Queen Victoria: Difference between revisions

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Many, many books have been written about her and her era. These tend to be set when they were written, either in [[Victorian London]] or in the colonies. Also the default timeframe for [[Steampunk]] works.

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== Her Majesty Victoria and her reign involve examples of the following tropes: ==

== Her Majesty Victoria and her reign involve examples of the following tropes ==

* [[Beam Me Up, Scotty]]: The "We are not amused" story is most likely apocryphal. In fact, she wrote constantly in her journal about how much things amused her, and in fact laughed uproariously at most of the operas of [[Gilbert and Sullivan]].

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** Also true about the phrase "[[Lie Back and Think of England]]." She and Albert loved each other passionately (in both senses of the word) - none of that for ''them''!

*** As the discussion for that trope's page concluded, in order to make the quote more in line with the Victoria's ''actual'' conduct, it must be reinterpreted as advice on what to do when ''not'' having any sex.

** A possible example is the claim that she detested a northern city so much that she always had the curtains closed on her train when passing through ~~it--the~~ reason why this is suspicious is that it's claimed by multiple places, including Newcastle and Edinburgh.

** A possible example is the claim that she detested a northern city so much that she always had the curtains closed on her train when passing through it—the reason why this is suspicious is that it's claimed by multiple places, including Newcastle and Edinburgh.

*** Again, almost certainly apocryphal - Victoria was too soft-hearted to hold a grudge against an entire city.

* [[British Accents]]: Victoria's was supposedly very heavily German-accented, considering that she was descended mostly from Germans (her family were the royals of Hanover after all!) and preferred to speak that one when she was alone or with her equally German husband.

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** That's kind of selling the man short; Joseph Paxton, the aforementioned Gardener, was in the employ of the Duke of Devonshire, and had spent 25 years turning the Duke's Estate into the most technologically advanced botanical establishment in the whole of Victorian-era Europe. Also, the Crystal Palace looks like a greenhouse because Paxton was one of the men responsible for creating the modern Greenhouse design.

*** He also spawned the saying "Got a problem? Give it to Paxton!"

*** The relationship between the Duke of Devonshire and Joseph Paxton was much more like that between two business partners rather than nobleman and ~~servant--and~~ indeed, they did launch at least one business venture together.

*** The relationship between the Duke of Devonshire and Joseph Paxton was much more like that between two business partners rather than nobleman and servant—and indeed, they did launch at least one business venture together.

*** Actually, the sparrowhawks line wasn't even said by Paxton, it was the Duke of Wellington who suggested the idea to the Queen.

* [[Embarrassing First Name]]: Not for her, but her ''first'' name was "Alexandrina", which was chosen specifically to upset her uncle (who hated the Russian [[Tsarist Russia|Tsar Alexander I]]).

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** She ''did'' hope that Victoria came to the throne before her majority, though, so that a regency could be formed, with her as the regent of course. Some say that she even tried to get a regency established ''after'' Victoria turned eighteen.

** Victoria is said to have believed this herself. She suspected her mother's aide, Sir John Conroy, of attempting to have her declared insane so that her mother could be appointed permanent regent (and him the power behind the regency).

* [[The Federation]]: [[The British Empire]] under Victoria is one of the [[Trope Codifier~~|Trope Codifiers~~]]. Towards the end of her reign, there was talk of establishing a literal Federation (well, "Imperial Federation") with a central Parliament to set Empire-wide policy; Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Newfoundland (at the time separate from Canada), and of course the United Kingdom would be its initial members. The idea eventually morphed into the Commonwealth of Nations.

* [[The Federation]]: [[The British Empire]] under Victoria is one of the [[Trope Codifier]]s. Towards the end of her reign, there was talk of establishing a literal Federation (well, "Imperial Federation") with a central Parliament to set Empire-wide policy; Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Newfoundland (at the time separate from Canada), and of course the United Kingdom would be its initial members. The idea eventually morphed into the Commonwealth of Nations.

** Her letters also naturally record [[Young Future Famous People]] incidents of this type, such as Victoria sending Leopold's young son Leopold junior a steam engine to play with and commenting on his ~~industriousness--Leopold~~ II would later become one of the greatest villains of history due to his actions in the Congo Free State.

** Her letters also naturally record [[Young Future Famous People]] incidents of this type, such as Victoria sending Leopold's young son Leopold junior a steam engine to play with and commenting on his industriousness—Leopold II would later become one of the greatest villains of history due to his actions in the Congo Free State.

* [[The Good Chancellor]]: [[Benjamin Disraeli]].

* [[God Save Us From the Queen]]: [[Averted Trope|Averted]]; even those who [[Your Mileage May Vary|don't like the country's practices]] have to admit that she did a good job <s>ruling</s> ''reigning over'' her own country.

** Debatable as she's still known amongst some as [[The Irish Question|'The Famine Queen']].

* [[Grande Dame]]: Though she was not actually lacking humour, she is generally portrayed this way in ~~fiction -- not~~ ''entirely'' without justification.

* [[Grande Dame]]: Though she was not actually lacking humour, she is generally portrayed this way in fiction—not ''entirely'' without justification.

* [[Happily Married]] - A rare, straight example for a real-life royal couple. Victoria was so dedicated to her husband (as he was to her) that even after his death she still insisted that the linens and wash basin in his room be changed just as if he were still living in there.

* [[Hero's Muse]]: She was often portrayed this way.

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** [[Alternate Character Interpretation]]: She found [[Second Love]] with [[Man in a Kilt|John Brown]].

*** Then possibly ''again'' with Abdul Karim after Brown's death.

* [[My Beloved Smother]]: When the Queen was inconsolable after Prince Albert's death, her youngest daughter Princess Beatrice (then aged five) became her main source of support, and at one point while a child Beatrice declared that she would never marry and stay with her mother to support ~~her -- as~~ time passed, it became clear that Victoria intended to hold Beatrice to this. She continued to live with her mother, and was single well into her twenties, with Victoria doing her best to interfere with a number of possible suitors. When Beatrice announced her intention to marry Prince Henry of Battenberg (who she had met at a wedding), Victoria refused to speak with her for ''seven months'' despite them continuing to live in the same house, and finally consented to the marriage only when the couple promised to continue to live with her. Beatrice continued to live with Victoria until the Queen's death in 1901, at which point she spent the next thirty years editing her mother's journals.

* [[My Beloved Smother]]: When the Queen was inconsolable after Prince Albert's death, her youngest daughter Princess Beatrice (then aged five) became her main source of support, and at one point while a child Beatrice declared that she would never marry and stay with her mother to support her—as time passed, it became clear that Victoria intended to hold Beatrice to this. She continued to live with her mother, and was single well into her twenties, with Victoria doing her best to interfere with a number of possible suitors. When Beatrice announced her intention to marry Prince Henry of Battenberg (who she had met at a wedding), Victoria refused to speak with her for ''seven months'' despite them continuing to live in the same house, and finally consented to the marriage only when the couple promised to continue to live with her. Beatrice continued to live with Victoria until the Queen's death in 1901, at which point she spent the next thirty years editing her mother's journals.

* [[No Guy Wants to Be Chased]]: High-profile ~~aversion--due~~ to her being a queen and Albert only being a prince, it was Victoria who had to propose to Albert.

* [[No Guy Wants to Be Chased]]: High-profile aversion—due to her being a queen and Albert only being a prince, it was Victoria who had to propose to Albert.

* [[One Steve Limit]]: Subverted and played straight. Victoria's mother was ''also'' named Victoria. So was her eldest daughter, but was called Vicky for most of her childhood. Victoria and Albert's eldest son was also named Albert, but the British people wouldn't accept such a ''German'' name for their future monarch and was always referred to as his middle name, Edward, in the press (which was the name he eventually adopted when he ascended to the throne). Within the family, though, he was always called Bertie.

** Victoria intended for there to be a Victoria and an Albert in every generation of the senior royal family, whenever possible. The trend died out almost immediately after her death, although some royals still carry one of those names as a middle name (Prince Andrew's middle name is Albert, for instance).

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* [[Widow Woman]]: After the death of Prince Albert, Victoria always wore mourning clothes, though she did eventually brighten up personally.

=== The Queen has been seen in the following works: ===

=== The Queen has been seen in the following works ===

* The film ''[[The Young Victoria]]'', which is based on, well... [[Captain Obvious|a young Victoria]].

* One of ''[[The Royal Diaries]]'' books is "written" by Queen Victoria when she is in her late preteens/early teens.