15 Pieces of History That Victoria Did Differently
By Lacy Baugher
Jenna Coleman as Victoria and Tom Hughes as Prince Albert
(C) ITV Plc
Albert and Victoria’s Courtship Went a Little Differently
The Masterpiece series portrayed Victoria and Albert’s first meeting as a tad hostile. The two characters have obviously clashing personalities. And neither seem sure if they are suited for one another romantically. This is a standard TV trope. Of course two characters who experience friction upon first meeting or argue a lot initially are obviously meant to be together! Duh!
Victoria and Albert’s real courtship didn’t exactly happen like this.
The pair first met in 1836, before Victoria even became queen. Afterward, she wrote a letter to King Leopold full of praise for Albert and grateful to her uncle for encouraging the match between them. It’s obvious that she was pretty attracted to Albert from the start:
"I must thank you, my beloved Uncle, for the prospect of great happiness, you have contributed to give me, in the person of dear Albert. Allow me, then, my dearest Uncle, to tell you how delighted I am with him, and how much I like him in every way. He possesses every quality, that could be desired to render me perfectly happy. [He] is so sensible, so kind , and so good, and so amiable too. He has besides, the most pleasing and delightful exterior and appearance, you can possibly see."
Victoria and Albert apparently didn’t fall in love until their second meeting in 1839. (Which seems closest to the one we see on the show, time-wise.) But it certainly appears as thought he grounds for their love match had existed for some time before that.