Queen Victoria · Chapter
VII: Widowhood explained
The death of Prince Albert marks a profound turning point in Queen Victoria's life and reign.
What happens
The death of Prince Albert marks a profound turning point in Queen Victoria's life and reign. She enters a period of deep mourning and seclusion, withdrawing from public life and focusing on her duties as a sacred legacy. The chapter explores the potential political impact of Albert's premature death, the Queen's unpopularity due to her prolonged withdrawal and her controversial support for Prussia, and her efforts to memorialize Albert through monuments and statues, including the Albert Memorial and the Albert Hall.
Themes in this chapter
Grief and Loss
The chapter centers on Victoria's profound grief after Albert's death, which shapes her entire subsequent life and reign.
Monarchy and Constitutional Role
Explores the potential for Albert to have transformed the monarchy into a more autocratic force, and the constitutional implications of his death.
Public Perception and Popularity
Victoria's seclusion leads to public criticism, press attacks, and a decline in popularity, highlighting the tension between private grief and public duty.
Duty and Morality
Victoria frames her relentless work and seclusion as a sacred duty to Albert's memory and to the nation.
Characters to notice
- Queen Victoria
Grieving and secluded, she devotes herself to work and the memory of Prince Albert, facing public criticism and political isolation.
- Prince Albert
His death is the central event of the chapter; his potential influence on English governance is discussed at length.
- Lord Clarendon
Quoted describing Albert's death as a 'national calamity' and lamenting the loss of his sagacity.
- Benjamin Disraeli
Quoted for his hypothetical prophecy that Albert's continued life would have led to 'the blessings of absolute government.'
- Lord Palmerston
Mentioned in the context of the Queen's opposition to his foreign policy and his role in the Albert Memorial design dispute.
- Lord Granville
Described as a faithful friend to the Queen during her widowhood.
- Sir Theodore Martin
A loyal friend who the Queen hoped would write articles to explain her situation to the public.
- Mr. Gilbert Scott
The architect selected to design the Albert Memorial, known for his Gothic style and conflict with Lord Palmerston over the Government offices.
Key passages
“The death of the Prince Consort was the central turning-point in the history of Queen Victoria.”
Prince Albert's death was the most pivotal moment in Queen Victoria's life and reign.
Opening statement establishing the chapter's theme.
“With Albert's death a veil descends. Only occasionally, at fitful and disconnected intervals, does it lift for a moment or two; a few main outlines, a few remarkable details may be discerned; the rest is all conjecture and ambiguity.”
After Albert died, the Queen's life became obscure and difficult to document clearly, with only glimpses of clarity.
Describes the historiographical challenge of covering Victoria's later years.
“The Queen’s enthusiasm for the sacred cause of peace was short-lived. Within a few months her mind had completely altered. Her eyes were opened to the true nature of Prussia, whose designs upon Austria were about to culminate in the Seven Weeks’ War.”
Victoria quickly abandoned her initial pacifism and became a strong supporter of Austria against Prussia.
Illustrates her shifting foreign policy views.
“It is not the Queen’s sorrow that keeps her secluded. It is her overwhelming work and her health, which is greatly shaken by her sorrow, and the totally overwhelming amount of work and responsibility.”
Victoria insisted that her seclusion was due to her heavy workload and poor health, not just grief.
The Queen's own justification for her withdrawal from public life.
