56The lines were now firmly drawn and the battle between the King
0:30:56 > 0:31:00and the Duchess was about to come to a head.
0:31:00 > 0:31:01On a trip to Parliament,
0:31:01 > 0:31:04the King took a detour past Kensington Palace.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07He was horrified to find that the Duchess had occupied
0:31:07 > 0:31:10and re-modelled the entire upper floor.
0:31:10 > 0:31:14Without his permission, she had taken over 17 rooms
0:31:14 > 0:31:19and transformed his state bedchamber into her new boudoir.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22This, for the King, was the final straw.
0:31:22 > 0:31:26The furious King waited his chance to confront the Duchess.
0:31:26 > 0:31:31It came on the occasion of his birthday in August 1836.
0:31:31 > 0:31:35The situation really came to boiling point at the King's birthday.
0:31:35 > 0:31:36A couple of days before,
0:31:36 > 0:31:40he'd been to Kensington Palace on an unexpected visit
0:31:40 > 0:31:43and he'd found that the Duchess had appropriated several suites of rooms
0:31:43 > 0:31:47which he had refused permission for her to do.
0:31:47 > 0:31:49So he upbraided her for that.
0:31:49 > 0:31:53And then on his birthday, in view of 100 guests, an important,
0:31:53 > 0:31:56a public occasion, he berated her.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58The King's angry speech
0:31:58 > 0:32:01was noted verbatim by diarist Charles Greville.
0:32:01 > 0:32:05"I trust in God that my life may be spared for nine months longer,
0:32:05 > 0:32:09"after which period, in the event of my death,
0:32:09 > 0:32:11"no regency would take place.
0:32:11 > 0:32:13"I should then have the satisfaction
0:32:13 > 0:32:15"of leaving the royal authority
0:32:15 > 0:32:17"to the personal exercise of that young lady,
0:32:17 > 0:32:19"the heiress presumptive of the Crown,
0:32:19 > 0:32:23"and not in the hands of a person now near me,
0:32:23 > 0:32:26"who is surrounded by evil advisers."
0:32:26 > 0:32:28Victoria burst into tears
0:32:28 > 0:32:31before the furious King could finish his speech.
0:32:31 > 0:32:33The other guests reeled in shock,
0:32:33 > 0:32:35leaving the fine wines and food untouched.
0:32:35 > 0:32:39The Duchess sat stony faced, and when the ladies left the table,
0:32:39 > 0:32:43she declared that she and Victoria would walk out immediately,
0:32:43 > 0:32:47and she had to be begged not to do so for fear of newspaper headlines.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50It seemed as if matters between the King and the Duchess
0:32:50 > 0:32:52could not get any worse.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56It was an amazing thing to do.
0:32:56 > 0:32:59It embarrassed the Duchess terribly. She couldn't look him in the face.
0:32:59 > 0:33:01Victoria burst into tears.
0:33:01 > 0:33:06They were guests in his house. He must have felt extremely strongly
0:33:06 > 0:33:07to have done such a thing,
0:33:07 > 0:33:10which was completely against protocol and against courtesy.
0:33:12 > 0:33:14But the King went even further.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17Just a few days before Victoria's 18th birthday,
0:33:17 > 0:33:21the King made her an incredible offer - £10,000 a year
0:33:21 > 0:33:24and permission to appoint her own attendants.
0:33:24 > 0:33:28He wanted her well away from Mama. But the Duchess was furious.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32She and Conroy forced Victoria to copy out a letter which read,
0:33:32 > 0:33:36"I wish to remain as I am now, in the care of my dear mother."
0:33:36 > 0:33:42On 24th May 1837, Princess Victoria turned 18.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45'There can have been few mothers throughout history
0:33:45 > 0:33:49'for whom their daughter's 18th birthday was such a disaster.'
0:33:49 > 0:33:54"I will strive every day to become less trifling and more fit for what,
0:33:54 > 0:33:58"if Heaven wills it, I'm someday to be!"
0:33:58 > 0:34:00Victoria could now inherit the throne.
0:34:00 > 0:34:04But she was still under Conroy's control, forced to obey her mother
0:34:04 > 0:34:08and subjected to the Kensington System.
0:34:08 > 0:34:12The Kensington System, although it was horrible,
0:34:12 > 0:34:14was kind of the fiery furnace
0:34:14 > 0:34:18in which the steel in Victoria's soul was forged.
0:34:18 > 0:34:20And she, she does comes through it.
0:34:20 > 0:34:24It must have been "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger".
0:34:24 > 0:34:28And she learnt a lot of important lessons there about being nice to
0:34:28 > 0:34:32people that you don't like, being patient,
0:34:32 > 0:34:38um...playing a waiting game and just staying true to herself.
0:34:38 > 0:34:42She has a very disciplined mind, she has a propensity for hard work
0:34:42 > 0:34:46and a quick intelligence, and she is strikingly sure
0:34:46 > 0:34:49of her own fitness to rule.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53In the summer of 1837, the waiting game was nearly over.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56The King was very ill.
0:34:56 > 0:34:59The Duchess resorted to emotional blackmail.
0:34:59 > 0:35:00She wrote to her daughter
0:35:00 > 0:35:03begging her to appoint Conroy as her private secretary.
0:35:03 > 0:35:07"That person, I must repeat to you again, your father considered
0:35:07 > 0:35:10"to be Sir John Conroy.
0:35:10 > 0:35:14"This advice I give you only for your own security."
0:35:14 > 0:35:18In the years and months before the death of William IV,
0:35:18 > 0:35:21the Duchess of Kent, instead of boosting her daughter for the role
0:35:21 > 0:35:25that it was becoming pretty obvious that she was going to have to take,
0:35:25 > 0:35:27actually sought in a sense to undermine her.
0:35:27 > 0:35:31She told her all the time that she was young, she needed advice,
0:35:31 > 0:35:34she was far too young a girl to take on the role of state
0:35:34 > 0:35:37that was going to be hers. And she did more than that.
0:35:37 > 0:35:40She wrote to people saying that Princess Victoria
0:35:40 > 0:35:43needed the guidance of a mother, and, more than that,
0:35:43 > 0:35:45she needed the guidance of a man.
0:35:45 > 0:35:47And that man, of course, was John Conroy.
0:35:47 > 0:35:49She tried to blackmail her,
0:35:49 > 0:35:51saying, "This is what your father would have wished."
0:36:01 > 0:36:05Just four weeks after Victoria reached her 18th birthday,
0:36:05 > 0:36:08King William IV finally died.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Lord Chamberlain
0:36:16 > 0:36:19hurried to Kensington Palace, arriving at five in the morning,
0:36:19 > 0:36:22but the Duchess refused to let them in.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24Finally, at six, she woke Victoria
0:36:24 > 0:36:27to tell her she had important visitors.
0:36:30 > 0:36:34The Duchess tried to enter the room with her, but Victoria refused.
0:36:46 > 0:36:50Instead, she walked in alone, in her nightwear, and saw
0:36:50 > 0:36:54the great men kneel to her and tell her she was Queen of England.
0:36:54 > 0:36:58Outside the door, the Duchess plotted.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01She was sure that the Kensington System had worked,
0:37:01 > 0:37:03that Victoria was under her control,
0:37:03 > 0:37:07and that great power and riches were still within her grasp.
0:37:07 > 0:37:11Victoria's first act as queen was simple and telling.
0:37:11 > 0:37:13She requested that her bed
0:37:13 > 0:37:17be moved from her mother's room and made up in her own chamber.
0:37:17 > 0:37:21Her bid for freedom had begun and her closest ally from now on
0:37:21 > 0:37:24would be the Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27She immediately formed a bond with Melbourne, and I think,
0:37:27 > 0:37:30from her perspective, the attraction is obvious.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33This is a dutiful and necessary relationship
0:37:33 > 0:37:37with the incumbent Prime Minister and it represents
0:37:37 > 0:37:40an immediate escape from her mother's domination.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43So from the off, the relationship is supercharged,
0:37:43 > 0:37:46and I think his influence is enhanced
0:37:46 > 0:37:50by the very novelty of her acting independently -
0:37:50 > 0:37:54by her emancipation from the Kensington System.
0:37:54 > 0:37:59She tells Melbourne that she plans to retain his administration
0:37:59 > 0:38:00and his ministers.
0:38:00 > 0:38:04Melbourne bows to kiss her hand in thanks.
0:38:04 > 0:38:08She then underlines that she wishes to make one change
0:38:08 > 0:38:10in the royal household,
0:38:10 > 0:38:13and that, of course, is the dismissal of Sir John Conroy.
0:38:20 > 0:38:24And Conroy realised the game was lost, so he threw in the towel.
0:38:24 > 0:38:26But he also made excessive demands.
0:38:26 > 0:38:31He demanded a peerage and he demanded a pension of £3,000.
0:38:31 > 0:38:36But Victoria was so desperate to get rid of him that she agreed,
0:38:36 > 0:38:40on condition that he was never to attend court.
0:38:40 > 0:38:42She sticks to that one, despite her mother begging her
0:38:42 > 0:38:44to have him and his children at court.
0:38:44 > 0:38:48She won't do it. He's completely cut out of the picture.
0:38:48 > 0:38:52Victoria's first duty as queen was to host a Privy Council
0:38:52 > 0:38:57and introduce herself to 220 of the most important men in the land.
0:38:57 > 0:38:59The Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne,
0:38:59 > 0:39:02asked if she wished to be accompanied,
0:39:02 > 0:39:04but even though she was young,
0:39:04 > 0:39:08inexperienced and utterly sheltered from men, Victoria refused.
0:39:08 > 0:39:12The doors opened and the new queen entered
0:39:12 > 0:39:14in her plain black mourning gown.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17The room fell silent.
0:39:17 > 0:39:21"I will place my firm reliance upon the wisdom of Parliament
0:39:21 > 0:39:24"and upon the loyalty and affection of my people
0:39:24 > 0:39:28"and promote to the utmost of my power the happiness and welfare
0:39:28 > 0:39:30"of all classes of my subjects."
0:39:30 > 0:39:33As soon as Victoria came to the throne,
0:39:33 > 0:39:35her mother made repeated attempts to see her.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38The new queen refused her permission.
0:39:38 > 0:39:42"I had to remind her who I was," she told Lord Melbourne.
0:39:42 > 0:39:45"Quite right," he replied, "disagreeable but necessary."
0:39:45 > 0:39:48The new queen's first day was consumed with giving audiences
0:39:48 > 0:39:53to various dignitaries, all the while ignoring her mother.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56She dined on her own in the evening
0:39:56 > 0:39:59and talked with Lord Melbourne just before she retired.
0:39:59 > 0:40:03That night, she slept alone for the first time
0:40:03 > 0:40:04in her entire life.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09The next step towards freedom lay in one of the many letters
0:40:09 > 0:40:11of congratulation.
0:40:11 > 0:40:15It was from her cousin Albert, and to this one she replied in person.
0:40:15 > 0:40:20"I cannot tell you how happy you have made me by your kind, dear letter.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22"My new situation is not an easy one,
0:40:22 > 0:40:27"but I trust, with goodwill, honesty and courage, I shall not fail.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30"I delight in the business which I have to do,
0:40:30 > 0:40:34"and which is not trifling either in matter or quantity."
0:40:36 > 0:40:38Just a few weeks later,
0:40:38 > 0:40:41Queen Victoria turned her back on Kensington Palace.
0:40:41 > 0:40:46Her life under the Kensington System was finally over.
0:40:46 > 0:40:49"I have gone through painful and disagreeable scenes here,"
0:40:49 > 0:40:53she wrote, "but still I am fond of the poor old palace."
0:40:53 > 0:40:57Despite her words, she didn't return to Kensington for many years.
0:41:04 > 0:41:06Her new home would be the building
0:41:06 > 0:41:09we now most closely associate with the Royal Family -
0:41:09 > 0:41:11Buckingham Palace.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20Victoria's first six months as queen
0:41:20 > 0:41:24was complete when Parliament voted her an annual income
0:41:24 > 0:41:26of almost £400,000. At just 18,
0:41:26 > 0:41:30she was not only the most powerful woman in the world,
0:41:30 > 0:41:34but also the richest. And she was about to be celebrated
0:41:34 > 0:41:38in one of the most flamboyant coronations in history.
0:41:39 > 0:41:45Diarist Charles Greville described the preparations for the big day.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48"Not a mob here or there, but the town all mob,
0:41:48 > 0:41:50thronging, bustling, gaping,
0:41:50 > 0:41:52"and gazing at everything,
0:41:52 > 0:41:54"the Park one vast encampment,
0:41:54 > 0:41:57"with banners floating on the tops of the tents,
0:41:57 > 0:41:59"and still the roads are covered,
0:41:59 > 0:42:03"the railroads loaded with arriving multitudes."
0:42:08 > 0:42:13On 28th June 1838, Queen Victoria was woken at four in the morning
0:42:13 > 0:42:15by the sound of cannon fire.
0:42:15 > 0:42:18By seven o'clock, the streets were teeming.
0:42:18 > 0:42:21Victoria entered her gilded state coach and set off
0:42:21 > 0:42:24on the slow journey to Westminster Abbey.
0:42:36 > 0:42:38The Abbey was decorated in crimson,
0:42:38 > 0:42:41and gold tapestries hung on the wall,
0:42:41 > 0:42:44while oriental carpets covered the floor.
0:42:44 > 0:42:48At the altar shining with gold plate, the Archbishop of Canterbury
0:42:48 > 0:42:54received Victoria and pronounced her "the undoubted queen of this realm".
0:42:54 > 0:42:59The congregation responded to a man, "God save Queen Victoria!"
0:42:59 > 0:43:03"The Archbishop came in and ought to have delivered the orb to me,
0:43:03 > 0:43:04"but I had already got it.
0:43:04 > 0:43:08"I replaced my crown, which I had taken off for a few minutes.
0:43:08 > 0:43:10"The Archbishop had put the ring on the wrong finger,
0:43:10 > 0:43:12"and the consequence was
0:43:12 > 0:43:15"that I had the greatest difficulty to take it off again."
0:43:15 > 0:43:18It's like Bo Peep in the middle of a Hammer film sequence.
0:43:18 > 0:43:22She doesn't know what's going to happen next, or what it's about,
0:43:22 > 0:43:24but she has to go through this whole thing.
0:43:24 > 0:43:29She was this kind of frail vision. And things went wrong.
0:43:29 > 0:43:33Somebody turned over two pages, so a great chunk was missing,
0:43:33 > 0:43:36and she went through to St Edward's Chapel, and she got through there,
0:43:36 > 0:43:40then they realised they'd missed two pages so they got her back again.
0:43:40 > 0:43:43The Archbishop rammed the coronation ring on her finger.
0:43:43 > 0:43:45She couldn't get the darn thing off
0:43:45 > 0:43:49and had to soak her finger in cold water to get it off.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52So it was a kind of enormous muddle.
0:44:02 > 0:44:04Victoria was now Queen of England
0:44:04 > 0:44:07and out from under her mother's direct gaze.
0:44:07 > 0:44:09But she complained to Lord Melbourne
0:44:09 > 0:44:11that the Duchess was still living with her.
0:44:11 > 0:44:15It was clear that the only way Victoria could escape her mother
0:44:15 > 0:44:17completely would be if she married.
0:44:17 > 0:44:22In October 1839, Ernest and Albert arrived back in London.
0:44:22 > 0:44:26As soon as Victoria saw them, she was delighted.
0:44:26 > 0:44:28Her cousins had grown into handsome men.
0:44:28 > 0:44:32"It was with some emotion that I beheld Albert, who is beautiful,
0:44:32 > 0:44:35"and so excessively handsome.
0:44:35 > 0:44:39"Such beautiful blue eyes, an exquisite nose
0:44:39 > 0:44:41"and such a pretty mouth."
0:44:41 > 0:44:44Well, he comes back into her life. He's improved.
0:44:44 > 0:44:46He's travelled in Italy.
0:44:46 > 0:44:50He's got more self-confidence, although he'll never be a charmer.
0:44:50 > 0:44:53He's not a ladies' man, Albert, and he's obviously...
0:44:53 > 0:44:55She obviously fancies him -
0:44:55 > 0:44:58there's quite a strong sexual attraction between them.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01It's a very isolated position, being the Queen of England.
0:45:01 > 0:45:04There was nobody who was her equal - who could approach her.
0:45:04 > 0:45:07And I think she had begun to find that she wanted companionship -
0:45:07 > 0:45:09she wanted a relationship.
0:45:09 > 0:45:12And so I think when she met Albert again two years later,
0:45:12 > 0:45:13she had a predilection -
0:45:13 > 0:45:17she had a predisposition to fall in love, which she did - heavily.
0:45:17 > 0:45:23A mere five days into his visit, she sent for Albert to see her alone.
0:45:23 > 0:45:25"'It would make me too happy
0:45:25 > 0:45:29"'if you would consent to what I wished - namely, to marry me.'
0:45:29 > 0:45:33"We embraced each other over and over again,
0:45:33 > 0:45:35"and he was so kind, so affectionate.
0:45:35 > 0:45:38"Albert was too great a delight to describe!"
0:45:38 > 0:45:41The Queen of England was now engaged.
0:45:41 > 0:45:45But she took a whole month to tell her mother. And when she did,
0:45:45 > 0:45:48she told her that she would have to leave the household.
0:45:48 > 0:45:51When she becomes queen, she suddenly realises
0:45:51 > 0:45:53that what she demands can happen,
0:45:53 > 0:45:56and there is this marvellous moment when she thinks,
0:45:56 > 0:45:59"I can actually have a dinner without mother there."
0:45:59 > 0:46:02And that's a moment of revelation, when...
0:46:02 > 0:46:04And one warms to her,
0:46:04 > 0:46:08because her entire life was so circumscribed.
0:46:08 > 0:46:10There was nothing beyond it and
0:46:10 > 0:46:14nothing beyond these people who controlled and manipulated her.
0:46:14 > 0:46:17Victoria's escape was complete.
0:46:17 > 0:46:20The focus of her life from now on would be her beloved Albert.
0:46:20 > 0:46:23After a very brief engagement,
0:46:23 > 0:46:27they were married on February 10th 1840.
0:46:27 > 0:46:30Tens of thousands gathered early to see the royal wedding.
0:46:30 > 0:46:31It was a measure
0:46:31 > 0:46:36of just how popular the new monarch was in the eyes of her subjects.
0:46:36 > 0:46:38At 12.30, Victoria left the Palace
0:46:38 > 0:46:41and drove through the rain and cheering crowds
0:46:41 > 0:46:45to meet her bridegroom. At the Chapel Royal, 12 bridesmaids
0:46:45 > 0:46:49carried her six-foot train, and she was resplendent in white and roses.
0:46:49 > 0:46:51It was Victoria's wedding day,
0:46:51 > 0:46:54but she still could not forgive her mother.
0:46:54 > 0:46:57As she left the Chapel, she stooped to kiss Queen Adelaide,
0:46:57 > 0:47:00but merely shook hands with the Duchess.
0:47:11 > 0:47:15Marrying meant that she was able to remove her mother from the household.
0:47:15 > 0:47:17It was perfectly proper for her to live with her husband
0:47:17 > 0:47:19and not have her mother there.
0:47:19 > 0:47:22So in a sense it was the final act of separation from her mother.
0:47:22 > 0:47:26It sounds odd to be the queen and need to separate from your mother,
0:47:26 > 0:47:29but I think that was the case, and after that, of course,
0:47:29 > 0:47:33the Duchess did not live with her and really had absolutely no role at all.
0:47:46 > 0:47:48This incredible story,
0:47:48 > 0:47:51the bitter struggle between the most powerful little girl in the world
0:47:51 > 0:47:55and the woman who wanted that power, ushered in the modern era.
0:47:55 > 0:47:59Victoria left behind the debauched, self-indulgent, corrupt monarchs
0:47:59 > 0:48:03of the Regency period and became the first people's Queen.
0:48:03 > 0:48:05The country would never be the same again.
0:48:32 > 0:48:35Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd