Queen Victoria was the first constitutional monarch. During her reign the power of the monarchy declined but its influence grew. When Victoria came to the throne, the monarchy was probably less popular than at any time since the seventeenth century. By the end of her reign, it had been raised to a level of prestige and affection which it has never lost. The Crown had become the symbol not only of British nationhood but also of Empire. How did this come about?

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/queen-victoria

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 1,900 lectures free to access or download from the website.

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