Victoria: The Queen Who Shaped an Empire
Victoria, born Alexandrina Victoria on May 24, 1819, wasn't expected to be Queen. As the fourth child of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, she was a distant heir to the throne. However, fate intervened. Her father died when she was eight months old, and her three uncles, all of whom preceded her in the line of succession, died without children. When her uncle, William IV, died in 1837, the young Victoria, just 18 years old, became Queen of Great Britain and Ireland.
Victoria's reign, lasting an unprecedented 63 years and seven months, marked a transformative period in British history. She embodied the Victorian era, a time of industrial advancement, social reform, and imperial expansion, while also embodying the values of duty, morality, and familial responsibility.