Queen Victoria Revival

Welcome to Queen Victoria Revival

If you have found this section of my website you are probably fascinated by Queen Victoria and the era she gave her name to. I thought it just right to attach my blog and research to my historical interpretation website which of course is all things Queen Victoria!

I have made it my mission to show that there is more to Queen Victoria than most people realise. From a vivacious young lady to the Windsor widow in her weeds my research and posts will take you from the start of her life to the very end of it. Across this section of my website you will find a series of blogs, which cover a wide range of events and topics relating to her life and reign. You will also find a series of life stories about her children and grandchildren. I will also cover her fashion, regalia and jewellery which is an incredibly important part of portraying my role as Queen Victoria.

Queen Victoria and Belvoir Castle - Royal splendour and stately homes

Last Christmas I visited Belvoir Castle not only as a research opportunity but I was working there as a historical interpreter for their Christmas event at The Engine Yard. I was incredibly lucky to have a tour around the castle and a three night stay at Croxton Lodge but of course seeing the bed Victoria once slept in and being able to be having exclusive access to The Elizabeth Saloon really topped the visit off. The lodge we was incredibly lucky to stay in a hunting lodge

Victoria Regina

Jan 36 min read

Advent Day 24: Christmas Eve 1860 – Queen Victoria’s Journals

Roger Fenton, “The Round Tower, Windsor Castle”, 1860, albumen print, RCIN 2100049, © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust “Already this dear Festival returned again, & this year with true Xmas weather, snow on the ground & sharp frost. — Albert & the Princes our shooting, but Louis preferred remaining with Alice. Walked down with them to the skating pond, where we found the other girls, &c. — All skated again after luncheon, when there was a reg

youngqueenvictoria

Dec 24, 20252 min read

Advent Day 23: Christmas Eve 1859 – Queen Victoria’s Journals

Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse & by Rhine, “Madonna and Child”, dated Xmas 1859, pencil, watercolour wash, touches of bodycolour, RCIN 980925, © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust “This dear day again returned. — Full of bustle, business, & agitation, preparing presents, &c. — Walked with Alice to the Farm, where we looked at the animals & all Albert’s beautiful bulls & cows (100) & calves, — great beauties. Stopped a moment at Frogmore

youngqueenvictoria

Dec 23, 20252 min read

Advent Day 22: Christmas Eve 1858 – Queen Victoria’s Journals

Mary Thornycroft, “Princess Beatrice (1857-1944) in the Nautilus Shell”, signed and dated 1858, RCIN 41291, Royal Collection Trust/© His Majesty King Charles III 2022 “Already Xmas Eve! It seems but yesterday, that we celebrated it, & now 2 dear Children are far away! — Fine, bright, fresh day. — Albert out shooting. I, walking with Louise & Arthur. — Very busy arranging for Xmas, sending off presents to Claremont, &c —. — Thinking much of poor dear Vicky today. — Took a shor

youngqueenvictoria

Dec 22, 20252 min read

Advent Day 21: Christmas Eve 1857 – Queen Victoria’s Journals

James Roberts, “Frogmore House: The Duchess of Kent’s Sitting Room”, dated 1857, watercolour and bodycolour, RCIN 919734, Royal Collection Trust/© His Majesty King Charles III 2023 “This day has come round so fast again, & it feels quite unlike it, it is so springlike & all the birds singing. — Albert went out shooting & I rode with Mary Bulteel, Gen: Greg, & Col: Biddulph, “Sunset” going so well. — Ernest L. (come for Xmas) appeared for luncheon. — So busy, — so many things

youngqueenvictoria

Dec 21, 20252 min read

‘A great feeling of strangeness & unlikeness to Christmas’: Queen Victoria’s Christmas 1896

1896 had been a traumatic year for Queen Victoria. Not only was it ‘the 35th anniversary of that dreadful day which crushed my life!’1, but she also watched ‘the terrible sorrow that has befallen my poor darling child [Princess Beatrice] & made her a widow too.’2 While Queen Victoria had initially been reluctant for Beatrice to marry, she soon fell in love with her newest son-in-law, Prince Henry of Battenberg, who lived with the Queen during his decade long marriage to Beatr

Victoria Regina

Dec 20, 20254 min read

Advent Day 20: Christmas Eve 1856 – Queen Victoria’s Journals

Franz Xaver Winterhalter, “Charles, Prince of Leningen (1804-1856), signed and dated 1850, oil on canvas, RCIN 400913, © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust. “Already we have returned to this festive day. — much busied, ever since our return here, & particularly today with the enormous number of gifts & presents to so many relations, friends, &c —. It rained early, but cleared by 10. — George left us after breakfast. — We took an hour’s walk, &

youngqueenvictoria

Dec 20, 20252 min read

Advent Day 19: Christmas Eve 1855 – Queen Victoria’s Journals

John Linnit, “The ‘Alliance Flag’ Brooch”, 1855, RCIN 4804, Royal Collection Trust/© His Majesty King Charles III 2024 “Very mild & very bright, but a very high wind. — Already Christmas Eve! It comes round to quickly, — so much too fast, & yet how much has happened since last Christmas. — Very busy all the morning, & early afternoon with preparations, which I have been, since returning from Osborne, & indeed before we went. — Albert out shooting, & I, taking a short walk wit

youngqueenvictoria

Dec 19, 20252 min read

Advent Day 18: Christmas Eve 1854 – Queen Victoria’s Journals

George Housman Thomas, “Napoleon III and Prince Albert in Boulogne”, 1854; mistakenly dated 1853, pencil, watercolour, bodycolour and gum arabic, RCIN 920050, Royal Collection Trust/© His Majesty King Charles III 2022 “Yesterday evening also received a letter from Ld Aberdeen & the Draft to Mr Henderson relative to the Sardinian Treaty. None of secret articles are to be agreed to. We amended the Draft a little, ourselves, this morning, as it had some passages in it which appe

youngqueenvictoria

Dec 18, 20252 min read

Advent Day 17: Christmas Eve 1853 – Queen Victoria’s Journals

Princess Helena, “Pont de Malay”, dated 24 Dec 1853, pencil, touches of bodycolour, RCIN 981049, © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust. “We walked out rather late, going through the new Home Farm, which is getting on beautifully. — Was terribly busy all day with Xmas preparations. Alas!, as the 2 preceding years, the joy of the season was much spoilt by the anxiety respecting external & internal Politics. — Took a short walk after luncheon. On c

youngqueenvictoria

Dec 17, 20255 min read

Advent Day 16: Christmas Eve 1852 – Queen Victoria’s Journals

Hills & Saunders, “The Oak Room, Windsor Castle” 1873, albumen print, RCIN 2100577, Royal Collection Trust/© His Majesty King Charles III 2022 “After rain in the night, & a little, early, it cleared, & we were able to take a walk. — Heard at 12 from LdAberdeen, that he would came here, as he had received a letter from Ld John, containing proposals & alterations of so extensive a kind, that if persisted in “would seriously endanger the success” of Ld A.’s undertaking! This ala

youngqueenvictoria

Dec 16, 20252 min read

Advent Day 15: Christmas Eve 1851 – Queen Victoria’s Journals

J Greenwood, “Windsor Castle”, published May 1851, RCIN 700254, Royal Collection Trust/© His Majesty King Charles III 2022 “This dear family festival I ever hail with joy. — Albert out shooting & I, walking with Lenchen. — When I came home much occupied with Xmas presents, sending them off &c. & preparing for the evening. — In the afternoon, after a short walk my time entirely taken up with the Xmas preparations, which really are of a great magnitude, a happy time, but one wh

youngqueenvictoria

Dec 15, 20252 min read

Advent Day 14: Christmas Eve 1850 – Queen Victoria’s Journals

Edward Henry Corbould, “The Coronation scene from Meyerbeer’s Le Prophete”, dated 1850, watercolour, RCIN 451109, Royal Collection Trust/© His Majesty King Charles III 2024 “The frost gone, a raw dull morning. — Albert out shooting, & I, walking with the Children. — We walked out in the afternoon, & found it raw & damp. — We began, by giving our present to poor Ly Lyttelton, a bracelet containing the portraits of our 5 younger Children, & 2 prints of the Children. Then gave p

youngqueenvictoria

Dec 14, 20253 min read

Advent Day 13: Christmas Eve 1849 – Queen Victoria’s Journals

Unknown Person, “The Red Room, Windsor Castle”, 1861, albumen print, RCIN 2103985, Royal Collection Trust/© His Majesty King Charles III 2022, “A cold dull morning, & whilst we were at breakfast, to which Mama came, it began to soon. — I took the Duchess to see the Schoolroom, in which her poor daughter Louise died, now 17 years ago, & then my sitting room. I remember Edward when he was only 3 weeks old, he was born at Bushey, & Gustaf & the other 2 girls, when they were quit

youngqueenvictoria

Dec 13, 20252 min read

Advent Day 12: Christmas Eve 1848 – Queen Victoria’s Journals

Jean Baptiste Van Eycken, “L’Abondance”, signed and dated 1848, oil on panel, RCIN 408986, Royal Collection Trust/© His Majesty King Charles III 2022, “Here is this dear day again which I ever face with such joy & which is full of so many dear recollections. So many sad & dreadful things have happened between last Christmas Eve & this one! May God grant that better & happier times are in store. Though indeed we have had happy times. Took a short walk with the 4 children, then

youngqueenvictoria

Dec 12, 20252 min read

Advent Day 11: Christmas Eve 1847 – Queen Victoria’s Journals

ir Edwin Landseer, “Queen Victoria at Loch Laggan”, Sep-Dec 1847, oil on panel, RCIN 403119, Royal Collection Trust/© His Majesty King Charles III 2022, accessed here. © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 “This festive day, the eve of such blessings & the day when ever since our childhood we have been happy & joyous, in giving & receiving, — I hail with gratitude & joy. I know no day, or rather more anniversary which we celebrate with more feelings of mutual joy & good

youngqueenvictoria

Dec 11, 20252 min read

Advent Day 10: Christmas Eve 1846 – Queen Victoria’s Journals

Franz Xaver Winterhalter, “King Edward VII (1841-1910), when Albert Edward, Prince of Wales”, signed and dated 1846, RCIN 404873, © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust “This happy, most blessed Festival again returns, & with it so many joyful feelings. — The morning was frosty & foggy. — Albert went early out shooting & I busied myself at home, reading, writing, & arranging things. — The weather was still too bad to allow of our going out after

youngqueenvictoria

Dec 10, 20252 min read

Advent Day 9: Christmas Eve 1845 – Queen Victoria’s Journals

Joseph Nash, “Queen Victoria’s Christmas Tree, Windsor Castle, 1845”, signed 1845, pencil, watercolour and bodycolour, RCIN 919807, Royal Collection Trust/© His Majesty King Charles III 2022 “With joy do I hail the return of this blessed festival, & peculiarly so now, that all the Ministerial troubles are over. — After breakfast & writing, I walked with Ly Desart, Albert having gone out hunting. It was a beautifully frosty day. — In the afternoon, Albert took me a short drive

youngqueenvictoria

Dec 9, 20252 min read

Advent Day 8: Christmas Eve 1844 – Queen Victoria’s Journals

Sir Charles Lock Eastlake, “Zia Theresa: The Visit to the Nun”, 1844, oil on canvas, RCIN 405854, Royal Collection Trust/© His Majesty King Charles III 2022 'With joy & gratitude I hail this day’s return, & it has ever been so dear to me & to my dearest Albert! How time flies it seems to me but yesterday, that we celebrated the festival. — After breakfast & attending Prayers, we walked to the Aviary & Frogmore, & it was very cold. On coming home, we found Alice sitting to Win

youngqueenvictoria

Dec 8, 20253 min read

Advent Day 7: Christmas Eve 1843 – Queen Victoria’s Journals

Hermann Winterhalter, “Simplicity”, 1843, oil on canvas, RCIN 404782, Royal Collection Trust/© His Majesty King Charles III 2022 “This happy day has again returned, & it seems but yesterday we had last celebrated it. Time flies too fast. I feel certain that our Heavenly Father through His blessed Son, whose birth we at this time so joyfully & gratefully commemorate, will grant that we may celebrate many more happy Christmas Eves together, & with our Children. — Both Children

youngqueenvictoria

Dec 7, 20252 min read