VICTORIA: BEHIND THE SCENES

With a reign that lasted 63 years, Queen Victoria was the longest-reigning British monarch until she was surpassed by her great-great-granddaughter, Elizabeth II, in 2015. During those six decades she defined what it meant to be a monarch, cultivating a controlled public image amid great political, social, cultural and economic change. However, the new major exhibition at Kensington Palace, re-introduces us to Victoria as a young woman who had to balance her roles as a wife and mother alongside her duties as queen of a vast empire. Rare surviving items from her private wardrobe, including a pair of fashionable silver boots, give us an insight into a different woman to the one who became synonymous with the black satin gowns that she wore for the last four decades of her life. The exhibition also explores her power and influence after the death of her beloved husband, Prince Albert, and how she shaped the dynastic politics of Europe by marrying her children across the continent, as well as her love for India. Located in the palace’s Pigott Gallery, the exhibition is open until 5 January 2020, and is a must-see for anyone who wants to pull back the curtain on one of Britain’s most famous monarchs.