A Royal Marriage
One of the absolutely popular attributes of Queen Victoria was certainly her solid, loving marriage to Prince Albert.
Unlike so many arranged, royal marriages, Albert and Victoria really loved one another and remained faithful throughout their twenty-one years of marriage (1840-1861). Theirs was certainly a fruitful marriage, both in their political influence and their nine children. Prince Albert loved the arts and scientific advancement, and Victoria happily helped him promote his interests throughout their empire. Albert's early death from typhoid fever was greatly mourned by his widow.
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| Prince Albert and Queen Victoria |
Under the reign and influence of a happily married couple, England took a turn toward morality after its parade of unfortunate monarchs. Even amid a good deal of turmoil and nasty attributes, Victorian England prized and idealized the family and happy home life. We can read an abundance of Victorian authors who have sketched scenes of marital felicity. Charles Dickens -- my model in most story-relating topics -- had a habit of creating "Angel in the House" heroines in his novels, and rewarding them with a flawless family life in the end.
The domestic, family-oriented state of Victorian England has been most formative to my novel writing so far. In today's culture, The Affections of Miss Lucian would necessarily be a very different story, containing radically different characters and plots.
A Tradition
One of my favorite facts of the remarkable, royal couple is a minor detail, but an interesting one nonetheless.
Queen Victoria was married in a white dress. Until then, a wedding dress would simply be the colour and style that was trending or best fitting to the bride. When Queen Victoria wore white on her wedding day, the custom of the bride wearing white was popularized and young women eagerly took after their queen.
The white wedding dress will make an appearance at least once in my novel, and I owe that also to the Queen and her marriage.
Conclusion
I am happy to learn whenever I get a chance to deepen my knowledge of the royal family in and around my novel's timeframe. They are such fascinating people, and they lived during a time when the monarchy still held a definite power over their subjects. I come to realize more and more how many aspects of life and times I must understand of Victorian England in order to fully write my story.
Finally, I wish to send an apology from this Author Desk for my tardiness. Spring is notorious for busyness, and this spring has really outdone itself to keep up the reputation! I remain determined to continue this blog for a good while yet, so please do stay tuned, dear Reader!
Until I write again,
M.R.
