The Queen

Queen Victoria

"Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death.

She inherited the throne aged 18, after her father's three elder brothers had all died, leaving no surviving legitimate children. The United Kingdom was already an established constitutional monarchy, in which the sovereign held relatively little direct political power. Privately, Victoria attempted to influence government policy and ministerial appointments; publicly, she became a national icon who was identified with strict standards of personal morality.

Victoria married her first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in 1840. Their nine children married into royal and noble families across the continent, tying them together and earning her the sobriquet "the grandmother of Europe". After Albert's death in 1861, Victoria plunged into deep mourning and avoided public appearances. As a result of her seclusion, republicanism temporarily gained strength, but in the latter half of her reign her popularity recovered. Her Golden and Diamond Jubilees were times of public celebration.

Her reign of 63 years and seven months is known as the Victorian era. It was a period of industrial, cultural, political, scientific, and military change within the United Kingdom, and was marked by a great expansion of the British Empire. She was the last British monarch of the House of Hanover." (Wikipedia 2016)

Portraits of Queen Victoria which I found really beautiful:

Portrait painted by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1847, as an anniversary present for Prince Albert.

Queen Victoria, Winterhalter, 1845. Photo: Royal Collection © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.  (Guillotine 2014)

Queen Victoria, Winterhalter, 1845. Photo: Royal Collection © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen Victoria when a Girl, Westall, 1830. Photo: Royal Collection © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

The cousins: Queen Victoria and Victoire, Duchesse de Nemours, Winterhalter, 1852. Photo: Royal Collection © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen Victoria in Fancy Dress, Landseer, 1845. Photo: Royal Collection © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. (This was her costume at a masked ball in Buckingham Palace in June 1845.)

Winterhalter, The Royal Family in 1846.

References:

1. Guillotine, M. (2014) Queen Victoria – portraits of the week. Available at: http://madameguillotine.org.uk/2014/01/22/queen-victoria-portraits-week/ (Accessed: 27 January 2016).
2. Queen Victoria (2016) in Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria (Accessed: 27 January 2016).
3. Splendor, O. of (2122) WELCOME TO THE ORDER. Available at: http://orderofsplendor.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/my-ultimate-tiara-collection-queen.html (Accessed: 27 January 2016).
4. Wedding dress of Queen Victoria (2015) in Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding_dress_of_Queen_Victoria (Accessed: 27 January 2016).