Queen Victoria of England is highly regarded by the British public. Her reign is considered the heyday of England, creating the legend of the "Sun Never Sets Empire". However, the politically intelligent queen also has her tender and down-to-earth side. Especially in family life, she seems very ordinary, and can even be said to be a less qualified mother.
Queen Victoria was only 18 years old when she ascended the throne and married her cousin Albert two years later. They were happily married for 17 years and had nine children. However, the Queen is not a person who is keen on pregnancy and parenting. She sees pregnancy as a burden, and the baby's appearance is difficult to satisfy her. This left her child-rearing largely entrusted to her husband, Prince Albert, while the Queen was busy performing state duties.
Queen Victoria's motherhood is not outstanding, but she loves her husband deeply and is willing to take the high risk of childbearing. As each child grows up, she shows deep love for them, but in infancy she sees them as a by-product of love. The Queen's daily life is full of royal duties, and the education of the children is mainly the responsibility of Prince Albert. He is very strict in his education and requires children to follow the rules that cannot be ignored. Although Queen Victoria distanced herself from her children, the couple shared the same philosophy on their education, believing that in a loving and happy family, each child should have his own pattern of upbringing, and at the same time set a moral example for Europe.
The Queen is a foodie who loves good food. Her love may be related to her childhood experiences, as she was under the control of her mother during her childhood. Once she inherited the throne, she was subjected to extremely strict restrictions, not allowed to talk to strangers, show personal feelings, dress too brightly, break the rules of the royal family, etc. When her mother hosted a dinner party, she was even confined to a room to enjoy special baby food alone. When the Queen ascended the throne, it seemed that she could only release stress and find herself through food. She loves to eat all kinds of fresh ingredients, diverse desserts, and even foods that ordinary people eat. However, her husband, Prince Albert, did not want to see her overindulgence, as the queen herself suffered from hemophilia and had to eat carefully. She followed her husband's advice and controlled her diet. As a result, the Queen's weight remained within acceptable limits until Prince Albert's death in 1961.
However, the death of Prince Albert plunged the Queen into a deep melancholy, from which it took ten years to recover. When she reappeared in public view, she was already a chubby woman wearing a black widow's outfit. She has always lived a widowed life, and her only hobby seems to be food. Although she loved her children dearly, she could not tolerate the Prince of Wales, the child who had alienated her husband. She also had a soft spot for jewelry, especially after the death of her husband, Prince Albert, which became her way of expressing her thoughts. She kept a bracelet with a picture of her husband and hair, named "Mourning."
Another characteristic of the Queen is her keen to entertain guests with a variety of cuisines, especially on important festivals. She once had 46 chefs make various desserts for her, and these gifts were usually reciprocated with precious gifts such as Austrian wine, German wild boar head, Russian sturgeon, etc. The queen can legitimately enjoy these delicacies, because not eating them will make the giver lose face. She can enjoy a variety of cuisines for weeks on end.
Finally, Queen Victoria's life ended on her favourite Isle of Wight, a beloved place she and her husband, Prince Albert. She died at the age of 82, and the queen at the funeral changed into a white wedding dress, as if traveling to another world as a bride to meet her late husband.
Queen Victoria's story shows her unusual side, both as a national leader and as an ordinary woman, whose love and pain continue throughout her life.