As Victoria grew up, the Duchess redoubled her attempts to control her, and to show herself off as the power behind the throne. The Duke of Clarence and his much younger wife had a girl, Charlotte, in , but she lived only a few hours.
In late December , they had another girl, Elizabeth, to the despair of the Duchess of Kent. But by the following March, Elizabeth had died. On 1 August , she, the year-old Victoria, and the Conroys set off on the first of their journeys: a three-month tour to Wales, via the Midlands and Cheshire. Victoria hated the tour. She detested being surrounded by Conroys, the early starts, and the endless dinners and receptions with dull adults.
Meanwhile, the politicians voiced their opinion that Victoria was just too ridiculous a name for a ruler. Indeed, the King tried to force the Duchess to agree to change it to Elizabeth or Charlotte. Initially, she agreed. Finally, however, she refused, wishing that her daughter would bear her name. It is odd to think now that if she had relented, the Victorian age would never have existed.
Soon the Princess was 16 and, with King William showing every sign of holding onto health for another two years, the pair began to panic — and decided to embark on a new strategy. They told all those with influence that Victoria was so immature that she would require the Duchess to rule for her until at least the age of At the same time, they plotted to force Victoria to give them positions of power when she ascended the throne.
In the autumn of , when Victoria fell ill with typhoid at Ramsgate, they saw an opportunity to act. While the Princess was weeping with fever in bed, the Duchess loomed over her and repeatedly attempted to force her to sign a document agreeing to appoint Conroy as her private secretary — in effect, the controller of her affairs and money. The King, too, was resolute. Although very unwell, he was determined not to give up on life until Victoria turned He hated the Duchess and the last thing he wanted was for her to be Regent.
Every day, he struggled on — willing himself not to die. He spent his adult life attempting to divorce his wife, but when she died in , he was too content with his mistress to find another wife. Dies childless. Our Museums. Queen Victoria, Lithograph by Day and Haghe, Queen Victoria made her first visit to the Royal Pavilion in and this gesture of royal approval thrilled the people of Brighton.
Accessibility Options. Use the controls below to choose different colour contrast options and background images for the site: Colour Contrast Low Contrast. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives. Gerald Ford became the 38th president of the United States following Richard Nixon's resignation, in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal.
Charles II was the monarch of England, Scotland and Ireland during much of the latter half of the 17th century, marking the Restoration era. He was succeeded by Queen Elizabeth II in He was married to Marie Antoinette and was executed for treason by guillotine in American radio and television news broadcaster Edward R.
He abdicated the throne in order to marry his lover, Wallis Simpson, thereafter taking the title Duke of Windsor. Known as the "Lion of the Senate," Democrat Ted Kennedy was a staunch liberal who was elected to Congress nine times, spearheading many legislative reforms. A former theater and television producer, Edward remains active in charity. Henry VIII, king of England, was famously married six times and played a critical role in the English Reformation, turning his country into a Protestant nation.
He was a popular ruler who strengthened his country prior to World War I. Olivia Rodrigo —. Though she detested Liberal Prime Minister William Gladstone, she found ways to work with him, even during her mourning period.
Victoria continued in her duties up to her death. In keeping with tradition, she spent the Christmas of at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, where her health quickly declined to the point that she was unable to return to London.
Her strict ethics and personality have become synonymous with the era. The couple met when Victoria was just 16; their uncle Leopold suggested they marry. So she proposed to him on October 15, At times, their marriage was tempestuous, a clash of wills between two extremely strong personalities. However, the couple was intensely devoted to each other. After several years of suffering from stomach ailments, Victoria's beloved Albert died of typhoid fever in at the age of Victoria was devastated, sleeping with a plaster cast of his hand by her side, and went into a year seclusion.
For the rest of her reign, she wore black. Seven years her junior and many ranks below her, the queen said Brown was her dearest friend — an unthinkable relationship at the time. There were rumors that Brown and Victoria were lovers, especially after the death of Albert.
Historians have since parsed through her journals — which were edited by her daughter Beatrice — and never found evidence of an affair. But one thing is clear: She loved him.
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