SHE BECAME QUEEN AT EIGHTEEN - AND FINALLY HAD A BEDROOM OF HER OWN

At six o'clock on the morning of the 20th of June 1837, Princess Victoria was woken up by her mother at Kensington Palace. The Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Conyngham had arrived and wanted to see her. She was still wearing her dressing gown. Victoria went into her sitting room to meet the two men alone.

Her uncle, King William IV, had died at twelve minutes past two that morning. Victoria was eighteen years old, and she was now Queen. It was a huge responsibility, but it also brought with it a freedom she had wanted for years.
Victoria had grown up under the Kensington System, a strict arrangement imposed by her mother, the Duchess of Kent, and her adviser Sir John Conroy. She shared her mother's bedroom, was closely supervised. She was not even allowed to walk downstairs without holding someone's hand. She had happier moments with her dolls and her little dog Dash, but she increasingly resented the control that was being exercised over her.

Conroy had hoped that Victoria would inherit the throne before she reached the age of eighteen. That way her mother could have acted as regent, and in turn he could be close to the throne. But thankfully for Victoria she had celebrated her eighteenth birthday on the 24th of May, less than four weeks earlier. So she would rule without a regent.

One of her first acts as Queen was to have her bed moved out of her mother's bedroom.
We don’t know exactly how Victoria’s mother reacted when her daughter’s bed was moved, but she was certainly unhappy about losing her influence over her. Just a few weeks later, the courtier Charles Greville recorded that the Duchess of Kent was deeply upset by Victoria’s newfound independence. She reportedly felt that, after devoting eighteen years to raising her daughter, she was now being pushed aside and had little purpose left. I imagine it was a difficult change for the Duchess, who had been so accustomed to controlling Victoria. But for Victoria, having a bedroom of her own was a small freedom that meant an so much.

There were important decisions to make, too. That morning, Victoria met the Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne, alone. Later, she appeared before her Privy Council in the Red Saloon at Kensington Palace, dressed in black mourning for her uncle. Those who saw her were impressed by the composure of their young Queen.

In her diary, Victoria wrote of her determination to do her duty to the country.

Did you know how little freedom Victoria had before she became Queen?

Going forward we will be finding out more about Victorias first years as queen.

Image info:
Queen Victoria receiving news of her accession on the 20th of June 1837. Painting by Henry Tanworth Wells, 1887. Royal Collection. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.