Monarch of the Week & Giveaway

This weeks Monarch is:

Queen Victoria

Full name:
Alexandrina Victoria

Born:
May 24, 1819

Kensington Palace, London

Died:
January 22, 1901 at the age of 81

Osborne House, Isle of Wight

Burial: February 4, 1901

Frogmore, Windsor

Father:
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn

Mother:
Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield

Spouse and Consort:
Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

Issue:
Victoria, German Empress
Edward VII
Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse
Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Helena, Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein
Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught
Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany
Beatrice, Princess Henry of Battenberg

House:
The House of Hanover

Titles:
Queen of the United Kingdom
Empress of India (May 1, 1876-January 22, 1901)

Reign:
June 1837- January 22, 1901

Coronation:
June 28 1838

Predecessor:
William IV

Successor:
Edward VII

Signature:

Princess Victoria at the age of 4

Self-portrait by Queen Victoria when she was still the Princess of Kent 1835

Coronation portrait

The Marriage of Queen Victoria, 10 February 1840

Earliest known photograph of Queen Victoria with the Princess Royal Victoria circa 1844

Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and their nine children May 26, 1857

Queen Victoria on her horse ‘Fyvie’ with her Scottish servant John Brown at Balmoral 1863

Interesting & Random Facts:
-Victoria was christened privately by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Charles Manners-Sutton on June 24, 1819 in the Cupola Room at Kensington Palace.

-She was baptized Alexandrina, after one of her godparents, Emperor Alexander I of Russia and Victoria after her mother.

-At birth she was the fifth in line of succession after her father and his three older brothers.
-Victoria described her childhood as “rather melancholy”.  Her mother was extremely protective, and Victoria was raised isolated from other children under the “Kensington System”, an elaborate set of rules and protocol devised by the Duchesses and her comptroller, Sir John Conroy.

-In her diary she wrote, "I was awoke at 6 o'clock by Mamma, who told me the Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Conyngham were here and wished to see me. I got out of bed and went into my sitting-room (only in my dressing gown) and alone, and saw them. Lord Conyngham then acquainted me that my poor Uncle, the King, was no more, and had expired at 12 minutes past 2 this morning, and consequently that I am Queen."

-She spent the evening after her wedding  lying down with a headache and wrote the following in her diary:

NEVER, NEVER spent such an evening!!! MY DEAREST DEAREST DEAR Albert ... his excessive love & affection gave me feelings of heavenly love & happiness I never could have hoped to have felt before! He clasped me in his arms, & we kissed each other again & again! His beauty, his sweetness & gentleness – really how can I ever be thankful enough to have such a Husband! ... to be called by names of tenderness, I have never yet heard used to me before – was bliss beyond belief! Oh! This was the happiest day of my life.

-She was the last British monarch from the House of Hanover.

-Queen Victoria is the longest-reigning British monarch and the longest-reigning Queen regnant in world history; she reigned for a total of 63 years, seven months and two days.

Here is another chance to win a Michaela MacColl two book set that includes the book Prisoners of the Palace (a book about young Victoria) and Promise the Night.
Winner will be selected on February 10.
Giveaway is open Worldwide.