10 February 1840
Victoria marries Albert

Previous event | Timeline | Next event

Queen Victoria marries Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. He is the queen's first cousin and the marriage has long been planned by their relatives. Victoria and Albert first met in 1837, before she was queen. She was suspicious of the arranged match and planned a long engagement, but when Albert visited England again in 1839, she fell in love with him. The marriage takes place in London. The people of Britain are less ecstatic than their queen. The general public resent Albert's foreignness, while the aristocracy resent his family's influence over Victoria.

At first, Albert's only role in the affairs of state is to blot the royal signature, but soon he begins to work alongside the queen. He converts her to his own enthusiasm for free trade economics and Robert Peel, and she is often guided by him politically.

Top