Essay 1 Final

Daneisha Espinosa

Sara Vinciguerra

Eng 160

September 28, 2023

Queen Victoria and her diaries

 

Queen Victoria also known as the grandmother of Europe was the fifth undisputed Queen regnant of the UK. She married her cousin Albert and went on to have nine children with him who all became ancestors to all the monarchies in Europe today. Throughout her life Victoria kept a series of diaries documenting her life all the way up until a week before her death; by the end of her life she had accumulated 121 volumes. Victoria’s diaries were one of the first true glimpses we have gotten at a royal’s life, especially one as iconic as her. We see her write about her life for the first time at age 13, her coronation, her wedding night, and many more. These diaries can reveal so much about who she was as a queen and as a mother, especially considering her youngest daughter Beatrice censored most of them. Through her diaries we get an insight into a royal’s everyday life and thoughts, something that people have craved for centuries; the innermost thoughts of a celebrity.

The queen wrote every single day leading to some of the most important events in her lifetime being documented. On June 28th, 1838, Queen Victoria documented her coronation at the age of 18. Throughout her dairies we can see how proud she was to be queen of England. “The millions of my loyal subjects who were assembled in every spot to witness the Procession. Their good humor and excessive loyalty was beyond everything, and I really cannot say how proud I feel to be the Queen of such a Nation.” (Alexandrina Victoria). She goes on in detail about the event and how she felt at the time. I feel like from this entry alone one can deduct that Victoria was very proud about her role and ready to take it on with pride. “The enthusiasm, affection and loyalty was really touching, and I shall ever remember this as the proudest of my life.” (Alexandrina Victoria). One can see that Victoria had admiration for her people similar to today’s celebrities.

In January of 1856 Queen Victoria wrote a letter to Florence Nightingale explaining her gratitude to her and what she has done with the development of nursing. In with this letter, she give Florence a brooch that is described as “[a badge bearing St George’s Cross in red enamel and the royal cypher surmounted by a crown in diamonds; the inscription ‘Blessed are the Merciful’ encircled the badge which also bore the word ‘Crimea’]”(Alexandrina Victoria). Towards the end of her letter Victoria tells Florence how much of an honor it would be if she was able to meet someone who has set an example for women, “It will be a very great satisfaction to me, when you return at last to these shores, to make the acquaintance of one who has set so bright an example to our sex.” (Alexandrina Victoria). Victoria was able to give Florence her gratitude for doing things that no other women at the time was able to do. This shows that she was able to show thanks to someone who had a hand in helping develop her country even if they are not of the same status.

Queen Victoria was truly in love with her husband Albert. Their love was not forced like most royals of the past, they met when Victoria was seventeen and she was immediately smitten with him. On their wedding night she wrote a very telling entry about what went on in the bedroom. “I NEVER, NEVER spent such an evening! MY DEAREST, DEAR Albert sat on a footstool by my side, and his excessive love and affection gave me feelings of heavenly love and happiness I never could have hoped to have felt before. He clasped me in his arms, and we kissed each other again and again! Oh! This was the happiest day of my life!”(Alexandrina Victoria). When her husband died due to typhoid fever, she was absolutely devasted and wore black the rest of her life in mourning for her dearly beloved. On the 20th of December 1861 Queen Victoria writes this to her uncle Leopold about Albert “… to be cut off in the prime of life – to see our pure happy, quiet domestic life, which alone enabled me to bear my much disliked position, cut off at forty-two – when I had hoped with such instinctive certainty that God never would part us, and would let us grow old together … – is too awful, too cruel!”(Alexandrina Victoria). Victoria was one of the first royals able to pick her husband, she loved him with everything she could. This makes her relatable to anyone who has ever been in love.

Victoria continued writing in her diary and letters to others until the end of her life. She kept her youngest daughter Beatrice on as her secretary. I have found two of her final published extracts, they seem melancholic to me. On January 4th, 1901, Victoria wrote “From not having been well, I see so badly, which is very tiresome” (Alexandrina Victoria), you can deduct by this alone that she wasn’t feeling her best her last few days. Her final diary entry was dated the 12th of January 1901, and it stated “Had a good night and could take some breakfast better. Took an hour’s drive at half-past two … It was very foggy, but the air was pleasant.” (Alexandrina Victoria). Victoria towards the end of her life seemed to be like any elderly person who has accomplished a lot and is ready for the end of their journey. She would die ten days later January 22, 1902. Victoria was at the time the longest ruling monarch of the British empire along with being empress of India. Her impact was large and long lasting and now many of her ancestors rule over Europe thanks to her children.

Victoria’s diaries let us know who she was on a more emotional level compared to the formal level that is more so traditional for royals. One can see that she was an appreciative person and someone who loves strongly. One learns that she was just as normal as the rest of us, she felt the things that all people do. What we can take from this is that celebrities think like we do, feel like we do, and can even act the way we do.

 

 

 

Works Cited

“VICTORIA (r. 1837-1901).” HISTORIC ROYAL SPEECHES AND WRITINGS, pdf

            https://www.royal.uk/sites/default/files/media/victoria.pdf

Elser, Daniela. “Queen Victoria’s wild royal sex diaries revealed.” Nzherald,

 https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/queen-victorias-wild-royal-sex-diaries-revealed/JHTEJZKE277MKWEOUOYH2GHDRU/ Accessed September 24th, 2023