Presented by novelist A. N. Wilson with readings from Queen Victoria's journals by Anna Chancellor, this two-part miniseries presents a very different portrait of the monarch from the one that has been handed down through the years. We might know her catchphrase ("We are not amused!"(: it is Wilson's contention that she was quite ready to be amused, especially after the death of Prince Albert in 1861.
During her married life Victoria was quite willing to cede all authority to her husband; she consulted him on everything, even on which dresses she might wear. Her journals are full of love and longing for a man she thoroughly respected as well as loved. When he passed away, she was initially devastated; but as time elapsed, so she recovered and developed a new facet of her character - a capacity for free-thinking. Wilson argues with some justification that Victoria could be seen as an ancestor of Princess Diana in her refusal to bow to the strictures either of her family or her government. She repeatedly quarreled with her Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone, and refused to adopt the demure exterior customarily expected of a monarch. She had a series of male companions, including her servant John Brown and future PM Benjamin Disraeli, as well as an Indian companion towards the end of her life who taught her to speak Hindu. Some of these associations caused a scandal during her lifetime - especially that with John Brown, who was suspected of being her lover - but the Queen had both the moral and physical strength to endure them.
In the end, however, the Establishment had its way, as some of the Queen's descendants systematically destroyed any of her letters that might have seemed incriminating. They were more concerned with sustaining the image of purity and dominance rather than giving future historians the chance to obtain an insight into her true character. Nonetheless there remains a sufficient body of material for us to understand just how radical a monarch Victoria was. She proved beyond doubt that, if one possessed sufficient strength, it was possible to assert oneself even in the most conservative of societies. In light of this discovery, it's a real pity that Princess Diana was denied the opportunity to pursue a similar course of action.
