(AAP)Ĭhildbirth in the 19th century was incredibly dangerous due to the high mortality rate of mothers as well as babies, and the dreadful pain. She didn't do affection.' Queen Victoria in her coronation robes. And she was not a doting mother - she thought it her duty to be 'severe'. Breastfeeding she especially disliked, finding it a disgusting practice.

Repeated pregnancies she considered 'more like a rabbit or a guinea pig than anything else and not very nice'. 'Though she was a prolific mother, Victoria loathed being pregnant.

While she stormed around the palace, he was reduced to putting notes under her door,' Ridley writes. Always at the back of his mind was the fear she might have inherited the madness of George III. 'There were terrible rows and Albert was terrified by Victoria's temper tantrums. While Victoria admired Albert for stepping in when she needed him, she was said to feel resentful of him taking away many of her powers. (Getty)Īccording to historian Jane Ridley, the couple was tied up in a huge power struggle that saw Albert taking over much of Victoria's duties as she was increasingly unable to cope with her workload during her pregnancies. The power struggle Queen Victoria and Prince Albert c.1855. But many believe the reality was a completely different story. RELATED: The scandalous friendship of Queen Victoria and Abdulįrom the outside, the Queen, Prince Albert and their children embodied the dream of happiness and domestic bliss. Photos and paintings of the family depict a devoted couple surrounded by beautiful, much-loved children. Even in my dreams I never imagined that I should find so much love on earth.' (Getty)Īlbert wrote to Victoria during a trip to Germany: 'I need not tell you that since we left, all my thoughts have been with you at Windsor, and that your image fills my whole soul. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert with some of their children at Windsor Castle c.1848. Judging by their numerous letters, Albert and Victoria dearly loved each other. This plan led to the creation of what we still see today as an example of a 'modern idea' of what a royal family should look like. Victoria and Albert decided they wanted to be more than just role models of what a happy family should look like they wanted to establish a moral example of themselves, to lay the foundation of what defines royalty.įor a daily dose of 9Honey, sign up here to receive our top stories straight to your inbox In 17 years, the couple had nine children, five girls and four boys, born between 1840-57. The marriage between the young Queen and the handsome German prince was - on the surface, anyway - a perfect love match. Queen Victoria's wedding to Prince Albert in 1840. So began a relationship that seemed to be as passionate as the love affair portrayed by real-life couple Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes in the ITV series Victoria.

Victoria and albert a royal love affair