A lively and compelling new biography of Queen Victoria, told through her relationships with her ten prime ministers.
Queen Victoria was volatile, interfering and just as crazy as her ancestors. Her royal tantrums would push parliament into gridlock for days. Her favouring of certain politicians, encouraging their flirtations and sycophancy, would determine the next prime minister. Her triumphs, frustrations and emotional connections played out on the national stage because of her active role in politics.
Anne Somerset traces Queen Victoria’s political development from that of a teenager to that of an octogenarian, giving readers an insight into both the Queen’s eccentric character and the turbulent and gossip-filled political environment of the age. She leads us through key characters and events in Queen Victoria’s life: Disraeli’s shockingly obsequious behaviour, Gladstone’s thorn-in-the-side recurring presence, Uncle Leopold’s perpetual and unwanted pipeline of advice, King Albert’s tragic death and her enduring embrace of widowhood. With the support of her personal journals and letters, Prime Minister to the Queen creates a full-bodied portrait of Victoria like no one has before.
- ISBN13 9780008106225
- Publish Date 28 March 2024 (first published 4 March 2021)
- Publish Status Forthcoming
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher HarperCollins Publishers Inc
- Imprint HarperCollins
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 576
- Language English
- URL http://harpercollins.co.uk