Victoria - Introduction by Helen Mirren

Victoria inherited the throne at the age of 18 following the death of three of her uncles and King William IV. Her 73 years, 7 months, and 2 days as queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and empress of India made her the longest reigning monarch until Queen Victoria's great-great-granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II

Victoria's name relates to so many aspects of our lives. The Victoria Cross, the highest military gallantry award, the Royal Victorian Order, Victoria Day in Canada, Victoria Falls, and significantly, she presided over the great Industrial Revolution, which was encapsulated in the Victorian Era

As befits a long and fulfilling life, there were ups and downs, but the pinnacle was her marriage to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1840 and the nine children that followed in quick succession. Many of Queen Victoria's children were to marry other European monarchs, making the family most influential across the continent

Sadly, the love story ended prematurely, when Prince Albert died of pneumonia in 1861. Despite public adoration sustained over two jubilees, Victoria never truly recovered, and the queen died on the 22nd of January 1901 in Osborne House on the Isle of Wight