05/18/2026
It’s a long weekend here in Canada. A celebration of Queen Victoria.
I’m a royalist (not obsessive, just interested) and I would say that she is my favorite. So I thought I would dig up a few of the quirky and ‘factual’ facts for you today. 👸
* She was only 18 years old when she became queen. One morning she woke up a teenager… and by breakfast she was monarch.
* Victoria was just 4 feet 11 inches tall — tiny in stature, enormous in historical impact.
* She proposed to Prince Albert herself. Royal protocol meant he technically couldn’t propose to the reigning monarch.
* She absolutely hated being pregnant. She called babies “ugly” and compared infancy to “a frog-like existence.” Not exactly the Victorian greeting card version of motherhood.
* She survived at least 7 assassination attempts during her reign. Amazingly, some public appearances afterward actually increased her popularity because people admired her calmness.
* White wedding dresses became globally fashionable because of her. Before Victoria, brides often just wore their best dress — any color. Her white lace gown changed wedding culture forever.
* She spoke several languages, including German and some Italian and French.
* Victoria kept meticulous journals throughout her life — over 60 million words are estimated to have been written in her diaries.
* She had a pet donkey named Flora who reportedly comforted her late in life. And was an avid dog lover, her favorites included her childhood Cavalier King Charles Spaniel "Dash" and a Pomeranian "Turi," who stayed by her deathbed
* After Albert died, she wore black for the remaining 40 years of her life. That deep mourning shaped the entire “Victorian mourning culture” people still associate with the era.
* She was known to enjoy a glass of whisky and wine, despite the era’s reputation for stiff formality.
* The term “Victorian” became synonymous with an entire age while she was still alive — architecture, morality, fashion, etiquette, industry, literature… she became the living symbol of an era.
* She was the grandmother of Europe. Her children married into royal families across the continent, linking many European monarchies together.
* Her first name wasn’t actually Victoria. She was born Alexandrina Victoria, and family called her “Drina.”
* She disliked being called old. Same, honestly.
And one especially poetic little detail for a Victoria Day weekend:
She loved the Highlands of Scotland so much that Balmoral Castle became her emotional refuge — wild air, misty hills, quiet walks. Very fitting for someone who carried an empire on her shoulders and still sought peace in nature.
And the “Just the facts, ma’am”
* Reign: June 20, 1837 – January 22, 1901
* Length of reign: 63 years, 7 months, and 2 days
(At the time, she was the longest-reigning British monarch in history until Queen Elizabeth II surpassed her.)
* Born: May 24, 1819
* Died: January 22, 1901
* Age when she died: 81 years old
* Husband: Prince Albert
* Married: February 10, 1840
* Children: 9
* Grandchildren: 42
Her children married into royal families across Europe, which is why she became known as “The Grandmother of Europe.” By the early 1900s, you could barely toss a royal tiara across the continent without hitting one of Victoria’s descendants. 👑
