Queen Victoria’s Early Clash with the Tories

Queen Victoria’s Early Clash with the Tories

I have been learning more about the real lives behind famous names, and today I want to discover more about Queen Victoria’s political dislike of the Tories.

When Victoria came to the throne in 1837, she was only eighteen years old, and her youth affected everything about the way she approached politics. She had grown up in a very controlled environment under the Kensington System, often feeling restricted. When she finally became queen, she was determined to assert her independence, and she gravitated toward those who made her feel supported. One of the most important people to her was Lord Melbourne, the Whig prime minister, who became not only her political adviser but almost like a father figure. Melbourne was the one who guided her through the complexities of constitutional monarchy, and she trusted him.

Because of her relationship with him, her political sympathies became aligned with the Whigs. Victoria saw them as friends who had supported her. The Tories, on the other hand, seemed distant and critical, and she came to view them with negativity. This tension became very clear during the Bedchamber Crisis of 1839. When Melbourne resigned due to a weak majority and several defeats, and Sir Robert Peel, a Tory, was asked to form a government, he requested that Victoria replace some of her ladies of the bedchamber who were closely connected to the Whigs. Victoria outright refused. To her, these women were friends, and the request may well have felt controlling. Her refusal forced Peel to decline office, and Melbourne returned, reinforcing her belief that the Tories were unreasonable and unsympathetic.

When Victoria was arranging to marry Prince Albert in 1840, her dislike of the Tories was clear. Disagreements over Albert’s rank and position were also a problem. The Tories resisted granting him precedence immediately after the queen, which Victoria took personally. Her reaction was intense, she was an emotional person with a strong personality and she had a strong sense of loyalty to those she loved. She saw the opposition not just as political disagreement but as hostility toward her husband and her happiness.

Albert brought a different perspective. He was thoughtful but disciplined, and was interested in public duty. Melbourne had guided her with warmth and reassurance, but Albert encouraged her to think more and be more critical about politics. She began to rely on him more, not only in matters of state but in everyday decisions. She later began to believe that she had perhaps allowed herself to become overly emotional in her earlier political attachments. Albert’s influence helped to calm her and encouraged her to be more balanced.

Victoria’s hostility toward the Tories softened as she got older, although she never entirely lost her animosity. The political world was also changing, and Victoria learned to work with leaders from different parties, recognising that her role required her to be neutral.

Do you think Victoria’s early loyalties were understandable for such a young queen, or should a monarch always try to remain neutral in politics?

Image info:

Date: 1882

Artist: Alexander Bassano