Queen Victoria
/ˌkwiːn vɪkˈtɔːriə/
/ˌkwiːn vɪkˈtɔːriə/
- (1819-1901) a British queen who ruled from 1837 to 1901. She was the granddaughter of King George III and became queen after the death of King William IV. Her rule was the longest of any British king or queen, and happened at the same time as Britain's greatest period of world power and industrial development. In 1840 she married her cousin Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. They had nine children. After Albert's death Victoria took no further part in public affairs, but was persuaded to return by her prime minister Benjamin Disraeli, who gained for her the title Empress of India. She is often remembered as a bad-tempered old woman. However in her early life she was a happy and enthusiastic queen who was very popular with ordinary people.