I looked at this earlier. It is quite a pretty site. I just don’t feel any attraction to Victoria. I wish I could but really they all leave me cold from around the time of James I and VI. It is interesting though to see the early photographs.

Only particular royalty interests me, Tudor era, Cleopatra and Achilles and Alexander the Great etc etc and I really like our current royal family (Elizabeth II, William, Kate). I never got into Victoria but that’s just me but I did like the movie ‘Young Victoria’ with Emily Blunt.

Actually Bill. Victoria was known to be very tempestious in temperment, and she and Albert used to have some real humdingers of rows. In fact at times they were so heated that Albert used to remind Victoria when she was throwing her dummy out of her pram, that she was behaving just like her grandfather(George 3rd) and she was becomming an embarrassment. There was also a sort of scandal in the first few years of her marriage too. As one of her ladies appeared to be heavily pregnant, although the lady was unmarried, of course she was sent from court in disgrace, and of course shunned by all those who were her freinds. Shortly after the poor young lady died, and it was then discovered that she wasn’t pregnant at all and this had in fact got a large cancerous growth in her womb that had caused her death. Because of the way that Victoria literely tossed this poor young lady out on her arse, the people were very sympathic towards her and for a while Victoria’s popularity suffered, and she was hissed and booed at when she went out in public. The “We are not amused” saying was alledgely never said by the way..
Victoria didn’t do a lot for the country, as Monarch’s from George the 1st were and still are just figureheads of Britain, the actual brew ha ha of running the country is carried out by Parliament. But Victoria did bring hope to the people and after the general madness and mayhem of George 3th, 4th, and William, Victoria was a breath of fresh air to the people. She ruled her people with love as did Lizzy 1st, and was popular with people.
When she died in 1901 she was much mourned by the people, many of whom had only known her to be Queen. I think Victoria was perhaps more iconic than anything else.
As for her relationship with John Brown I don’t think there was anything improper in their relationship. Victoria was devestated when Albert died, and I think she must have fell into a deep depression, those around her just really let her get on with it, John Brown on the other hand shook her out of it and gave her the kick up her backside that she needed to pull herself together and except that Albert was dead. Although as we know she continued right up until her own death to lay out fresh clothing etc every day for Albert. That may sound a crazy thing to do, but it was her way of coping, and everybody copes with the death of a loved one in a different. It was said that when she was buried at Frogmore beside Albert she had a locket placed in her hands with a lock of John Brown’s hair.
Young Victoria was a good film, but in my eyes the best film featuring Victoria is Sixty Glorious Years, starring Anna Neagle as Victoria and Anton Rogers as Albert.

So if I wanted to perhaps get a book on Queen Victoria, any suggestions? Is the one by Christopher Hibbert a good one. I will admit I prefer my royal biographies to be more about the person than the politics.