Victoria was highly unimpressed upon meeting Alexander and his brother however, writing to her uncle Leopold that William disapproved of the tiny state of Saxe-Coburg as one fit to produce a consort for the future queen, and instead wanted her to marry Alexander, the son of the King of the Netherlands and member of the House of Orange. Thus, Albert was not the first choice of the King of Great Britain – the aged and grumpy William IV. Albert was not William IV’s first choice for his nieceĪs was common with such royal matches, and particularly with regards to the inheritance of the throne, political gain was an important prerequisite to marriage. Victoria was immediately attracted to the young prince, describing him in her diary as ‘extremely handsome’ with a ‘beautiful nose and a very sweet mouth’. In the 19th century, members of the aristocracy would often marry distant members of their own families to strengthen their faction and influence. The two seemed like a good match, being born just three months apart, and were finally introduced in May 1836 when Victoria was seventeen and Albert just shy of the same age. Many argue that Victoria and Albert had been intended for one another long before they ever met, through the schemes and plans of their family – the same family, seeing as Victoria’s mother and Albert’s father were siblings. BAFTA winning historian and Joint Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces Lucy Worsley takes Dan on a tour of Kensington Palace, one of the principle royal residences since 1689 and childhood home of Queen Victoria.
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